Sorry everyone, I drank the lemonade...

[afpreppie04]

So it was a tough decision to make, but I ended up trading in my beloved FZ6 this weekend.

Like some others have done, I traded it in for a Buell. A 2005 XB12Scg to be precise. I think that makes 4 or 5 of us that have done the same thing.

I never had any problems with the FZ, I just wanted something with a bit more power and more compact. I think the FZ was almost too practical for me. It did everything I ever asked of it without any problems. I didn't think twice about taking multi-state trips on it. It always started without a fuss, even after keeping it parked all winter in below freezing temperatures with no battery tender.

Things I have noticed about the Buell so far:
-Obviously the torque, almost double the FZ.
-I love the front brake. Even though I had upgraded my FZ to R6 brakes, the Buell is way better. The first time I had a quick stop the rear end started to come up; this was using one finger.
-It vibrates a lot at idle. My kickstand bolts came loose and I had to loctite them and tighten them back down. This is not a bad thing though, it is like a massage while you wait for the stoplight to change.
-I feel huge on it. Mine has clipons so I am further forward than I would be with bars, but it feels like my head is above the headlight.
-The handling is great, but I actually felt more confident on the FZ at slow speeds (U-turns etc.)

I know this post is useless without pictures, but it is dark out right now so there is no way you would see the bike (you'll see why) so I will try to snap some tomorrow.

Farewell Fizzy, you were a great bike to me.

-Matt

 

[Motogiro]

As long as you didn't drink the Kool Aid! Well the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test stuff was okay but....

Congratulations on the new ride! Wavex has done some cool stuff including a vapor vent and catch for the crank case on his Buell.

 

[Kazza]

But I may be swayed when you post pics tomorrow


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[Humperdinkel]

Congrats on the new ride :thumbup:

 

[Erci]

Congrats! Looking forward to seeing the pics.

 

[FIZZER6]

Good luck with the new ride. You'll miss 50 mpg though! :BLAA:

 

[fb40dash5]

Good luck with the new ride. You'll miss 50 mpg though! :BLAA:

Shoot, I miss that, ever since I found out there's another half of the throttle! :BLAA:

OK, I think it's mostly the cold weather, but anyway...

 

[afpreppie04]

I think I only got 50 MPG once, all highway back when I had stock gearing. I always played in the throttle too much, and when I went -1/+2 there was no way.:BLAA:

I snapped some pictures on the way home from work tonight; I took them at the same place as the FZ picture was taken, so you can compare a little maybe.

Hopefully the pictures aren't too dark or blurry, the sun was fading and it was dropping into the 30s. I got snowed on headed into work this morning!

I still need to pick out some mirrors to use. I have the stock lollipops but hate them. I'm not a fan of bar-ends either. Other than that I have some Buell airbox decals and adjustable levers on the way. The stock clutch lever feels like it is a foot away from the clipon compared to the adjustable levers I had on the FZ.

 

[MisterX]

Beautiful Buell!

Three years ago, I did the same. Traded my '06 FZ6 for an '06 Buell XB9SX. A few months later, I traded that for an '04 XB12S. Great bikes and a fun ride. Congrats!

 

[lytehouse]

-It vibrates a lot at idle. My kickstand bolts came loose and I had to loctite them and tighten them back down. This is not a bad thing though, it is like a massage while you wait for the stoplight to change.


-Matt

I rode one of these at the AMA Women's Conference in Keystone a few years back....what a fun little bike it is!
And I told my husband if he ever left me, I was gonna buy this bike

P.S. Love the color!

 

[Erci]

SICK looking bike! True definition of modern day cafe racer, if you ask me.
I know you said you're not a fan, but it really is begging for bar end mirrors. They're extremely functional once you get used to them.

 

[Kazza]

Nice. Very nice.

Love it


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[CBallman]

Vey nice bike! Like the dark color of it as well!

 

[afpreppie04]

So my true wishy-washiness shows through; I just ordered some bar-end mirrors. I do like how they look, I just always thought it would be weird having to lift my hand off the grip instead of sliding it. For example when waving, I am a very lazy person and usually slide my hand off the bar, where I am afraid it will hit a bar-end.

Guess I'll just have to learn to not be so lazy! I ordered some of the Oberon knockoffs. I love that Hong Kong is stepping up their copying game, saves me a ton of money.

 

[Wavex]

The low confidence in low speed maneuvers is because of the clipons...

Very nice looking bike

Good luck with the new ride. You'll miss 50 mpg though! :BLAA:

I get 50+ on Hwy and mountain riding.

I get 40mpg on city streets... but I don't try to save either

 

[Circle]

Enjoy! Great choice!
If I'd upgrade (or 'sidegrade' - not to step on toes here!), I'd either the Buell or the Speed triple.
Nice!

 

[ohgood]

there are 2 million threads about reliability, dealership, and other woes, so i'll skip it.

i'll agree with you about the fz6 just being to practical, reliable, and other UJM qualities. don't want to call it 'honda boring', but you get it.

the buells are art, advanced (and antiquated at the same time) design, but the ergos and reliability are a mis match for me.

i see you're a fan of nakeds, yes, we can definitely agree on that. great looking bike, hope you get plenty of miles from her. as/if you find reliability problems, please do post up.

i'm curious also what you got for your fz and your outlay for the buell. i've found zero interest in mine on craigslist or local bike forums. no one is buying i've heard. zero.

rock on

 

[afpreppie04]

I checked around on craigslist for postings to get an idea for prices before I went to check out the Buell. I saw regular pricing from $2400 up to $4000, with the higher priced ones being low mileage 07- models. There were plenty of listings going back into September that were still not sold. Being that mine was an 04 with 21,000 miles I was ok with getting 2k for trade-in.

Checking Buell pricing for a while I only saw one other XB12S; it was a 2008 model with 22,000 miles and they wanted $5200 for it. I ended up getting my 2005 model with 12,000 miles for $4000. So I paid $2000 after trade-in.

Could I have shopped around and done better? Maybe, but I don't feel I got ripped off, and the bike makes me happy. The worst part about the deal was the ride there and back, the shop I bought it at was 45 minutes away and it was below freezing.

I am a sucker for cool technologies in vehicles; I like that the Buell is a mix of new stuff with an old engine.

 

[Wavex]

there are 2 million threads about reliability, dealership, and other woes, so i'll skip it.

i'll agree with you about the fz6 just being to practical, reliable, and other UJM qualities. don't want to call it 'honda boring', but you get it.

the buells are art, advanced (and antiquated at the same time) design, but the ergos and reliability are a mis match for me.

i see you're a fan of nakeds, yes, we can definitely agree on that. great looking bike, hope you get plenty of miles from her. as/if you find reliability problems, please do post up.

i'm curious also what you got for your fz and your outlay for the buell. i've found zero interest in mine on craigslist or local bike forums. no one is buying i've heard. zero.

rock on

Older Buells had lots of reliability issues, but more recent XB models have been fine.

 

[superbike]

nice bike, SF style!