Buell City-X

Has anyone ridden/owned the Buell City-X? Impressions (real experience, not just anti-Buell bias)? I'm considering one and would like feedback.

i think the city x bike is a new version of the xb9 for 05

Somebody here on BARF bought a City-X a few months ago and seemed pretty excited about it. Posted pictures up and, if I remember right, wrapped the header pipes with fiberglass heat shield. Maybe he'll write a review if he sees this.

that'd be cool. i'll do a search too.

Either Friction Zone or city-bike had a full review of the cityx, go get them at scuderia.

I wrote the Friction Zone article, and am doing a long-term test on an '05 Buell CityX. I currently have a bit over 3K miles in the saddle. What would you like to know?

Hi, I was just looking for feedback on the bike, pros and cons and such. I'm wondering if it's really a fun bike to bomb around on. etc. It wouldn't be my only bike, and far from my 1st bike. But it would be my 1st Buell

Which is the City X bike from Buell? Is that the Lighting 1203cc bike? If so, I had a brief review on the Firebolt from the ride I've taken (14 miles) on the test ride around town/hwy/some twisty.

Just to sum up the ride - it gave me renewed appreciation for my current ride. It makes my current ride seem sooooo silky smooth. Buell's shifting required lots of effort, both the clutch and the shift lever.

I now understand what it means by "can't see anything out of the mirrors because the bike rattles so much..." I saw the turning signals jumping up and down the the rattling. My butt, feet and hands got numb from the ride because it was so rough. I kept on looking for the sixth gear not knowing it only had five. Oh, it was harder to turn as well comparing to my bike.

yup, i took the buell test ride at the san mateo moto show too and agree with hkwan. shifting seemed to require as much effort as shifting in a car with a manual tranny. you literally had to clutch, and PUSH the shift lever into gear (1 of 4 gears, actually).

And the mirrors? you don't really see anything but a blur. Maybe the ones on my test bike were fitted too tight, but I dunno...seemed pretty useless to me.

Also, the exhaust pipe sits almost directly behind your left foot. Not a big problem if you keep your feet where they should be, but if you should move it back, you'd eventually have a pretty smelly left leg.

Riding that thing sure made me appreciate my F4i a whole lot more!

One positive thing. The riding position....that's about it though.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the new Sportster (post-2003) might be a better bike than the Buell, especially as a commuter/city bike. Rubber mounts for the engine and exhaust make a big difference. Compared to the older Sportys, I think the new one handles a lot better. I KNOW the resale's better. If you want that hairy V-Twin sound and feel, you might give it a shot.

Most Buell enthusiasts will say that a Buell is fine as a second bike, never as your primary. I could agree to that. Though, I don't think I would ever keep a bike I would even do that with my Buell experience.

The CityX is really very little different from the XB9S. A better deal would be to find a left over XB9S for a much better price if anything. Though, I would much rather have an SV650, or Z1000, or...

I rode an SV650S back-to-back with my Buell X1. The power difference is nearly non existant, but the ride was so much smoother. And the X1 has the 1200 cc engine, the CityX has the 984cc engine.

How about a Ducati Monster?

Look into the Kawasaki z1000. I own one and it is is a very responsive, comfortable bike. All of the European mags raved about the bike, and they are pretty critical riders/reporters.

I have a friend who bought a Buell and paid 10K, I paid just under 7k for a 2003, MSRP is/was $8500. You may still be abe to find one on the showroom floor. Last time I was at Redwood City Honda, Joe had 2 of them - one black and one orange. He is selling them for $5500 + fees, so I don't know if they are around anymore.

Good luck.

At the show, I found out that I am growing to like the Buells, sort of. Paid a bit more attention than I normally would give a Buell. I noticed the fit and finish weren't as good as other bikes. Buell seems like a compnay who is trying hard to get out of where it is (at the bottom of the list) and is doing a good job, but they still have some ways to go.

Remember, motorcycles are supposed to be fun... if you think you like Buells and you can have more fun riding them, don't worry about other people's opinions and just go for it.

faz said:

Remember, motorcycles are supposed to be fun... if you think you like Buells and you can have more fun riding them, don't worry about other people's opinions and just go for it.

