hi all,

been dreaming of getting a buell again for a while now.
I had a 04 xb9 firebolt for about 4 years, bought it with 12000 miles on the clock racked that up to just shy of 37000. but also gained 9 points on my licence so it had to go. bought me a sportster to slow me down. been ridin that for about 5 yrs now & love it.
now I fancy letting the buelligan out again.
what I really want/always wanted is an X1 lightning. think they look awesome.
now the thing is....I need the low down on these here motos??? what to look out for with a bike of 1999/2000 pedigree. the pros & cons of owning/running one of these on a daily bases, what mods are good/bad etc etc ????

Buy as late as you can, Erik had them sorted by the end of the production run

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If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough.

....only X1 worth consideration is a 2001 model

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Mithered ta death.
92 MB
96 S2T
98 S1W
00 M2
01 X1
03 P3
10 CR

Bit harsh chief, earlier one's just need a bit o tlc

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Last year I joined a group for anti-social people
We haven't met yet.

Nope.....earlier versions need much more than TLC and even shit loadsa dosh cant make them anything like as good as a bog stock 2001 model

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Mithered ta death.
92 MB
96 S2T
98 S1W
00 M2
01 X1
03 P3
10 CR

cheers for the replies.
I kinda thought that the later models would be the ones to look out for, makes sense really.
so if /when I find one that ticks all the boxes (say a 2001 model)what issues do these have? what mods are good & what to avoid? oh and what sorta price is reasonable?

cheers......ivan

Ridden a few Pre 2001 and a few post 2001 personally can't tell the difference

The consensus says the 2001 model is the one to go for.However buy the best you can afford...... a ukbeg advert would be a good start.

I've got a 2002 model

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08 Specialized Langster

I've often thought, as I've been riding along on my '99, what a bag of shit this bike really is, and why have I kept it for over 13 years, when I could have had something from another year, or almost any bike I wanted ........

??

Buy an S1 or 97/98 M2 instead

On the table - I like/ own a tubed Buell and this post is just my own opinion- get it out of the way
I understand perceived wisdom is that a 2001 X1 is the way to go, the peak of the tubular evolution.
But in my wish list of buells, that would be my 3rd choice - after the 97/98 M2 and S1 (all varients)

Evolution isn't always better;
Fuel injection - more power (on paper), smooth delivery,.... But - jump from a carbed M2/ onto an injected one and the carbed one feels faster, more exciting (power delivery).
The X1 was very stylish when it came out, but - is starting to look a little bit dated now, kind of like an 80's film (all big hair and shoulder pads). Early M2's and S1's were retro when they came out, time has been kind to them.

Discuss - 1998 was the pinnacle of Buell design

I know from an engineering perspective the 2001 X1 had righted a lot of wrongs of the past and thankfully a lot of those updates can be used to improve the earlier tubers
I know everything I have put out there is qualitative and will be disputed by owners who love their own variety of Buell, but just wanted to the challenge the perceived wisdom.


(Need to add the firebolt was a lot of fun but physically too small for me, the uly was a superb bike but a little confused about its identity, never got to ride a 1125) - again my own opinion

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Today my pet mouse Elvis died ..................He was caught in a trap
There are two types of people in this world, those that can extrapolate

The S1 is my favourite bike...

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08 Specialized Langster

My S1 is my favourite bike too But......the XB out handles it on every level