Quote:
Originally Posted by marko138
Not necessarily newb friendly...but MUCH more so than an I-4 900. There's a ton of torque. The bike is a bit twitchy if you aren't used to it's short wheel base and odd rake/trail. There is also very little engine braking due to the heavy flywheel.
They are different machines thats for sure. But if you play by their rules you will be rewarded. The best thing to do is go to a dealer and demo one.
If you don't act like an ass they can be managable for a newb.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ebbs15
depends on the noob to be honest... and this means taking a NO BULLSHIT view of yourself... can you resist the urge to twist your wrist when the hottie next to you wants you to wheelie? can you force yourself to take it slow and concentrate on the fundementals? can you focus on riding with out being distracted by the bike next to you, the car next to you, the chick flashing you from the back seat of her parent's mini van?
in reality... you could start out on a Turbo Busa and be fine... just all depends on 1. LUCK (though that just comes into play on how you hold up phyically... not what skill you gain) and 2. the rider.
The problem is most people who are looking into new bikes don't understand just how fast they accelerate and how they're gonna react. the natural reaction can be the exact one that will fuck you. example when your rear starts sliding in a corner... your mind imediatly says... close throttle... do that... and your gonna see what your bike looks like from 4' above it... as you'll probably high side.
point is... everyone says they're a responsible person and they'll go slow... but we've all been 16-25... we all know how you can want something so bad you convince yourself or skew the views to meet your objective.
There's nothing wrong with starting small... there's nothing wrong with starting big... it's all how you handle it.
I started on a 600 and went 7000 miles before I loop'd it at a stop light because I wasn't paying 100% attention. shit happens. I had several close calls prior to that and on a 1000cc bike I'd have been off for sure, as there's less room for error... Vtwin or I4.
|
Truth... the standard XB Buells wheelie like that's what they were built to do... the longer versions (Ss, X, ST) not so much...
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeeps84
 You are right in the CC's of a twin vs. a I-4. The 9's are closer to the performance of the I-4 600's. With that said a lil experience on a XB, Its not for the beginner. Its handling is way to sharp and twitchy. Its just not forgiving for the lil mistakes that a beginner will commonly make.  |
Also should make mention of the difference between an air-cooled v-twin vs. a liquid cooled v-twin... that makes the most difference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FT BSTRD
The 12 and the 9 don't have much real difference in peak HP and peak torque.
The 12 has a peak torque of 84ftlbs, the 9 has 70
The 12 has peak HP of 103, the 9 has 92.
The main difference is in the stroke of the engines. The 9 and the 12 have the same bore but the 9 is a short stroke engine. The 9 has a higher redline than the 12.
The 9 is much more like an I-4 in that you need to keep it spun up to keep it in the peak torque and HP. The 12 has grunt from idle, but it runs out of gas up top.
Both are noob friendly as long as you respect the torque.
Many say that the handling is "twitchy". I don't get that at all. It's responsive, but very stable. You can put it into a turn and it stays there until you aim it elsewhere.
My Uly was my first street bike. I had ridden dirt before but not street.
Buells allow even beginner riders to handle with confidence. The only requirement is that you set the suspension to your weight. If you leave it out of wack, it will feel unstable, sluggish, twitchy.
Now the 1125R or 1125CR, those will get you in trouble regardless. 12 grunt I-4 top end.
Scary fun.
|
I dunno about the difference in power not being that significant... I guess it's all relative... I know that 20% increase in torque from the 9 to the 12 sure feels different...
I get the twitchy comment... especially after riding the short wheelbase XB after riding my Ss... I do not think twitchy is the correct word... I'd say it was more 'hyper-responsive'... very little steering input required in comparison.
To add to what these guys are saying... one thing that always caught me off guard with the Buell was it's tendency to stand up when braking in a corner... Now, I prefer to get all my braking done prior to dipping in, but sometimes shit happens and you need to brake a little... The fuckin' bikes just stand straight back up with even the smallest amount of force applied to either rotor... Granted, a noob braking in the corner is probably going to eat shit anyway, but it's certainly worth mentioning.