Buell X1 Lightning
- Thread starter Inventorpardue
- Start date
- Tags buell harley lightning motorcycle
I agree, and a 'Glide is a lot of bike with weight up high.
My g/f in the photo with the Buell never rode a minibike or any kind of motorcycle until she bought a new 1992 FatBoy. She rode it 35,000 miles then I gave her a 2003 FatBoy. She never dropped either one, rode them both with precision, never struggled, and those are 650 lb. machines. To the benefit, the bulk of the weight is down low.
I am not so fortunate. I dropped the 186 lb. CT90 just rolling it around in the garage. Doh!
My g/f in the photo with the Buell never rode a minibike or any kind of motorcycle until she bought a new 1992 FatBoy. She rode it 35,000 miles then I gave her a 2003 FatBoy. She never dropped either one, rode them both with precision, never struggled, and those are 650 lb. machines. To the benefit, the bulk of the weight is down low.
I am not so fortunate. I dropped the 186 lb. CT90 just rolling it around in the garage. Doh!
Tell me about it, I got to try that one out. It moves pretty damn well (for a fat, cruiser bike, it doesn't seem to top out on the highway) but again, it is HEAVY in comparison. After putting about 50 miles on the Electraglide, I could practically juggle the Sporty on backroads.
I'd recommend a beginner with a cautious mind to start off on an 883 sporty. It's my own fault I had started with a 1200 which had a little more nut than the 883 does.
HD's website shows the 2014 Sportster 1200 Custom tipping the scales at 584 lbs. But I don't have anything against Harleys, and hope no one thinks I was badmouthing them. I spent most of last summer sitting in the dirt at race tracks all over California taking photos of XR750s blasting by. That is one sweet sound.
My points were that: 1) HD made Buell produce a bike he didn't want to build, and; 2) dirt bikes are a better training tool for first-time riders, generally, than are street bikes.
I also believe that a first-time rider is also better off riding something w/an auto clutch (XR70, etc.) or no transmission at all (old mini). Fewer people than ever know how to drive a car w/a clutch. I don't think the time to learn about clutches and manual transmissions is also the time you're learning to ride on two wheels.
My points were that: 1) HD made Buell produce a bike he didn't want to build, and; 2) dirt bikes are a better training tool for first-time riders, generally, than are street bikes.
I also believe that a first-time rider is also better off riding something w/an auto clutch (XR70, etc.) or no transmission at all (old mini). Fewer people than ever know how to drive a car w/a clutch. I don't think the time to learn about clutches and manual transmissions is also the time you're learning to ride on two wheels.
Nice photo, Tom. And yes, Buell was forced to do a lot of things he never wanted to do. Also agree, starting off on dirt is the way to go. Everybody I grew up around did. People that had ridden dirt bikes as kids, found the Blast easy enough to ride, certainly it was the lightest street bike in my stable above the street legal Cub and Trail 90.
Nothing against Harleys either, but they were totally inferior for the rides I went on in the mountains. In the late 70's, a bunch of us that owned big bore Asian bikes... Kawasaki 900's and 1,000's, XS1100's and GS1000's, would gather on a weekend morning near Athens, GA and head up into the Blue Ridge mountains for the day. Bikes like a modded Honda CB750 would lag behind us pulling the hills, and in that era a Harley was a built-by-AMF leaker that dropped parts faster than we could help find them. They handled like a station wagon pulling a mobile home, and had scary brakes that would fade into *what brakes?* after the third curve.
Those became exclusive rides. Anyone was welcome to tag along but only the mighty and able could keep up with the pack. We would stop to eat and nearly be done, before the smaller bikes would catch up. By today's standards those bikes we had are pigs, but back then they were the best you could buy. They did not leak, vibrate badly, or need constant maintenance. We rode hard, and our buddies with Harleys could not keep them running long enough to endure.
The early Buells were not decent in my opinion, so none of them got my interest. My 1984 Honda V65 Sabre would do 171 MPH out of the box with 131 crank horsepower, and when it was 15 years old it would still eat any Buell alive. It would not outhandle the X1 or beat it to 50, but it would rush past and obliterate it to 60 and beyond.
The Buell X1 had to have a ton of upgrades and tweaks to be a decent ride. It has had more maintenance in its 10,000 mile life than anything I have ever owned. Its heavier than a CBR1000RR or an R1 and has less horsepower. It actually handles worse than either of those in the hard flat corners at Sebring. And yet for all those downers, it has a few things not one of the Asian bikes has: the Harley sound and feel, and the soul Erik Buell laid in there, the soul of a road racer craving the corners. Like Neck said, you think turn, and it lays over NOW and is turning. It becomes an extension of you after riding it a few days, and it has the brakes to reel it back in, too.
Most Harley riders mock the Buell, walking past it not even realizing its a Harley, or that it was more American, with more American parts and labor and materials involved, than anything Harley was building in that same era. Its gets plenty of scowls like "stupid crotch rocket". Try buying parts at a Harley dealer: you are a 2nd class citizen. Now that Harley has deleted Buell, just getting a blinker lens is a massive problem.
