Buell owner ready to make the move to sport touring.

[custodian]

I am the owner of a 2008 Buell Blast, MSF new rider course grad, and ready for my third season on the street. When I bought the Blast... I told myself I would ride it two seasons before trading up. I believe that I am ready to start shopping for the 2010 NT700V... any input from you sport touring guys?

[falconati]

Well, let's start off thinking about the requirements you have for a bike...do you have any?

[custodian]

Decent fuel economy (& a move to FI if possible) , ease of maintenance, more storage space than soft sportbike luggage.

[bassjones]

Decent fuel economy (& a move to FI if possible) , ease of maintenance, more storage space than soft sportbike luggage.

lots of options.
Ninja 650R or Suzuki SV650 with Givi luggage.  Yes, they have chains but they're pretty easy on them and cleaning and lubing a chain isn't THAT hard to do is it?
VFR 800 with OEM or Givi luggage.  More power than the above, roomier and more comfortable, available ABS
VStrom 650 wtih luggage - roomier still, good power, available ABS, looks are "unique"
smaller Euro ST bikes
etc....

[smackdoogle]

Can't help with the NT700 but I can say I love my 02 VFR.  My last bike was a 04 XB12S.  Super fun, great gas mileage and handled great.  Was not fun on the highway.  My VFR I can do 500+ days easy and the best part, they can be found with low miles for cheap.

[Snapping Twig]

Not knowing your preferences I can only toss out what I'd like.

I'm seriously looking at a BMW F 800 ST.

[MK96xj]

There is no reason you could not tour on a Blast.

I do not readily know of any hard bags but a good set of soft luggage and the available windshield and away you go

There is nothing wrong with carburetors.

[naustin]

I own a blast and Tried to convert it to a light commuter/tourer for my wifes first bike so we could do some short hop camping trips.  I have spend thousands of dollars in touring accessories including Givi Screen, Ventura rack, Star-com, etc.  All of this can be moved to another bike, but since we had a Blast in the garage, we thought we might as well put some miles on it as she hasn't many behind her yet.

Outfitted as ours is; the Blast is still only a marginal commuter (and then only if you are under 5' 6" tall - even with the "Tall" seat) and IF you can keep it running.  We have found our bike to be unreliable.  Both times we took it out of town, on longer trips last summer, it stranded us.  First the ignition module fried.  This part is shared with the Sportster - and we found the problem is common to that bike as well.  After that was fixed, we thought we were OK and headed out for a 10 day trip to the black hills.  4 hour out the coil burned up and stranded us again.  Hindsight indicates the coil may have been to blame the first time too who knows....  The bike has about 9,000 miles since bought brand new in 2004.  I rode it for 2 years before buying a Buell S3T.

The new Honda NT700 is interesting- and since I'm now on a ST1300 - it would make a nice stablemate for my wife.  But, I'm afraid it may not be the best choice for her in a light touring bike.  It is expensive, and relatively heavy.  On the plus side, as the person who will be responsible for most of the maintenance, I'm am a lover of shaft drive.

My suggestion to you would be to ride as many bikes as you can before you buy one.  Get some saddle time in and ride all different styles of bikes with different weight and power.  If the NT700 is the bike you want - I'd say go for it!  And if you buy it, post a review!!

[custodian]

Twig... the BMW F800 looks good, but the price even with a $1000 incentive is a bit more than the Honda... another consideration is the distance to a BMW dealer in St Louis or Louisville. Honda dealers are numerous within 40 miles.

Naustin... your input is exactly what I am looking for. I have had great luck with the Blast... 3900 miles in 2 seasons with no warranty issues. I also am the one turning the wrench... with the help of the downloaded service manual. On the Buell... maintenance consisted of oil changes, primary oil change & adjustment, & removal/install of the rear wheel for a new tire from motorcycle-superstore. I have looked at the Givi screens & soft bags... but still would like to trade up.

The weather here in S Illinois is still snowing... so no test rides for another month at least. For now I will start visiting the multitude of Honda dealerships in the area to test the waters. Planning on starting at the dealership that installed my Blast rear tire as a motorcycle-superstore install partner. They treated me like family even though I had purchased my tire via internet... and was not looking to purchase a new bike at the time.

[bassjones]

You can pick up a Ulysses CHEAP now...  Might be an option.

[Kootenanny]

Like bassjones says, Buells are going cheap right now...saw a Uly XB that would be a great ST ride, brand new, for sale for less than I paid for my 'Bolt 5 years ago (that hurts, BTW).  If you're OK with a Buell, that could be a good bike.  

Haven't seen an NT700 (not available in Canada yet...) but from reading some reviews, I dunno...for the money, I'd probably look closely at an F800ST (or maybe a 650 GS).

