BUELL XB12S SPEEDO READINGS.

Giving the Lightning a bit of throttle on a closed road to which the public have no access..This was done to see if the re-packed silencer made any difference to the performance.Keeping under the redline It knocks almost 10mph off the top end but acceleration is about the same...

[@dannosoar2534]

Erik Buell was not only an engineer but also a competitive road racer. Those Buell bikes were developed on the racetrack under race conditions, the motors had zero interchangeable parts with a stock Sportster motor and could withstand an 8 hour professional level endurance race. That combined with the technical innovations in handling and braking means that on a twisty turny backroad (where everybody loves to ride) they absolutely CANNOT BE BEAT!!! The pure joy and exhilaration of riding one is something that will not be forgotten! In 2008 they upgraded the oiling system so any bike made after that is one to look for. If you can still find one with relatively low miles on it I suggest that you buy it immediately!!!

[@thra5herxb12s]

👍

[@bradgt5130]

Just bought a Xb12. And I love it. Don't care about how slow its top speed is. But I can hang with the others. Mine is just badass

[@thra5herxb12s]

Thanks. Thats why I bought a Buell, because of the low revving engine. The reasonable performance is an added bonus. The Micron full system helps with the sound as well...

[@rianad54]

Nay sayer's usually don't even have a bike, and ANY bike except the bike they wish they had, is for posing and bumbling(?) 3 things are certain about them....they've never even sat on a Buell, they've never tried pass one on a twisty road, and if you have to explain it they're never gonna get it anyway.

[@jcallesano]

People.... You have to remember this is essentially a Harley. They are made for torque, not speed. Buy a true crotch rocket if you NEED to go 180mph.

[@warnersmith1344]

When I rode my XB12Scg to get gas before storing it for winter, then came home and rode my CBR1000 over to fill it with gas as well, the first thing that I thought when I got on the CBR was, "Man, this thing is SOFT on bottom!". Hahaha. That Buell will rip your arms off coming right off idle. The CBR will crush it in any kind of straight line speed run, but the Buell is a little badass pitbull in real world riding conditions....stoplight to stoplight, weaving through traffic, etc. Fun, good overall bike. My favorite for commuting to work and back. I did take it on one 200+ mile ride last Fall....did fine. But the Scg model has VERY little seat padding....as in VERY little. Hahaha.

[@thra5herxb12s]

Thats what Buell is all about. They are fast enough and more fun to ride at real speeds than every other bike I've ridden except my Fizzy which was my first road bike.

[@thra5herxb12s]

I think it was the Suzuki Katana that was the bike we all wanted back then. It did 140mph straight out of the showroom. The Buell lightning beats that, but not by much.

[@EdgarEscobar10x]

Mine is topping out at 90mph. trying to trouble shoot it Any help would be appreciated. My bro says it could be a clogged fuel filter. I don't know. I had a buell engine diagnostic chip attached to it and it said everything looked normal. Murp!

[@thra5herxb12s]

2008 with the Firestorm engine. I bought this bike because of the way it looks and sounds. The 2009 was the same bike but with an all black engine and frame and 8 piston front brake...

[@thra5herxb12s]

Checked them already. Great stuff, I have a CR as well so I know what your talking about. When the CR came out it had the highest power to weight ratio of any bike in its class and they still turn heads.

[@stirlingshire]

Back in the mid eighties this bike would have been in the top five, or close to it, for fastest production motorcycle.

[@warnersmith1344]

True story....you're right. A buck forty was fast back in the 80's

[@roydied15]

the Buells are also really small and super maneuverable. My XB9 is the best city bike ive ever ridden, coming CLOSE to my buddies supermotos. They arent that fast, but they get a lot of positive attention, ive even gotten compliments from the police. They really shoulda called the XB9 the "blast" because thats exactly what it is! and it might not keep up with the ricers in a straight line, but i hang on every inch in the twisties

[@markwinchester3005]

The XB wasn't designed for high end 150+mph speed. 0 - 100 nothing comes close to that Milwaukee Vtwin hooliganism.

[@lesleyevans1]

140mph from a buell,fair play ive never rode mine that fast it gets a bit windy,no fairing,i love em, they are for posing on if u want to bumble, they handle great,its a marmite bike,u either love em or hate em,,,if i wanna go faster i ride my fireblade,, simple,,but i love my xb12s more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Matt-yc7zc]

that are km/h

[@thra5herxb12s]

+tyrion gnom KMH is marked on the inside of the dial MPH on the outside.

[@Ed-ty1kr]

I just watched a guy go through 4 gears on an XB12S hitting 120mph, shifted to 5th and stayed at 120 claiming that was its top speed. If your Buell XB12 can't do at least a 140, with stock gear ratio, then something is wrong. Id start by checking compression, and go from there. I also discovered that some aftermarket exhausts without the appropriate tune, will rev quicker, but actually drop power on a dyno.

[@rodcsanchez11]

Absolutely love the sound of this bike but its kinda slow for my taste

[@thra5herxb12s]

@guaultar Yes an old measurement that we still use here. Its a little under 230kmh. I was trying to keep under the redline in top. I have had it off the clocks with Nitrous. I have more Buell vids on my channel..

[@roybatty-]

Not bad for an air-cooled engine.

[@thra5herxb12s]

And pushrods with only 2 valves per cylinder. Not fast by modern standards but still loads of fun.