Doesn't matter a lick to me. The X1 has more spirit, something I can feel but lack a way to describe, than any bike I ever sat on. Fire it up, and feel that offset crankshaft down in there trying to beat its way out of the cases, and you are hooked. The X1 has heart.
The XR750 hillclimbers and flat track racers were a different breed back then. We watched them win over and over, and we cheered for Harley and were proud of those machines. None of us youngsters could afford a Harley, so we fell from grace and bought Japanese bikes, and had a ball.
It was the X1 that put something in my stable that says HD on the title.
I appreciate hearing from all you guys about street bikes, here on my favorite minibike site. I really am here to build a flathead Briggs this winter. I agree with Tom, a mini is the perfect first ride, its infectious to hear one run and feel the most basic little machine under you. Auto clutch, no gearshifting, no big speed, not much brakes, no lights, tags, or much in the way of worries. You can see the machine and how it works. You can check it over and come to grasp the basics of maintenance.
Nothing against Harleys either, but they were totally inferior for the rides I went on in the mountains. In the late 70's, a bunch of us that owned big bore Asian bikes... Kawasaki 900's and 1,000's, XS1100's and GS1000's, would gather on a weekend morning near Athens, GA and head up into the Blue Ridge mountains for the day. Bikes like a modded Honda CB750 would lag behind us pulling the hills, and in that era a Harley was a built-by-AMF leaker that dropped parts faster than we could help find them. They handled like a station wagon pulling a mobile home, and had scary brakes that would fade into *what brakes?* after the third curve.
Those became exclusive rides. Anyone was welcome to tag along but only the mighty and able could keep up with the pack. We would stop to eat and nearly be done, before the smaller bikes would catch up. By today's standards those bikes we had are pigs, but back then they were the best you could buy. They did not leak, vibrate badly, or need constant maintenance. We rode hard, and our buddies with Harleys could not keep them running long enough to endure.
The early Buells were not decent in my opinion, so none of them got my interest. My 1984 Honda V65 Sabre would do 171 MPH out of the box with 131 crank horsepower, and when it was 15 years old it would still eat any Buell alive. It would not outhandle the X1 or beat it to 50, but it would rush past and obliterate it to 60 and beyond.
The Buell X1 had to have a ton of upgrades and tweaks to be a decent ride. It has had more maintenance in its 10,000 mile life than anything I have ever owned. Its heavier than a CBR1000RR or an R1 and has less horsepower. It actually handles worse than either of those in the hard flat corners at Sebring. And yet for all those downers, it has a few things not one of the Asian bikes has: the Harley sound and feel, and the soul Erik Buell laid in there, the soul of a road racer craving the corners. Like Neck said, you think turn, and it lays over NOW and is turning. It becomes an extension of you after riding it a few days, and it has the brakes to reel it back in, too.
Most Harley riders mock the Buell, walking past it not even realizing its a Harley, or that it was more American, with more American parts and labor and materials involved, than anything Harley was building in that same era. Its gets plenty of scowls like "stupid crotch rocket". Try buying parts at a Harley dealer: you are a 2nd class citizen. Now that Harley has deleted Buell, just getting a blinker lens is a massive problem.
Doesn't matter a lick to me. The X1 has more spirit, something I can feel but lack a way to describe, than any bike I ever sat on. Fire it up, and feel that offset crankshaft down in there trying to beat its way out of the cases, and you are hooked. The X1 has heart.
The XR750 hillclimbers and flat track racers were a different breed back then. We watched them win over and over, and we cheered for Harley and were proud of those machines. None of us youngsters could afford a Harley, so we fell from grace and bought Japanese bikes, and had a ball.
It was the X1 that put something in my stable that says HD on the title.
I appreciate hearing from all you guys about street bikes, here on my favorite minibike site. I really am here to build a flathead Briggs this winter. I agree with Tom, a mini is the perfect first ride, its infectious to hear one run and feel the most basic little machine under you. Auto clutch, no gearshifting, no big speed, not much brakes, no lights, tags, or much in the way of worries. You can see the machine and how it works. You can check it over and come to grasp the basics of maintenance.
Last edited:
Why would a 140lb women want to ride a 600lb bike to learn on? Where are all the american dirt bike companies? I hope buell comes out with a smaller bikes. I guess its to hard to build a real motorcycle now days
Harley is coming out with the Street 500 and Street 750. They're smaller "city bikes".
WHERE IS IT MADE? 2014 Harley-Davidson Street 750 and Street 500
http://rideapart.com/2013/11/2014-harley-davidson-street-500-review/
thanks Strigoi reading the article there is nothing about the bike how it rides but only where its made plus it aint a mini bike:thumbsup:looks like they might on the right "track" or "trial" to me a motorcycle means being able to go where cars cant if your harley cant be ridden off road then its a slave to the road p.s. Strigoi your honda sweet just what im talking about that thing looks like it can take you anywhere
Kind of off topic, but the day before yesterday, I tried out a Honda Goldwing (1800). It's been really warm & the roads have been clear.