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Well, wouldn't you still want to know if you will be getting a relatively good/reliable/enjoyable bike before buying it? Also, before buying a bike that you are interested in, wouldn't you want to know if there are other options?

In anycase, the Buell guy told me that the company realizes that they have been having problems with the bike therefore it went through a complete re-design. I think they set off doing the rigth thing, but somehow they couldn't execute what they set off to do. They told me that now the fuel is stored in the frame. The tank is just an airbox. Pretty neat.

In anycase, the best part of that ride was the ride itself. I agree with creamy.

Buells are an acquired taste… no doubt it. The complaints above are mostly valid. However, let me offer a different perspective.

First off, my obvious bias. I purchased my first Buell in November of 1995, a S1 Lightning. Despite the numerous issues and problems inherent in the "tube frame" models (precurser to the current XB platform), I had few problems. At the time, I published a Buell-centric magazine called "Battle2win." My S1, called the "Lab Rat" served as a test/development mtorcycles. In 2000 I converted it into a roadracer, campaigning CCS races where I won a state championship.

urrently in my garage in the S1, a 2003 Lightning XB12S, and a 2005 CityX XB9SX. I recently turned a 2003 Firebolt XB12R back to the company (on loan to me). I've put a bit over 11K miles on the 12S, a major part of which was a 4,500 mile loop through the West last year. All of the XBs have been as reliable as any of the 65+ motorcycles I've owned. I currently have a 2005 Ducati Multistrada S on order.

Ok, the above would exclude me from any jury deciding a Buell case, but at the same time I believe I can offer an objective—and certainly experienced—view of the marque.

Some generalities (always dangerous):
• riders coming off big-bore dirt bikes usually take to the XB immediately
• supermotard riders usually love it
• riders with experience limited to IL4s and Japanese twins, usually begin by hating the bike


The initial XB riding experience is usually a bit scary, particularly so for a newish rider. This results from its physical size… somewhat close to that of a 250 gp bike. It has a 52-inch wheelbase and 21-degrees of fork angle. That latter number, to the knowledgeable, brings up visions of trials bikes and their shopping cart handling. Not so with the XB, it is both a very stable mount, but quite flickable.

Because of it's critical dimensions, the XB is VERY sensitive to set-up; it's one of the very few street bikes that I've ridden whereon a single "click" in adjustment actually makes a difference. I have ridden dozens of XBs throughout the country (because of my BattleTrax biz) and have found that most bikes offered as demos by the dealers are set up incorrectly. The immediate indication of this is that the motorcycle is very reluctant to turn… it pushes horribly. Also, tire pressure is critical. Low TP apes a bad set up condition.

When everything is set as required, the motorcycle handles very well. There is always a degree of bar push-back, but this is an idiosyncricy of the platform that, once you're used to it, is ignored.

Overall power of the XB12 (1203cc) and XB9 (984cc) powerplants is modest. You're not going to win any spec races with 103hp, and 92hp, respectively. And top speed runs (mebbe 135 and 125) will leave you sucking hind tit in any race with a decent 600 rocket. However (and this is what hooks us Buell riders)…

The XB12 has 84 ft/lbs of torque right now! And the XB9 offers up 70 of them. This type of power is ideal for, as an example, the Santa Cruz mountains. It will pull you out of tight turn ahead of most everything else, will win the stoplight dragfest, and pass many hypercycles in the roll-on categories. Also—important to understand this—this torque is an integral part of the handling of the motorcycle; as with a big bore off-roader, the power can steer the bike nicely as long as you hold it down (the bike, not the power) in a turn. Not every rider's cuppa java, certainly, but those that learn it, love it.

The XBs feature quite a bit of innovation; the frame has an integral gas tank, oil for the dry sump motor is contained within the left side of the swingarm, the front rotor is attached to the rim edge (resulting on one of the lightest wheels ever), are examples.