[@arthaha09]

Wow...224 km/h.

[@666thrashtilldeath]

this for first bike?

[@ZoneTelevision]

These modified Harely Engines have a handicap of being air-cooled, lower compression vs liquid cooled higher compression engines. It's a miracle Erik Buell was able to get as much HP out of these Air-cooled engines as he did. You are comparing apples to oranges. In any or either case these Vtwins have twice the amount of torque as your 600 Super Sports so in the corners you will lose. If all roads were flat and straight.. you'd be the lonely man at the top.

[@thra5herxb12s]

This isnt about most sports bikes. This is about what to expect from a Buell which is a primative air coold 2 cylinder naked bike with no sporting pretensions whatsoever.

[@thra5herxb12s]

I,ve had many bikes on the road since 1977.

[@thra5herxb12s]

You,re looking at it the wrong way. This is not a sports bike with smooth aerodynamic lines, nor does it have 4 cylinders with 180+ horsepower. This is a primative 2 cylinder Harley based motor that does 0-110 mph in 6 seconds and around 145mph sat bolt upright with only 88 horsepower. If you look at it like that I think you will see that it isnt actually that bad. It doesnt sound fast because it revs so slowly but it is still fast enough for what it is. A steam engine...

[@thra5herxb12s]

The Honda is a truly amazing bike but the TL1000 doesnt go all that well for all it's power and you should know because you talk like you have owned all three.

[@Gloomshadow100]

If you want to STOMP ASS around town and make fools out of people at 0-100mph in real tight city streets or go-kart tracks.. the XB9S or XB12S is ALL ABOUT IT! You can throw that little bike all around the road and flick it over faster than anything. Great gas mileage too, 45-50mpg.. bc its air-cooled its in the same class as the SV650, air-cooled Ducati Monsters, streetbikes like that... don't look at it as a 600 Supersport or beyond, its not in the same class. BUT you sure can fuck over a 600RR on the street with a average to shitty rider on it. I have fucked them over in tight spaces so fast that they didn't know what hit them.. think "SUPERMOTO" when you see a XB comin'.. its all about Hayabusa-level torque coming out of a tiny bike the size of a 125cc, it just FLICKS.. !!BAM!! - ITS GONE!

[@quattro4life20vt]

Thats a 2009 isnt it?

[@TheAgoProduction]

If you had the firebolt , you would gone faster. (Sorry for bad english)

[@thra5herxb12s]

@excriminal1 The camera's fine. I just did a few mushrooms.

[@quattro4life20vt]

That is correct. My first bike was the 2009 hero blue lightning and man do I miss that thing. I will say mine felt much faster than this one but I have an 1125cr now check my top speed video its sweet :)

[@thra5herxb12s]

No thats 6 seconds even though you once had a 125 that was faster and who said Buells were fast anyway I said they go ok for a bike that only has 88hp

[@emanuelszabo27]

232km/h.cool

[@simonbelanger3257]

Mon ancien shovelhead stroker 4 3/4" ateingnais 145mph plus rapidement que ça😆

[@guaultar]

ahh that's miles and not km :D watch "guaultar" ;)

[@besafe5969]

tt

[@ryvoltz]

A sport bike that won't rev over 7.000? 1.200cc and it won't go past 140mph? Total bogus!

[@thra5herxb12s]

So what, who cares. Its a 2 cylinder steam engine I wouldnt expect it to go any faster. Post up a video of your bike, you're such an expert on how fast a bike should go.

[@thra5herxb12s]

Maybe thats my next bike. I like v twins. I've had plenty of 600s and they dont have enough grunt at the bottom. I started riding in 1977 so I've had all the latest bikes and whatever takes my fancy at the time. My 1125 cr had a bit under 150bhp and did over 170 with my skinny arse on it so maybe the duke would be fun. But then I've had fun on a cub 50cc on the back wheel...Motorbikes are in the blood and you know that so I'm not through playing just yet..

[@thra5herxb12s]

I was riding to work on a Bandit 600 when I saw one of these and liked the way they looked so I bought a used one with low miles and liked it as a plaything but it fell to bits to quick after riding to work in the snow and salt and mud in the back lanes, so I bought a new one and intended to look after it, but I ended up taking it to Big CC Racing and getting it fitted with nitro but took it off again as it was stupid doing wheelspins at 140 +. I still have this in the garage but havent ridden it for 3 years since busting my neck and arm on a trackday. I didnt crash the Buell but my arm still hasnt healed up yet so I keep looking in the window of Laguna Motorcycles, and the bikes just get better looking every year. Will it be a KTM or a Duke My legs arent long enough for a Hyabusa and I dont realy want the outright speed anymore, just the buzz flicking through the backlanes and twisties, hell I dont know untill I ride it get bored with it and get something else..

[@vl5150]

They have a purpose in that the power band matches what most people need to road use. My ZX14 or old ZX10 wants to cruise in mid triple digit speeds all the time on the open road and is a major pain to keep at bay around down. I can see this being a fun bike. The sport bikes will continue to evolve and current models will become obsolete, but it seems that Buells will only become more desirable as time goes on and people appreciate that they're something different. It doesn't replace your current sportbike, but compliments it.

[@cfields8507]

ryvoltz it's all about torque man. the 1200 evo is an earthmover