My 1125R Test Ride

[DaleFranks]

I took my 1125R test ride today.  The conditions of the ride sucked, but I really liked the bike.

My full ride report is here, at my blog, but a few excerpts are below:

Ergonomics are described by Buell as “athletic”.  I’d describe them as fairly comfortable in sportbike terms.  They’re certainly more relaxed than I expected, and you can ride the 1125r without leaning on your wrists, and laying on the tank.  You are crouched forward, and pegs are high, but not so far forward, and not so high that it becomes quickly uncomfortable.  It may be a racing bike, but it is a bike you can ride.

On the street, the broad torque curve is forgiving, and the engine responds promptly in any gear.  Unlike the long-stroke V-Twins on most cruisers, the high-revving short-stroke Rotax engine rewards throttle inputs with prompt obedience,  the power is linear, and willing to surge higher at the flick of a wrist.  While lofting the front wheel on the 1125R could be done with ridiculous ease, the power is easily tameable.  It doesn’t get out of control, and doesn’t surprise you.  It merely does what you ask, when you ask.

The 1125R is not only very stable at highway speeds, the way the fairing directs the airflow was perfect for my 5″10″ frame.  There was no buffeting at all, just a nice stream of clean air at the top of my chest and shoulders.  Dropping into a slight tuck made even that go away.  The fairing design on the Buell is quite effective, which would make highway trips far less fatiguing.

The only major drawback to the 1125R was the leaden ineffectiveness of the rear brakes.  I didn’t like that at all.

[Kootenanny]

Glad you like the bike.  I haven't ridden an 1125R yet...

The rear brake thing is common to all Buells, I believe--at least, my Firebolt has a very weak rear brake.  Doesn't bother me at all.  AFAIK, the brake is purposely made that way, to help prevent accidental overapplication.

[Brad1445]

+1 on the rear brake,

After 5 Great XB Bike I cant figure out why they even put the rear brake pedal there, just for looks?

They could remove it for weight savings if it's not going to do anything.

[JamesG]

Not a design feature. Its a side effect of having the rotor in the exhaust stream that is full of carbon, oil, and other stuff not so good for effective friction.

But because its on sport oriented bikes where the rear brake is used by most owners as a trail braking afterthought, it made it thru testing.

[whodom]

Not a design feature. Its a side effect of having the rotor in the exhaust stream that is full of carbon, oil, and other stuff not so good for effective friction.

It's this way on all Buells, read the posts above.  It will get better with use and you can always substitute pads with more grip if you have to be able to lock up your rear wheel at will.  Once you get the pads bedded in, it works fine for trail braking or holding the bike at stoplights.

[Kootenanny]

Not a design feature. Its a side effect of having the rotor in the exhaust stream that is full of carbon, oil, and other stuff not so good for effective friction.

But because its on sport oriented bikes where the rear brake is used by most owners as a trail braking afterthought, it made it thru testing.

It's a design feature, involving a small disc, 2-piston caliper, and relative sizes of the master and slave cylinders.  And this style of "weak" rear brake is not uncommon on sport bikes, AFAIK.  Just another reminder that a Buell is NOT a Harley.

BTW, when I trail brake, I use the front brake.

[JamesG]

The Buell XB's rear brake disk and caliper is about the same size and capacity as "other" sportbikes and its distinctly less effective under normal operating conditions (ie; dirty).

I own a Uly, and I have noticed a difference when I've cleaned the rotor and pads off.  Haven't you ever wondered why or how the hub of the rotor carrier or your rear wheel turns dark after a while?

Tis no big deal. Like I said, most Buell riders, myself included don't need or use the rear for primary braking.

[Brad1445]

The Buell XB's rear brake disk and caliper is about the same size and capacity as "other" sportbikes and its distinctly less effective under normal operating conditions (ie; dirty).

I own a Uly, and I have noticed a difference when I've cleaned the rotor and pads off.  Haven't you ever wondered why or how the hub of the rotor carrier or your rear wheel turns dark after a while?

Tis no big deal. Like I said, most Buell riders, myself included don't need or use the rear for primary braking.

I know no one that uses it or would as a primary brake.  But some reaction from pushing it would be good.

I had a Uly and when on dirt there is many times you are NOT to use the front brake are you will tuck the front end in and crash.

