2000 Buell Cyclone M2 Motorcycle reviews

The best most comfortable motorcycle I have ever owned. Love the Harley sound and the power is there with every gear! This bike just draws attention every where I go. It handles like a dream in every aspect. From my first test ride I fell in love with this bike and I love that I'm riding American muscle. You couldn't ask for a better bike don't let a fool fool you these bikes ride and handle like no other. Show less

I have read a bunch of reviews on the 2000 Buell M2 Cyclones, a lot of which complain about the reliability of this bike. I bought my Buell used with 9000 miles on it and have put 11000 miles on it in the 1 year that I have owned it. This is by far the most fun bike I have ever owned. It is comfortable, fast, and very reliable. Except for having the rear head pipe coming off during a 140 mph sprint, the only thing I've done is change the oil and adjust the primary drive chain. I have never had a problem with the rear suspension or the speedo. Granted, Buells are not for everyone but if you like the attitude that comes with this bike and random girls coming up to you in the grocery store parking lot to ask you about your cool looking bike, you should definitely get one. It was the best $ I ever spent! Show less

Bought 2000 M2 Buell August 2000, $7400 out the door. Have 17100 miles as of 9/15/2003, still all stock. Had the typical rear rocker gasket leak at 3k miles, front one at 10k, no leaks since. Had cell die in battery at approx. 5k miles, warranty replaced. Replaced swing arm bearings at 10k miles during 10k service (Idaho has a lot of bumpy roads), no other problems. Get about 5-6k miles on rear Dunlop D220 (the D205 replacement), about 9k miles on front Dunlop D220. Have gotten 58-60 mpg at 60-80 mph on trips between Boise and Missoula, Montana (have the Ventura baggage system which cuts down on wind resistance). It does a good job for sport/touring on mountain highways with the relatively upright riding posture. The seat is comfy, and there is almost no grip vibration at 65-80 mph. With a tank bag, sometimes use the passenger pegs for feet, rest helmet on tank bag when knees start to ache on real long rides. Also does good in freeway traffic when commuting to work, the bright orange is quite visible (one of the reasons I bought a Buell). The belt drive is clean and quiet too. Brakes are good, use only 2 fingers on front one. Ride with both Harley and BMW guys (on 2000 models, they also have had their share of problems (one R1100S had, at 5k miles, the powertrain gears in the swingarm drive assembly fail catastrophically, which then destroyed the the entire swingarm housing, another, a BMW R1200C, keeps breaking the plastic turn and brake light housings due to vibration, and it too had a battery go bad). Overall, it has been ok for me. Show less

Been riding the M2 for about a year and a half now, and I like it now more than ever. It turns out that my difficulties in lofting the front wheel were resolved by a bit more aggressive use of the throttle. Still can't do anything in 2nd yet, but I'm working on it! A note of caution when adjusting the rear preload--crank that locknut down! Mine backed off on me, and the vibration messed up the threads and now I can't get it to thread back on (doh!). No other reliability issues to report so far; maybe the best $5K I've spent. I found a cheap speedo fix in a Garmin Geko GPS unit for $95, and I think that the sputtering is just the bike's way of telling me to switch to reserve. It's annoying when I'm on the highway, but now I can feel it coming and switch tanks on the fly. I sometimes dream about Suzuki's new SV1000, but I think the M2 looks cooler and was a whole lot cheaper. It's all the bike I'll ever need--especially now that I'm a dad! Show less

Stock this bike leaves much to be desired. With performance mods to exhaust, carb, intake, and ignition you will be pleased. With head-work/cams, you will be dazzled. This is definitely a bike for gear-heads, not for R.U.B.s. This bike excels in the twisties, sounds awesome with after-market exhaust, and is defintely a head-turner. If you want something different that begs to be customized and tweaked; this is a great all-arounder for ya. Rear brake is weak, vibrations are high below 3000 rpm, and bike is unstable at 95 mph +. Show less

I bought my first 2000 Buell Cylone(with added tachometer) about a month & a half ago & have never been happier with a bike before in my life! Over the past 18 years I've owned several different makes of motorcycles (four dirt bikes not included), from a vintage two stroke twin to a Norton Commando to a dual-sport to a full fairing sportbike, But have never owned anything like this!! The first thing I did to the bike was to replace the stock pipe with a V&H slip-on and remove the stock air box and add a ForceWinder intake system in its place. The torque is amazing and the handling superb! If like me you're interested in a beautifully built great handling comfortable sport/tourer with that impresive "Harley sound" but either can't come up with the cash for a big twin or can't see yourlelf clad in leather chaps with little more than a skull cap helmet for protection, this may be the bike for you.. Like a harley, this bike definitely turns heads on the road! Be prepared for lots of interested people with lots of questions and comments about the bike.. But make no mistake... The Harley riders won't consider you one of their own, just because you're riding an American built bike with a "Harley like" engine in it. That aside, there's just something about cruising down the road on a head turning bike, making that unmistakable rumbling sound that I just never get tired of. This is a bike I'll hold onto for a long time to come! -Tim Show less

