Buell XB9/12s/r/x 

By Enthusiasts for Enthusiasts

The Fuellers and the Tubers

The XB range of Buells are known as "Fuellers" due to the fuel in the frame design. Older models are generally known as "Tubers" due to the tube frames.

Friendly rivalry exists between riders of Fuellers and Tubers, both believe their model to be the best, however most riders also have significant admiration for the others. It is generally acknowledged that both Tube framed and Fuel in the frame Buells are awesome bikes, with great handling and both get a "what the ??? is that?" kind of response from the general bike riding public!

XB Models

XB9/12/r/s/ss/csg/x or a Firebolt, Lightning, Lightning Long, City X, Ulysess? Don't know the difference? Check out these pages

5' short or 6'4" tall? Which XB would suit you? Seat heights and other specifications here.

Handling

The Buell XB range is renowned for amazing handling, winning Bike Magazine's Best Handling bike in 2006. That's true, if your Buell is setup right, but it can be a different experience if you just buy it and ride it.

Here we have the factory settings for the XB range, based on rider weight. Straight out of the manual, Buells recommended settings.

We also have some recommended settings from Buell factory racer Shaun Higbee.

Once you've tried the manuals, then you can follow racer  Sean Onipede of Go Star Racing's guide to setting up the suspension to suit you.

Tyre choice can be a personal thing, however there are some popular opinions on which tyres work and which are not so good on the XB.

In addition a link to the tyre thread within the forums, gives good advice from on tyre choices in general from Bryn Phillips at Bridgestone.    

The Tyre Thread is at http://www.bike-pix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6455

Performance

The XB Engine's are already quite highly tuned compared to the "standard" sportster engines they are based on. The XB9 is the engine to have if you want to build a bike with hp and higher revs, whilst the 12 is the better engine for torque and all out grunt!

There are some simple mods, which cost little, or even nothing, but give real world performance enhancements.

There are other mods, which certainly cost, but also deliver!

Intake, Exhaust, fuelling and transmission mods, all these are found here in the XB Performance pages.

Other Popular Mods

This is where we put everything else!

Crash protection with frame pucks and sliders.

Get rid of the cheesegrater on the lightning models

Cool the rear cylinder with a scoop

Lower the bike with different seat options and suspension springs.

Plus lots lots more!

Known Problems

OK confession time..... BUELLS AREN'T PERFECT!

Yes, I know that sounds bad, but it is true. But what's better is THE FACTORY KNOW THAT

And the best bit. BUELL WILL TRY AND FIX MOST PROBLEMS

Not all dealers are the same, but Buell generally have a great reputation for identifying problems with their bikes, issuing dealers with service updates and doing most work under warranty, EVEN IF THE FACTORY WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED!

Name another manufacturer with that kind of service standard!

Check your bike for factory recalls here.

Recommendations on what to do, or who to contact if you have problems.

Site Note.

Most of the content here, is either the opinion of the author, has been provided by or validated by members of the UKBEG community of enthusiasts.

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information on these pages is correct. The responsibility remains with the reader to validate anything they are unsure of before making any changes to their Buell. The factory sells the bikes in a safe working order. Any modifications made to the bike, may invalidate warranties, or possibly cause failures with the bike. If you are not sure, don't do it!

Please send all comments and suggestions to steve_turnbull@yahoo.com regarding the content on these pages.