[JamesG]

Yeah, I kept my right hand in "dirt mode" (off the lever) when on dirt.  Engine breaking on a Uly is usually enough.

[Mastros2]

Dale, I agree with your review.  I demo-ed one June 08 and had the same impression as you did; brakes, ergos and wind protection.  

Just don't know if that is the direction I would like to go with a motorcycle purchase. I picked up a 07 Uly a few months back and really enjoy it.  Maybe in a few years I'll reconsider.  

[skater69]

I'd like to test ride a 1125R.  But I disagree with you Dale about v-twins and heat/mirrors.

My naked SV1000N with it's 125hp 90deg V-twin....puts out ZERO heat....of course it's liquid cooled though.  But the mirrors don't shake at all at speed.  I ditched the crappy stock mirrors with bar ends but neither vibrate at all.

The last Buell I rode was an XB9 or XB12 (can't remember which one it was) about 3 yrs ago.  It was like riding a vibrating OVEN.  After 15 minutes, I couldn't wait to park it. The Hoover vacuum sounding fan bellowed the whole time too.  And the power sucked.  Remember thinking  "I just rode the biggest piece of crap on the market today!".  Hopefully the 1125R is a major improvement.

[DaleFranks]

I'd like to test ride a 1125R.  But I disagree with you Dale about v-twins and heat/mirrors.

My naked SV1000N with it's 125hp 90deg V-twin....puts out ZERO heat....of course it's liquid cooled though.  But the mirrors don't shake at all at speed.  I ditched the crappy stock mirrors with bar ends but neither vibrate at all.

The last Buell I rode was an XB9 or XB12 (can't remember which one it was) about 3 yrs ago.  It was like riding a vibrating OVEN.  After 15 minutes, I couldn't wait to park it. The Hoover vacuum sounding fan bellowed the whole time too.  And the power sucked.  Remember thinking  "I just rode the biggest piece of crap on the market today!".  Hopefully the 1125R is a major improvement.

Well, a 90-degree twin is more or less self-balancing. But that's really a L-Twin, not a V-Twin.  I've never ridden a V-twin that wasn't vibey.  Some are worse than others.  And, I'm 45, so I remember riding V-twins without counter-balancers or rubber isolation mounts.  So, I tend to compare modern products with what they used to be--which was much worse.

[Kootenanny]

My naked SV1000N with it's 125hp 90deg V-twin....puts out ZERO heat....of course it's liquid cooled though.  But the mirrors don't shake at all at speed.  I ditched the crappy stock mirrors with bar ends but neither vibrate at all.

The last Buell I rode was an XB9 or XB12 (can't remember which one it was) about 3 yrs ago.  It was like riding a vibrating OVEN.  After 15 minutes, I couldn't wait to park it. The Hoover vacuum sounding fan bellowed the whole time too.  And the power sucked.  Remember thinking  "I just rode the biggest piece of crap on the market today!"

Hmmm...before I bought my XB9R Firebolt, I demo'd a lot of bikes, mostly V-twin sportbikes because that's what I wanted.  My short list included the Buell and the SV1000S; while riding the Suzuki, I kept thinking to myself, "This bike is almost as nice as the Buell, but not quite."  Compared to the Buell, the Suzuki is an appliance

I ride ATGATT, and the summer weather here can get quite hot--yet, my fan never "bellows" and, while the frame can get warm where it surrounds the rear cylinder, I've never had an issue with heat from it.  And yes, the Firebolt vibrates, but I don't find it annoying at all (it vibrates mostly at idle, and I spend very little time sitting at idle...at speed, it smooths out nicely, although it does retain a low-frequency thrum which I quite enjoy, unlike the high-frequency buzz I've experienced on some other bikes).

The Buell's power may "suck," but then why can't my buddy who did buy an SV1000S keep up to me in the corners?

[Roaddog]

It's a design feature, involving a small disc, 2-piston caliper, and relative sizes of the master and slave cylinders.  And this style of "weak" rear brake is not uncommon on sport bikes, AFAIK.  Just another reminder that a Buell is NOT a Harley.

BTW, when I trail brake, I use the front brake.

If you think the rear brake on a Buell is numb, you should ride a Ducati. If I owned a Duc, I would remove the rear m/c, rotor and caliper because it's nothing more than excess dead weight.

