too much??

[supercharged_s]

I was curious, would the Beull XB9S be too much for a beginner rider??
Im 19 and im going to go and get my M-license..i plan on going through A harley davidson dealers Riders Edge program for beginner riders...but i want your guys opinions...
I really like this bike as compared to an import...i like the street bike look it has..its not too much, and ive heard them..they are more throaty than a high winder...My s2000 redlines at 9000rpms...so i want something that has less rpms and more of a rumble...i know they are not comparable..
My S did the quarter in 13. flat...but i want something that is fast, but fast in a way where i dont feel out of control...
I dont know if this bike is that fast, but thats is where you guys can tell me

If im not clear just post and let me know, i want to know as much about the abilities of this bike as i can..
SO thank you

David

[DrHeathenScum]

I may not be the best judge, as I mainly ride a Softail, but I have been riding on and off for the past 26 years.

I had a brand new XB9R out for a test ride and it sure liked to yank the front wheel off the ground and cruised quite nicely at 120mph... Snappy bike, but I'm not sure about for a first bike. Nothing like a Gixxer, but still a lot of bike to learn on, IMHO

I am still a firm believer in starting out with a "beater" bike, or better yet, riding a dirt bike and paying your dues where there's no cars to run you over. I would really pick up a basic bike for cheap and bash around on it for the first year, then move up.

Very good move taking a safety course... I can't recommend them enough. I usually suggest the MSF or CHP safety courses, but I'm sure the one you mentioned will do the job.

Riding is fun and almost as good as sex if you've had it in the past day or two, but never get so complacent that you forget everyone driving a car is only there to run you over when you're not looking

Best of luck!!!

-Joe

[bikertrashdude]

as long as you are responsible enough to respect the bike and what it can do then NO, it is not too much bike for a first time rider. if you where going for something like a Busa, then I would say yea, that is alot of Bike, really I say that because of the weight....

BTD

I say go for it!

[hippo888]

MCN reports that the XB9 series does the 1/4 mile in 11.83 seconds with a 0-60 of 3.94 seconds.

If you want something that has lots of bottom-end torque in a small package, this is probably the bike for you. It makes more torque at 2500rpm than any comparable 600cc sportbike at peak. However, if you're looking for outright speed, all of the top-of-the-line 600cc sportbikes are faster.

Is this bike too much for a beginner? I don't know. It depends on the maturity level of the beginner. Any 600cc+ sportbike is more powerful than any factory race bike from 30 years ago. If you want to, you can very quickly (in tenths-of-a-second) get in over your head on any of these bikes. On the other hand, ride rationally and they're a blast.

The biggest differences between the XB-series and the Japanese 600's is the low-end torque and the Buell's extremely, extremely heavy steering. The XB's steer very slowly, with greater effort than the Japanese 600's. The XB is also much, much more sensitive to suspension setting than any other bike I've owned (you'll learn a whole lot about suspension setting up an XB). In tests, most skilled magazine riders (such as D.Canet and Motorad) say that a skilled rider can corner harder on the XB series than a comparable 600.

That said, I find my XB9S much more enjoyable than any Japanese 600cc sportbike. Winding out a 600 immediately puts you into speeding-ticket range. The XB9S makes immediate power, so you don't need to wind it out to get good acceleration and a fun exhaust note. Plus the upright riding position is more comfortable.

If you want more info, check out Bad Weather Bikers, they're probably the largest Buell site on the web.

If you have any more questions, just ask and I'll try to answer.

[supercharged_s]

hey hippo, how much did you pay for your XB?? i would be doin payments on mine.
what kind of problems have you encountered with the bike? mechanical? electrical? are they high maintence like a ducati?
thanks
Dave

[hippo888]

Supercharged_S,

I think I paid $7995.00 out-the-door for mine. So, subract 6% for sales tax and $45.00 for registration and plate and the price on the bike was around 7500.00.

So far, with only 4000 miles on mine, I've encountered no problems. I have one of the earliest ones built (please see my earlier posts in this forum, entitled "#205"). They replaced the wheel bearings under recall and I low-sided the bike. Parts were cheap. The newer ones are a bit tidier in their wiring from what I can see.

Maintenance is probably the easiest I've ever encountered. No valves to adjust, the rear belt is self-adjusting, the primary chain needs adjusting only every 5,000 miles (I think) and that can be done with a wrench and an allen key. The chin fairing has to come off to access the oil filter. Everything is really, really simple. The only thing that can't be done easily at home is the throttle position sensor reset every 10,000 miles (I think). That takes 15 minutes of dealership time.

You could probably finish a large maintenance service on the XB-series before you could adjust the valves on a 2-valve Ducati (don't even think about the 4-valvers!).

I will probaly get an extended warranty on mine, just for the peace of mind. I've heard of 2 blown engines at the 25,000+ mile mark, check out Bad Weather Bikers for the whole stories.

[Eeyore]

I don't think the XB9's are appropriate bikes for beginners. The available low end torque will drop you on your ass if you grab too much throttle. The front brake is very powerful and grabbing too much of that will also ruin your day real fast.

I only had 3000 miles on relatively tame bikes brfore I got mine. I am very cautious and patient...so far it has worked out well for me. Some newbies can pull it off wihtout getting hurt... in my opinion, most can not.

Good luck!