Buell reviews

Bought an 07 Firebolt XB9R love the bike. Bike rides and handles really well. Hard to find parts when needed but over all bike performs really well. I'm older so it's hard to ride long distances but being on the bike I forget about distance when I roll on the throttle. Bike cruises at 75 miles an hour. Drop it back in third on the highway rolling up to about 120 mph with ease and no hesitation. Have to replace fork seals and cooling fan on the '07 but bike still outperforms some of these little 600s that are brand new. My son-in-law has a brand new CBR600RR and still can't keep up even though his bike has more horsepower I guess it's just a rider. The torque on this thing is a lot better than most and I can leave my son-in-law sitting for the first quarter a mile easily. Had offers on the bike for around 3500 but not going to sell still having fun with it. Show less

Reliability. I never had any issues, except it vibrates a little and can sometimes loosen hardware. Not like the engine falls apart, but the shift lever end fell off riding one day and the negative on the battery started to loosen. Only things I have had issues with. No electrical problems. At 20 years old, I went through the fuel system and cleaned stuff up, as any gas powered vehicle would need. Quality? Sure. Compared to the price? Definitely. Performance is low end oriented. Don't expect a top end screamer and you'll be happy. It is fantastic bursting around 40-60mph roads, and will net 50 mpg doing it. Comfort? It doesn't make you cramp as bad as some newer sport bikes and is more upright, but it wasn't designed to be comfortable. A nee seat would help as it is a little narrow where it meets the tank. It's been a great bike and you won't see any others like it when you own one! Show less

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 bought this bike from an HD dealer in 2018. It had 765 original miles on it. The dealer put new tires, fork seals, and battery before I took it. Well it carberated so takes a while to warm up. But it is nice to ride. Good and peppy above 3500 rpm. Hard to find neutral even after adjusting the clutch. But...I love this bike. Now in 2019, it runs well. What more can I ask of a 21 year old bike. Show less

220900 miles and still Great. 48-50 mpg on good fuel. Traveled 1100 miles in 24 hours on it. 6000 miles two up cross southern US. Desert heat, southern mountains and rain. Commuted. Just a Great all around sport utility bike that can do anything within reason. emphasis on sport. Love the tourqe. Show less

I rode a 150cc over seven years; finally opted to "step up" to this versatile creature. One can sit upright or drop into a tuck. Almost a decade later, the styling is unimitated. It's throaty rumble turns heads and has powerful front brakes and an exquisitely balanced chassis. Drop it into 4th on a highway incline and the bike breaks away effortlessly. A short wheelbase invites underestimation. We've been riding five weeks, from 3,900 miles to 7,900 miles. This bike is almost ideal for traveling around Atlanta; from the local highways, to the city streets, to the interstates. Show less

After riding two years on a Buell Blast, I finally upgraded to a Buell Firebolt XB12R in 2006. It needed some getting used to, but I have to say it is easier to turn the Firebolt into the corner than the Baby Buell. Six years later I am still riding the Buell, I am looking at other bikes, but for some reason they just don't seem right, none of them has the clean look of the Buell. It is too sad that Buell was disolved. I am commuting on the bike, so I probably use only 20% of the bike's potential, but it handles fantastic, I absolutely love it. 50 miles to the gallon is not a bad thing these days neither. Just hope I can get 50,000 miles more out of the bike. Show less

Well I liked it so much I bought a second one! Maybe that's all I need to say. I rode most of what Yamaha, Suzuki, HD and Honda had to offer around 1200 cc. I wanted it all-fast, torque, thrilling in corners, lean but seats two for day-long treks with no complaints, light and doesn't look like a chrome two wheel Winnebago. I can drive in the bubble when I feel the need for speed but don't have to all the time feel like I'm tying my shoes all day. I have my fast tour bike but when I drop the rider and the luggage - I have my crotch rocket! The second bike I did most of the same add ons but that one I did the custom exhaust. The first one is stock exhaust. I will say that the best tires I driven on with these bikes were the Pirellis - it came with and playing with widths and race tires mostly left the bike feeling odd in twisties. Further testimonial to those stock tires is surviving a rear blowout from sharp metal at 94 mph! Yes I know that's speeding. The tires rode flat and did not disintegrate under me but it was a nightmare ride across lanes and median! A lesser tire would have been the end. I drive long distance and short hops but almost all on highway ramps, highways or crazy city streets with the worst South Florida maniacs! The torque is awesome and I've playfully left just about most guys, bikes, cars, etc. in the mirror at times. With the exhaust mod on a traffic-less day, I made an easy 147 with gobs more to go. Except, that is, for my obvious realization of no good excuses for the officer who pulls me over and my delayed common sense of what a crash at that speed will feel like. I made this a one time just to see trip told me to knock it off. I wired the Zumo for ear bud for both positions for rider tunes and love these bikes to death. My two Honda's are truly for sale My Harley brothers keep trying to get me to buy an HD too but when I get them to ride the Buell XB they love it and start scratching their heads. Truthfully, I've never had anybody try the bike and not say what the heck?!?! Wow! Dude-be careful - that's a rocket and man it corners fantastically! Show less

I bought my 03 XB9R used with 6,000 miles on it from the original owner. It has fantastic handling, is comfortable (even 2 up), has great sound & looks, with fun while having usable power (especially on winding hills we have here in Colorado). I love the bike and, thanks to Erik Buell's unique design, I have gotten nothing but compliments on it for its looks, sound, and even its performance from the friends I've let ride it. The only troubling issues I've encountered have been high and premature (I think) maintenance costs (Intake manifold seals, injectors, and fork seals required replacement at 7,500 miles) but otherwise it runs flawessly. This probably wouldn't be half as bad if someone other than HD could provide service and parts for the bike. It seems that these cycles are not universally understood by the HD mechanics tasked with providing OEM services to them and parts, controlled completely by HD, may become an issue as present inventories lessen. But, like any piece of art, it's beautiful to behold, fun to experience, and I think someday will be considered a classic. If you have one, take care of it. Show less