HOLY HELL IT FLIES. The second you touch the throttle, it's like sitting on a ballistically inclined couch. It just MOVES. I had it up to almost 100 before I knew what was going on (RT8 onramp).
If they're half as reliable as everyone preaches they are, HD better step it's shit up.
HOLY HELL IT FLIES. The second you touch the throttle, it's like sitting on a ballistically inclined couch. It just MOVES. I had it up to almost 100 before I knew what was going on (RT8 onramp).
If they're half as reliable as everyone preaches they are, HD better step it's shit up.
My Sporty has never treated me wrong. It's always been dead-on reliable & good to me. However, I do know that Harleys have a few little quirks, especially later on in their lives. I'm just saying from the standpoint of performance though... my sporty tips the scales at what, 550 or so lbs? Something that light with a 1200 should be all kinds of haul ass, but in reality, not really unless you want to dump tons of money into it.
Aaaaand in the meantime, that Honda was ridiculously fast for a cruiser. What I was definitely not expecting, and it's that heavy (probably almost twice the weight of my bike!), being pushed along by an 1800.
This is some great footage of one of the most badass motorcycles of all time, the 750H2.
KAWASAKI?H2?750ss - YouTube
KAWASAKI?H2?750ss - YouTube
One of my best buddies bought a brand new '72 Kawasaki Z1, and almost immediately used the running gear to build a Rickman Metisse. I've looked everywhere and can't find a photo, but it looked just like the bike in the pic below. His was the same color. He practically gave away the Kawi rolling chassis when he built the Rickman. He kept the Rickman for at least 15 years, and it was beautiful. Then, in the early 90s, thinking it had little value, he traded it straight up for a brand new Can Am dirt bike. The dirt bike lasted about three years. He still kicks himself over the loss of the Rickman and the Kawi chassis.
Around 1973 I bought a CB750 (K1) Honda for about $1100... I had that bike for years and rode it a lot.... Then in 1995 I bought a HD Sportster for north of 9k, it was a smaller lighter bike with a way bigger engine.... And weighed way less then the Honda... It had more torque then I could've ever imagined... I clicked it into second gear (at a low rpm) and dang near landed in the trunk of the car ahead of me, it felt like even the rear wheel left the ground..... But when it came to speed those two bikes were in totally different catagorys.... The Harley hit the rev limiter around 5.5k, the Honda didn't hit its power band till about 7k..... The Honda liked about a 11.5k shift and only dropped to about 8k in the next gear, that bike just hummed over 8k and was at least twice as fast as the Harley, when you could find decent fuel for it (Sunoco 260 or Av gas)....
Patch
Patch
I lived most of my adult life in Japan. Like everywhere else, they have their fans who do restoration, keep collections, and the like. There were several larger bikes there that weren't available in the US, some of the larger Kawasaki models from the mid 70's to mid 80's. They're still on the road today and ridden regularly.
As an aside, in some Japanese prefectures, bikes larger than 650cc were not allowed due to road conditions. The hot setup was to get 1000 and 1100 cc bikes and rebadge them with the smaller bike decals etc. A lot of guys did that.
I also have a lot of time on an H1. Belonged to a brother in law. Man, that thing was quick. I remember quickly accellerating past 90 on a farm road and hitting some RR tracks. I thought I was dead. I must have been air born for a hundred feet.
While in the Marines, one guy had an H2. He was a page right out of Jimi Hendrix. He'd take off from the chow hall, stoned to the gills and pull wheelies in at least three gears. Those were the days.
As an aside, in some Japanese prefectures, bikes larger than 650cc were not allowed due to road conditions. The hot setup was to get 1000 and 1100 cc bikes and rebadge them with the smaller bike decals etc. A lot of guys did that.
I also have a lot of time on an H1. Belonged to a brother in law. Man, that thing was quick. I remember quickly accellerating past 90 on a farm road and hitting some RR tracks. I thought I was dead. I must have been air born for a hundred feet.
While in the Marines, one guy had an H2. He was a page right out of Jimi Hendrix. He'd take off from the chow hall, stoned to the gills and pull wheelies in at least three gears. Those were the days.
My pal told me yesterday that the Z1 was a '73, and the dirt bike was an ATK. Just wanna keep my facts straight. :laugh: That ATK's rear brake was mounted to the countershaft. It was so small and spun so fast it would get red hot and just eat itself. The idea was to reduce unsprung weight, but it just seemed like a bad.
My pal told me yesterday that the Z1 was a '73, and the dirt bike was an ATK. Just wanna keep my facts straight. :laugh: That ATK's rear brake was mounted to the countershaft. It was so small and spun so fast it would get red hot and just eat itself. The idea was to reduce unsprung weight, but it just seemed like a bad.
Kind of like Polaris's old setup.