BUell Disassembly

[Colonel Nikolai]

I'm rebuilding the drive train on this thing.

Some folks in meat-space asked me about this photo. The black horn-shaped thing coming out of the top of the engine with the red rag in it is the fuel-injection system's velocity stack. It's made of rubber believe it or not! Because the engine vibrates so much.

Every single screw or bolt on the engine has thread locker on it because the engine vibrates so much. If you check Erik Buell's list of patents, most of them are for engine vibration reduction. What a waste of engineering talent. I think the world might be better off without Harley Davidson.

[EvilBetty]

I think the world might be better off without Harley Davidson.

That's not an opinion... that's a fact.  It's really one of those companies that has done nothing to spur the industry, just it's culture.  Pains one to think where the American motorcycle market may be today without H-D's presence.

That said... I do own a Buell (Ok it's the girl friend's Blast).   And have to agree whole heartily about the wasted engineering on anti-vibration technology.  Don't remember a thumper in history having so many anti -vibration parts on it.  

[Colonel Nikolai]

Pains one to think where the American motorcycle market may be today without H-D's presence.

Yes I sometimes think about that. A buddy of mine bought a Yamaha Warrior recently. This is a 1.5 liter 45-degree v-twin motor cruiser that weighs something over 700 lbs dry, has 90 horses and has a 200 rear tire.  :roll:

Yet of all the bikes I wanted to ride this summer, no offense, the Buell here was the one. It's 51" wheelbase, light weight and amazing handling is so much fun. But the engine is, frankly, so poorly thought out and so backward I'm getting discouraged almost before I begin.

I got it really cheap with 8600 miles on the odo but some bad bearing(s) in the tranny.

[Colonel Nikolai]

Hey by the way, nice to see you upgraded your cat! What do you think of the front suspension?

[EvilBetty]

Hated it when I first got it.  I spent $350 at Cafe Racer to have the front springs upgraded to 1.0 RaceTech springs and new fork oil and it was a tremendous improvement.  Just need to get the rear spring done now :)

I still sometimes think I would really like a Buell X1 Lightning to play with.  But it's been about a year since I sat on a Speed Triple :)

[jphish]

Hmmm - well the much malgned Buell IS actually a pretty capable machine. Have an 08' XB12X parked next to the 06 Tiger in warm / dry garage.. The mythical legend & fierce feline seem to tollerate each other just fine. The Uly has some quirks, to be sure - but is a serious adventure canyon carver - once you get it dialed in. (inclding setting suspension for your wt) The bearing issue is easily sorted out.  If bike has unknown history I would swap out bearings as precaution. Over torque by some ham fisted tech or owner can crush / distort alum spacer - if that happens - new bearings will fail as easily / quickly as the old. Replace spacer, ($15) replace bearings ($30). Torque rear to 25ft# - back off 2 turns - retorque to 50ft#. Replacement bearings should have BLACK seals (KBC) NOT red seals (NTN) (NTNs were a weak link) When removing wheel @ every tire change, carefully pick seals with small jewlers screwdriver & scoop out some of the old grease. Repack lightly with new grease (I use mobil 1 synthetic) Carefully Re-press in seals. Then use antiseize & press in with finger between seal & bearing (this helps keep H2O out) Wipe off excess, remount wheel and your ready to ride. I have about 30K miles on this set (did front too) Bearings are fine - expect another 30K before I replace as precaution. Takes about 30 mins total at tire change to accomplish. Worth it - when ya consider the alternative. Don't know about all the other years - but my 08' had some teething issues - been great the last 25K miles though. I actually appreciate the visceral & venerable old 1203 Vtwin. It's easy to work on, pretty darn reliable - shakes at idle but smooths out @ around 2K RPM - and very smooth @ 3-6K RPM. 3K= 60mph  6k = 115mph. Redlines @ 7,100. Lots of torque (85ft# & 103 Hp) I wouldnt trade my Tiger for one - but the Uly is an iconic machine with lots of heart. They only made about 8,000 XB12Xs from 06 - 10. I got me a collectors item - maybe no parts - but a collectors item nonetheless.

[Colonel Nikolai]

jphish the bearings of which I speak is in the transmission - diagnosis is "total internal transmission failure" so I will be replacing all the internal tranny parts I can find that look suspicious - but it's good advice nonetheless, thanks!

[jwray76]

I think within the next 5 years Buell will have a solid production line moving again. He is just freeing up from all of the HD stuff and working hard on the race bikes right now. I have very few people that I look up to but Erik is for sure one of them.

[Colonel Nikolai]

Hated it when I first got it.  I spent $350 at Cafe Racer to have the front springs upgraded to 1.0 RaceTech springs and new fork oil and it was a tremendous improvement.  Just need to get the rear spring done now :)

I still sometimes think I would really like a Buell X1 Lightning to play with.  But it's been about a year since I sat on a Speed Triple :)

Mirrors my experience renting a Tiger 1050. The front end is kinda cheap. Sasquatch even said they're worse than Girly stock front ends.

What do you like so much about the X1? I didn't look at Buells much until I saw the XB, which the first time you look at it, it's like looking at a motorcycle for the first time all over again. Looks like it came from the future. Taking it apart it does seem very modern in so many ways EXCEPT the engine. When I had a chance to get one cheap, I got it. Now I feel a bit like I bit off more than I can chew. Will let you know!

[EvilBetty]

Front end really isn't cheap just setup for a 140lb rider, which I am not  :shock:

The back is a bit stiffer, but with even a little luggage or a 9 year old pillion it's maxed out.

Something about the old X1's just appealed to me.  Raw street fighter look to it.  Very basic.  I know after test driving all the Buells last year at the local HD Buell clearance demo days... that I really wouldn't be happy with one though.  I'm just too spoiled on tipples.  Maybe a street triple :)

[D-Fuzz]

Last fall I had the opportunity to ride my friend's Uly for about 4 hours on the highway.  It was a really nice bike to ride; very comfortable, lots of power, decent wind protection.  It was a cool October day at the time, so I appreciated the heat blowing onto my right leg, keeping it toasty warm.  It was a cool bike, it is just a pity that H-D treated Buell like the red-headed stepchild.  Although there is a H-D dealer in our city, it wasn't a Buell dealer and wouldn't touch the bike with a 10-ft pole.  The Buell dealer 4 hours away, didn't have much more enthusiasm when it came to the brand either.  My friend has since sold his Buell, which is a shame, but I don't think he is much into collectibles.

There was an interview with Erik Buell in Motorcyclist this past month.  His non-competition agreement with H-D runs out in Feb. 2011 and it looks like he will slowly get back into the biz.  There was speculation that he might join up with Bombardier.  He talked about using Rotax engines, which would be an improvement over the Sportster engine, for sure.

[jphish]

Hey Col' - yeah, sorry about bearing confusion. I had just switched from BWB site, where wheel bearings was (is) a perpetual discussion. You might want to use that group of hooligans for web assistance - should you run into difficulty during repair of tranny. My wife always opined the Uly looks like a 'praying mantis' - it does exude certain insect qualities.

[NKL]

THIS IS TIGER TRIPLE ....... TRIUMPH TIGER'S Whats all this Buell talk

[jphish]

NKL - I think thats an artifact of me being over 60 & having multiple steeds - some of us get confused.  :?  TTFN

[Colonel Nikolai]

Everything alright in the critic's section? Someone get NKL a drink.