[Roaddog]

I took a test ride on an XB12 Lightning 2 years ago during the Sturgis trip and I thought the Sportster motor was a little chuffy. I'd have to at least put a pipe on it, because it was way too quiet. This year at Topeka, I took a spin on an 1125CR and the Rotax l-c twin made impressive power. Ergos seemed a little better than the a-c bike. Although the bars were still way too low for my taste, they were a lot closer to the seat than the older iteration. If they come out with something ergonomically similar to the Uly with some decent wind protection I'll start to get a lot more interested.

[skater69]

author=Kootenanny link=topic=42896.msg998702#msg998702 date=1251322876]
The Buell's power may "suck," but then why can't my buddy who did buy an SV1000S keep up to me in the corners?

Must be the superior Buell...

Put equal riders together and your Buell with 30 less hp, 10lbs less torque and 30lbs MORE weight than the SV1000S will be struggling to keep up.  I don't know....I have 2 bros pipes on the SV1000N and it makes some nice thumping mean music.  Every Buell I've heard sounds like a runaway dump truck with a missing muffler.  Don't get me wrong, I really hope I like the 1125R but the XB I test rode in '06 was really shitty......and I wanted to like it.

[Kootenanny]

Put equal riders together and your Buell with 30 less hp, 10lbs less torque and 30lbs MORE weight than the SV1000S will be struggling to keep up.

Hmmm...you might wanna check those weight figures; according to the manufacturers' specs, the Buell weighs almost 30 lb. less than the Suzuki.  But no matter...I agree, on a straight road, going flat out, the Buell ain't gonna hang with the Suzuki.  However, I avoid straight roads like the plague--and thankfully, I live where there are lots of twisty roads right close at hand.  

To me, riding isn't a race.  I ride because I enjoy the experience of riding, and the Buell delivers a superior riding experience IMO.  It may have less power, but it feels powerful, and hey, it goes fast enough that many of my riding buddies can't hang with me if I wick it up in the twisties (this might have as much to do with riding ability, mind you--but the fact is, I'm seldom "struggling to keep up").

You don't like it, that's the way it is--many people don't.  But for me, the Buell is the "superior" bike (that's why I put my money where my mouth is and bought one...like I said, I could have had an SV1000S, in fact that was the closest "contender," but it just didn't turn my crank like the Buell does).

[DaleFranks]

Don't get me wrong, I really hope I like the 1125R but the XB I test rode in '06 was really shitty......and I wanted to like it.

Well, I have zero interest in an XB bike, either.  You can massage an air-cooled pushrod motor all you want, but unless you're looking for a ca. 1973 "sportbike" you'll never get what you want out of it, in terms of either vibration or power.

The 1125R is different.  For the price, and the belt drive instead of a chain, I'd buy one.  I'm seriously considering it.  It'd be a bike I could do track days with, and commute with when I felt a little salty.

I wouldn't trade my FJR for it, of course, but I wouldn't mind it at all for a sporty second bike.

[skater69]

I'm sure with the new engine the 1125 will be much more to my liking than the XB was.  I like having a v-twin in the garage which is why I have my SV1000 along with my Blackbird.  Switching bikes everyday is fun.  
The Buell would replace the SV if I got one but I'd really have to like it a lot since both of my bikes are long paid for and I got them used......for about 1/2 the price of the Buell combined.

[Rogue]

I can tell you right now that the 1125R has MORE vibration all across its rev range than the XB Thunderstorm except at idle.  In fact I have always said that the XB12R is smoother than the 1125R above 2,500 RPM.  At top gear, they are both smooth but the more you rev the 1125R, the harder its jackhammer vibration becomes.  It's not the kind that will numb your hands but you can feel the difference.

Having said that, the 1125R will leave the SV1000 for dead in any speed contest.  It just won't be as smooth.  It's a 75 degree V-Twin designed for compact packaging, and Buell designed in a very direct feel to the motor and practically the whole bike.  Nothing is numbed down for comfort except the ergonomics.  The 1125R is raw and direct in the way it responds to your throttle hand and your steering and body motions.  It is also very much like the XB12R Firebolt in many ways (except the vibes at idle).  It even has a fan that runs when the engine gets hot.  

So I honestly don't believe you will like the 1125R one bit because it makes very little concessions to comfort and refinement, just performance.