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Hi All,
I must admit something. I don't think too much of Buell motorcycles. I considered them quirky and unreliable riding machines. However, I work near a Harley-Davidson dealership and decided to drop by as a break from the drudgery of work. Anyway, they had a demo model of an XB12S available for riding. Unlike other dealerships, this one actively encouraged me to take it for a spin. They told me to take my time so after some consideration, I took them up on their offer.
I climbed on the bike and noticed immediately that there isn't much of the bike to see. Really. It's so compact that when you look around you barely see the bike at all. Surprisingly unnerving at first. However, once you get used to this the bike is comfortable to sit on. As it is fuel injected you simple turn on the bike, wait for the ignition light to pop on and then you start the bike. I don't consider fuel injection inherently superior for performance but it is a little more convenient than carburetor systems.
Holy smokes, does this thing vibrate. It vibrates so badly you can't see anything in the mirrors. I think that I might not be able to have children if I sit on this thing too long. I pull out of the dealership and on to the road. Thankfully, once you hit 3,000 rpms the vibration virtually disappears or at least is dramatically improved. The bike runs fairly smooth as long as you don't drop below 2,000 rpms.
I pulled onto the highway and I decided to see how this bad boy rides. I twist the throttle. Whoa! This thing has a lot of torque. A lot! I away pull quickly and faster than my Katana could. However, it seems to lose power fairly quickly but then I realize I'm doing 80 mph. Impressive acceleration to say the least but I decided to see how the roll-on power compares. Although good, it isn't any better than my Katana. In fact, in terms of the quarter mile, the 750 Katana is as good if not slightly better. The good thing is you don't have to rev the XB12 engine high to get desired performance and it redlines at over 6000 rpms. However, it does seem to have a narrow powerband.
Objectely speaking, the useable power this machine offers makes it a wonderful street bike, provided that you can stand the vibrations at low rpms. In terms of 0-60 performance, it does better than the 750 Katana but the Kat matches it in quarter mile and roll-on tests, at least according to my informal appraisal. It's compact design and geometry make it very maneuverable and nimble but it is very stable at high speeds, unlike most other SS bikes. The unique perimeter style brakes are amazing and is noticeably better than the Katana's. The Showa suspension is good and superior to a standard Katana but not as good as the Ohlins on my Kat.
Verdict: A worthwhile machine and worth looking at for street riding. I think Buell nailed it dead on by calling the XB machines "sport fighters". Very high torque and nimble geometry makes these machines very good at everyday city riding. For versatility, commuting and touring I would prefer the Katana. However, an XB12R might not be a bad idea for riding around town.
I must admit something. I don't think too much of Buell motorcycles. I considered them quirky and unreliable riding machines. However, I work near a Harley-Davidson dealership and decided to drop by as a break from the drudgery of work. Anyway, they had a demo model of an XB12S available for riding. Unlike other dealerships, this one actively encouraged me to take it for a spin. They told me to take my time so after some consideration, I took them up on their offer.
I climbed on the bike and noticed immediately that there isn't much of the bike to see. Really. It's so compact that when you look around you barely see the bike at all. Surprisingly unnerving at first. However, once you get used to this the bike is comfortable to sit on. As it is fuel injected you simple turn on the bike, wait for the ignition light to pop on and then you start the bike. I don't consider fuel injection inherently superior for performance but it is a little more convenient than carburetor systems.
Holy smokes, does this thing vibrate. It vibrates so badly you can't see anything in the mirrors. I think that I might not be able to have children if I sit on this thing too long. I pull out of the dealership and on to the road. Thankfully, once you hit 3,000 rpms the vibration virtually disappears or at least is dramatically improved. The bike runs fairly smooth as long as you don't drop below 2,000 rpms.
I pulled onto the highway and I decided to see how this bad boy rides. I twist the throttle. Whoa! This thing has a lot of torque. A lot! I away pull quickly and faster than my Katana could. However, it seems to lose power fairly quickly but then I realize I'm doing 80 mph. Impressive acceleration to say the least but I decided to see how the roll-on power compares. Although good, it isn't any better than my Katana. In fact, in terms of the quarter mile, the 750 Katana is as good if not slightly better. The good thing is you don't have to rev the XB12 engine high to get desired performance and it redlines at over 6000 rpms. However, it does seem to have a narrow powerband.
Objectely speaking, the useable power this machine offers makes it a wonderful street bike, provided that you can stand the vibrations at low rpms. In terms of 0-60 performance, it does better than the 750 Katana but the Kat matches it in quarter mile and roll-on tests, at least according to my informal appraisal. It's compact design and geometry make it very maneuverable and nimble but it is very stable at high speeds, unlike most other SS bikes. The unique perimeter style brakes are amazing and is noticeably better than the Katana's. The Showa suspension is good and superior to a standard Katana but not as good as the Ohlins on my Kat.
Verdict: A worthwhile machine and worth looking at for street riding. I think Buell nailed it dead on by calling the XB machines "sport fighters". Very high torque and nimble geometry makes these machines very good at everyday city riding. For versatility, commuting and touring I would prefer the Katana. However, an XB12R might not be a bad idea for riding around town.
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