New Buell SM?

The new Buell XB12X is NOT, I repeat NOT an Adventure bike. It might be a Touring bike but don't be fooled by the press it's getting. The Buell is being compared to the KTM 950 Adventure and the BMW R1200GS in the new Cycle World. They test the Buell with the BWM and A Ducati Multistrada. Sure the Buell will hold it's own on the street but this is not a Dualsport/Adventure bike. Trust me I know! I currently own the 2005.5 KTM Adventure S in the picture and I am a former Buell owner. The Buell couldn't hold a candle to my Adventure. It beats it in every category, except maybe fuel economy. Yes, I've had my KTM off-road. It weighs a lot less than the Buell. They are claiming 471# for the Buell. The KTM weighs in at 437# due mostly to the lightweight engine compared to the lump in the Buell. You also have 100rwhp in the KTM and maybe 85 in the Buell.

For the record, Adventure bikes are for traveling around the WORLD, not down to the store.

S Won

Cycle World tested a stock KTM 950 Adventure and got 91hp out of it. My bike is not stock, anymore. The old tube framed Buells were in the 70 to 80hp range but not the new XBs. They dynoed one at my local dealer and got 96rwhp out of it stock with just jetting. Saw it! You can easily get 100hp out of the new XB bikes. I made nearly 100rwhp with my stock 1998 Buell S1W and just bolt on parts, no headwork. Later, I made 120rwhp with S1W but it was nowhere near stock. NRHS Stage 3 ported heads, 1250 Nikasil Cyliders, CP forged pistons w/11.5:1 CR, Race intake manifold, Mikuni HSR45, .536" SE cams, Force Race pipe, etc... Don't underestimate these bikes. I have spent a lot of time with Buells in the past 6 years or so and have owned numerous Buells myself. Headwork really wakes them up. My last Stage 3 XL1200R/XB heads from NRHS flowed 180cfms with stock castings and just portwork.

bikepilot, yeah, the new Street Tracker bike is way cool. It better be. I sold my 625 SMC to build it. Well, actually I sold it to buy the Adventure S but I justified (to my wife) the new bike with the sale of the SMC. We are only shooting for 110rwhp out of that engine this time. Check back in the New Street Tracker thread, on this Forum to see the specifics. The new XR STD heads have 2" intake valves and are going to flow like crazy. They'll put the stock casting heads to shame.

To me, Adventure means off-road. Yes, it's just a name but it should be an indicator of capability. The KTM Adventure is an Adventure off-road bike. It has the suspension to do off-road terrain. Yes, the new Buell XB12X can go off-road, as in gravel roads, dirt roads, fields, etc... Taking it off-road any further would result in too much damage to justify. Rocks, mud, water-crossings, Siberia, not going to happen with that bike. I still think it's sort of cool, but I won't be buying one.

My only point was that the new XB12X is not an Adventure bike.

S Won

Sorry, but that is completely wrong! I paid $13,200 for my 2005.5 KTM Adventure. It's an S model that goes for $1000 more than the regular Adventure. MSRP for my bike is $14,098 but nobody but Harley and Buell owners pay MSRP, or more. My dealer discounted the bike down to $13,200 and that was the out the door price. No freight or dealer prep. Since Buell is calling the new XB12X an Adventure/Touring bike it should come with hard bags. My price included the hard bags. The Buell XB12X does not come with bags. Add $800 and the price jumps to $12,295. Don't forget dealer prep and freight. Now the price difference really isn't that significant. Your talking just a couple hundred bucks here. The difference is night and day. I could have purchased the standard Adventure for $11,999 out the door. That's actually less than you can get the new XB12X and bags for and you get the excellent LC8 engine.

Listen, as a Buell owner (I have owned several models), I am VERY familiar with the service that the Harley techs provide on these bikes. You need to be prepared for what you will face from them, if you let them touch your bike. Avoid them if you can, at all costs. These engines are very easy to work on, if you get one, plan to do your own service and repairs. I'm not here to bash the brand, but to bring some truth to the sunshine that is being blown up people's dresses. Buell has turned their backs on the old tube framed bikes. That is one reason for my street tracker project. I liked the bike but I hated the dealer support. Soon, the only place to find parts for the older bikes will be eBay. All of the dealers in my area have quit selling the Buells in their dealerships. The XB bikes have had excellent reliability and very few warrantee issues. Buell claims the best in the industry, I'm not so sure but I don't have the numbers either.

If Buell would have flown me out to the press introduction then maybe I'd be saying good things about the bike too. I'm sure that Buell & H-D paid big dollars to Cycle World for the adds in the September 2005 issue. You know, the one with the great writeup and all the glowing reviews of the XB12X. If a very capable sportbike is what you're after, I'm betting the Buell will make a good bike. If you need an Adventure bike you might want to look at something else. All of the newer bikes are very capable nowadays. This bike is taking Buell in a different direction and that's a good thing. I for one, am looking forward to seeing new bikes like this, with even more techonlogy and capabilities. I use my KTM as a commuter bike to get up the gravel/dirtroad to my farm. The Buell would work equally well for that, but I have high goals for this bike someday and the Buell would not work for that.

As Buell owners maybe they should have given us the heads up to what they were going to do with this bike. I think I still would have purchased the KTM over it though!

Just my opinion!

S Won