Buell Firebolt: Maintenance for the daily

[@scotfield3950]

I want one, thanks!

[@thiaguinhooitodois2211]

41,000 miles. Impressive how reliable they are.

[@theabyssgarage]

She’s a strong running engine. Enough horsepower for me to get into trouble with.

[@hunger997]

Great idea with cradle + lift. Can you share the cradle dimensions? Would the bike not flip if you didn't tie it down? I've got a Uly, let's keep Buells on the road, cheers!

[@theabyssgarage]

I used a contour gauge then traced it and cut it with a jigsaw. I made it out of 2x4’s and made it the size of the jack pad area. In theory the radius can change depending on what exhaust is on the bike.

[@damianmarz691]

I have a Buell fire bolt xb12r badass bike

[@AdamLambert-yo7gb]

Hey great vid. I’m looking to buy a xb9r Buell but am worried about reliability and parts being obsolete as it would be my daily ride. Have you had many problems with yours apart from service items. Starting problems , fuel pump problems etc? do you think it could be a reliable daily ?

[@theabyssgarage]

I did have an issue with the relays when the bike was super hot in the summer. But I changed the relays and haven’t had a problem since. You can still get parts from Harley. Turn signals are a pain to get but there’s a company on ebay that sells a repair kit for them. I would recommend St. Paul’s Harley/Buell in Minnesota. They have a Buell division and helped me out with my throttle cable.

[@yayagazab4449]

A few things bother me about this bike. The gas tank as a stressed frame member might eventually get cracks as well as the oil swing arm. A race type bike should have a chain not a belt drive. A suped up Sportster push-rod engine will wear the engine faster, eventually snapping the belt. Lastly, the rear cylinder is covered & probably doesn’t get enough air to cool. The block heads are covered & hard to clean & overtime must get corroded & pitted. Harley put a lot of restrictions on Buell, but he did the best he could to work around them. The Sportster engine is tough but does have its limits. It’s a fast cruiser, not a race bike. Very good looking, unique franken-bike though. They are overvalued, of course. I wouldn’t pay more than $5K for the older models.