I purchased a NEW Cyclone 2000,M2 from the oldest Harley dealer in the US. A.D. Farrow, in September. I love the way the bike rides, but I have had a bunch of problems, all starting at 2,700 miles. Rear rocker box leak, rins hot, and now my speedometer is only working half the time, get this, one day after getting her out of the shop! Also, Harley's people don't seem to understand how the warranty works. I haven't had it a year=, and they STILL made me pay the 50 dollar co-pay. that's not fair, and it's not right under the terms of the warranty. Good bike I guess, but beware, they will try to cheat you at the dealer when this NEW machine starts with ALL these problems when it's brand new. I'm still fighting to get my 50 dollars back. I need it to get the speedometer fixed now!! Buell can do better, just watch those snakey service reps. Show less

Although my M2 has been somewhat fun to ride, it by no measure compares to the endless problems I have had with it. Beware Beware Beware!!! Here are the problems I have had so far during only the first 10k miles: 500 miles: speedo failure 550 miles: speedo failure (again) 1598 miles: rear rocker cover gasket leak 4500 miles: battery failure causing bike to die completely (in the desert away from civilization) 5000 miles: muffler cracked and nearly fell off 5303 miles: primary gasket seal leak 6500 miles: cracked header pipe 7300 miles: rear shock absorber failure 8500 miles: primary gasket seal leak 9481 miles: speedo failure (yes, again) 9481 miles: front brake rotor deemed bad (was this way from factory) 10000 miles: cracked header pipe (again) 10611 miles: speedo inop (gee, again?) But the real point of this review is to let you all, whom are planning to purchase a Buell, that the warrantee is what gets you. I paid an additional $1200 cash at the time of purchasing this bike for the extended warrantee. What the salesman conveinently forgets to tell you is that after the first year, the extended warrantee kicks in and you are required to pay $50 deductable for each and every time you have a failure. As you can see by the problems I have had, it can get expensive. I might also add that Harley-Davidson Extended Warrantee is not all that friendly or concerned with you once you have purchased the bike. I sent a 3 page letter to Buell in Milwaukee an FYI letter stating the dissatisfaction I am having with the materials and workmanship, the customer service (or lack thereof) and the letter I received was nothing more than a "well, too bad". Beware of these guys. Get a nice Japanese bike like my 20 year-old Yamaha that never breaks. Good luck Rob Bowdish Show less

Last year, I bought a 2002 Buell Cyclone and have just hit the 2,500 mile mark. One thing I must admit, you do need to have a mechanical sense if want to be happy with it. The dry sump confuses a lot of riders, and sometimes people overfill it. You really need to check it right after riding, because the oil may leak past the valve and run back into the motor then you add oil again and it is overfilled. I like the oil control of the dry sump, but you need to know something about motors to appreciate it. I agree on the break-in period and the need to follow the manual. Also, be careful about the motor oil you use. These air cooled motors are particular and I do not second guess the guys that made the motor. Too many guys out there know things that simply are not true, and they blame equipment for their own ineptitude. The Cyclone motor does produce a bunch of torque exactly where you use it on the road. It is not a repli-racer crotch rocket (btw: I like those types of bikes too). It will get to "straight to jailspeeds very easily. It will lift the front wheel very easily, if you are into that sort of thing. It has a fast steering and a lack of a real fairing, so your arms are out in the wind. If you an unaware rider and you hold on tight with your hands, the buffeting of your arms will shake the front end and that is very un-cool on the far side of 90 mph. Many guys out there say the bike is unstable when it is really improper riding technique. They would be happier with a slower front end. My only big complaint about the stock Cyclone is that annoying hick-up it does right after closing the throttle and opening it just a little bit. It does not happen all the time, but when it does, it causes a momentary delay. I understand that it is part of the lean stock carburetor setup. I did make some changes that really did make the bike a lot better in throttle response. I re-jetted the carburetor, replaces the big air box with a Forcewinder air intake, and replaced the stock muffler with a Vance and Hines SS2R slip-on. It really made the bike feel more awake, and it is worth it for the sound and look. It is not so loud that your neighbors will complain so much, and now, it does sound more like a Harley. It hick-ups much less. I have been told by another Cyclone owner that the 42mm Mikuni really helps more than re-jetting, but it is almost $400 and I decided to wait. Also, the motor is not covered by that air-box. You tall guys will like that the Forcewinder air intake gives you more knee room. The Buell Cyclone does draw a lot of looks in my small town, and I am not always glad to get the attention. I can ride it all day with no problem, and I am middle aged and my back is not the best. The 5 gallon gas tank will get you fairly far, which helps when the gas stations a few and far between. The dealers have not been gouging on the price as they do for regular Harleys, and the Buell will not hold its resale as well as the other Harleys. Also, I understand that 2002 is the last year for the steel frame Buell, except for the Blast. Supposedly, the larger 2003 Buell models will be aluminum framed. Show less

This message is to all those who complain about this bike. I really don't care to hear about your GSXRZ700RZ1218 Crotch Rocket and how the it'll blow this bike away, etc. This bike, being a product of Harley Davidson, has it's share of problems, most of which I have dealt with. If the bike is properly broke in as specified in the manual, you shouldn't have many problems at all. The reason there are so many complaints about this bike is because of all those out there who think they can jump on this bike and crank it up to 10,000 RPM's. It just doesn't work like that. All I can say is this is the most fun I have ever had on a bike. It is a high maintenance bike...no question (as are all Harley's). Just as long as you follow all instructions in the manual for the break in, and you regulary inspect the bike and catch problems before hand, I would recommend this bike to anyone who doesn't mind getting their hands dirty. I love bikes...riding, cleaning, and working on them. This is why I'm not complaining about Buells. They are a good all-around bike and I am very please with my Cyclone M2. Show less