The shift effort is a continued item of irritation to those new to Buell. I agree, in today's world of butter-smooth shifts, there is little excuse for the somewhat crude action of the Buell. As always, though, there is another perspective. Almost without exception, first-time Buell riders ashort-shift. This, because they're used to high rpm, low torque motors. (An aside: I had the opposite problem when I first tested the Multistrada…I rode it like a Buell, and it reacted as a bad-handling, gutless bit of Italian gimcrackery. When it dawned on me that I needed to row the gearbox a bit more, the bike changed into the the jewel that it is.). If you keep the XB motors in the fat of the torque curve—s-o-o-o easy to do— shifting is a non-issue. Butter-smooth? No, but more than acceptable.

The mirrors suck (as do those on most motorcycles).

None of this meant to convince you that the Buell should be in your garage. Arguing the merits of most Japanese twins and IL4s vis-a-vis the Buell is silly; it's an apples-to-cucumbers comparision. Once you learn the Buell, the torque becomes highly addictive and makes the motorcycle a very fun thing to ride.

A note about the Sportster; The discontinued Buells (S1, S2, S3, M2, X1) all carried highly modified Sportster motors… this was part of their problems as that engine was asked to do far more than its original design limits alloed. Today's Sportster holds a dummed-down Buell motor. It's a pleasant motorcycle that's probably better than any XL has ever been. But if you have a sporting soul, the Buell is a far superior ride in all areas.

Sum up: The XBs are fun, reliable, a bit quirky, a potent backroads hunter, a bit overpriced, devoid of any carry capacity other than a rider (Passenger? Uh… better be 16 and in love.), require the involvement of the rider, and did I mention the fun part?

The best offense is a good defense department:

So, Reg, why are you buying a MultiStrada?
Fair question, as a motojournalist, I prefer long trips to the middle of nowhere and back. I've done this for years on the Buell—and enjoyed the hell out of them. But, the XBs are minimalist motorcyclles that can't carry the crap that I need. hence, the Ducati. Which, by the way, is not a replacement, but an addition to the stable.

A last thought, very occasionally, I frequent the favored roads of the SC mounts on the week-ends. I do it with trepidation, as the years of death and damage in those venues has made me very aware of consequences. If you see me, and are interested in the Buell, let's talk. Don't, btw, try to race me. Two reasons for that: You're faster, and I'm smarter.

Reg, great writeup!

Reg Kittrelle said:

A note about the Sportster; The discontinued Buells (S1, S2, S3, M2, X1) all carried highly modified Sportster motors… this was part of their problems as that engine was asked to do far more than its original design limits alloed. Today's Sportster holds a dummed-down Buell motor. It's a pleasant motorcycle that's probably better than any XL has ever been. But if you have a sporting soul, the Buell is a far superior ride in all areas.

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Are there other motorcycle manufacturer's who throw crap together from the parts bin, then sell it to the public? HD is the only company that I know who recycles obsolete part's, then call it something new.

So basically, everyone who bought the (S1, S2, S3, M2, X1) ended up with shitty bike's just so HD could gain a little market share and use that cash to fund the development of an engine they should have used in the first place.

Sane_Man said:

Are there other motorcycle manufacturer's who throw crap together from the parts bin, then sell it to the public? HD is the only company that I know who recycles obsolete part's, then call it something new.

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Kawasaki ZZR1200, Z1000
Honda 919
Suzuki Bandit
Yamaha FZ1, MT-01

No, Sane, not everyone who purchased a "tube frame" ended up with a "shitty" bike. There were serious issues with those early motorcycles, no doubt about it. And a review of them would eat more bandwidth than I can care to chew on.
As with anything, the problems got the press, and there were many riders who have, subsequently, built quasi-careers on bashing the Buells, Erik Buell, and Harley-Davidson. I'm not an apologist for for any among that trio; what was, was—what is, is. The subject at hand is the XB… as different from the tube frames as different can be.

Hey Reg, I know the Firebolt/Lighting are air-cooled. How easily do they overheat in traffic? Must the bike keep moving in order to not have it heated up too much?