[naustin]

They treated me like family even though I had purchased my tire via internet... and was not looking to purchase a new bike at the time.

I have always said, the dealer is more important than the brand.  If those people treat you right - buy whatever they sell!

The Blast has a flaw in the front motor mount design, btw - which besides the flaky coil - has been my biggest disappointment and actually the #1 reason I would not recommend that anyone use one for anything other than a 50mi radius training bike.  I have replaced 3 front "Isolators"  on the Blast, and 4 on the S3t.  Both dealer installed and self-installed parts have failed.   Following the failure, you might not realize that there is anything wrong - vibration actually decreases at first as the failure allows the rubber mount more movement - but eventually that extra movement will cause the rubber to tear completely, and then motor mount bolts will sheer off inside the cylinder head.  I have seen dozens of examples of this on the Buell forums.  

THey are good bikes.  I really had fun with mine.  But you will not regret moving up.

Not to steer you away from the Honda (I really like my ST1300) but, have you considered a Kawasaki Versys?  Similar size and power of the Honda NT700, but lighter and a lot cheaper.  Add Givi luggage and it would probably have more storage capacity than the stock Honda bags.

[custodian]

I fully agree with the importance of the dealership staff to customer satisfaction. When we travel... we make a point of stopping at HD dealerships to check out the clearanced motorclothes. As you know... Buell is viewed as the red headed step child at most HD dealerships...& at most dealerships Buell owners are treated the same.

I am aware of the isolator bolt shearing issue... despite using a new HD bolt and the proper install/torque procedure. The intake boot problems are an issue also. As I said though... my 08 has been remarkably bullet proof with only minimal maintenance. This is one consideration in choosing a new scooter for me... the Buell's simplicity with regard to maintenance... single cylinder w/ only 2 valves & hydaulic lifters... belt drive... air cooling... overbuilt tranny.

I have walked around the Versys at a couple of Kaw dealerships. Not a bad looking bike. In your opinion... how do Kaw/Yam/Suz compare with the perception of quality that Honda & BMW carry?    

[naustin]

 Not a bad looking bike. In your opinion... how do Kaw/Yam/Suz compare with the perception of quality that Honda & BMW carry?    

I've only owned 3 bikes, the Blast, the S3t and now the St1300.   I think Honda's are high quality, absolutely, but I believe that Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki are all right there with Honda - especially if you are buying new and taking care of it right from day 1.  Honda's advantage over the other 3 of the "big four" probably really is more perception than anything else.   When I bought my bike, the decision between the FJR, and the ST1300 was made based on the way I was treated by the respective dealerships, not anything having to do with the bike itself.  I actually intended to buy an FJR, but the Yami dealer blew that deal when he didn't call me back for 3 days after I went in and told him I was interested in an FJR (they didn't have one on the floor).

I called the HOnda dealer, and they didn't have an ST1300 on the floor either, but promised they could get me one on the spot, called me back in under 2 hours, and delivered the bike to me 3 days later.  Easy.

My one complaint on the ST1300 is the weight. Full of gas it is 720+ pounds and it can be a bear to move around in the garage. I tour 2-up with my wife, so its a necessary evil I can live with, but If I were riding solo, I'd be on a something lighter, for sure.  Honda lists the NT700 at 560 pounds full of Gas.  By comparison, your Blast is listed at 360 pounds, and the Versys is about 450 sans luggage.

Again, I'm not trying to push you away from the Honda.  It definitely has better wind protection and would probably be better 2-up.  Absolutely looks like a great bike.  As always - the best advice is to take the dealer into account and ride it before you buy it if at all possible.

That said, I bought the ST1300 over the phone having never - ever- even seen one in person....

[custodian]

I really appreciate your input on this purchase.

Over the next few weeks of winter weather, I will visit the 7-8 Honda dealers in my area. Then when spring arrives... will take the Buell around again and try to put together a deal I can live with.

[bomber]

We had a Blast in our moorpool for 3 years with absolutely no issues what so ever -- I do know of others that have had a great deal of trouble with them, though . . . . .

The good news is that it's hard to find a bad motorcycle these days -- if the Honda does it for you, go ahead on!

That said, do not limit your search to bikes with hard bags from the factory --- the aftermarket offers many choices that are almost always larger and less expensive than factory bags -- and, while factory bags most often look better (as you would expect), the aftermarket bags look great from the saddle, and the cost differences will pay for a couple of weeks on the road!

Have fun searching (and remember that you may get more for the Blast selling directly than attempting a trade in)

[Mastros2]

Stay with Buell! The deals now are really good and could be picked up for a song.  Easy maintenance, check.  Touring capabilities, check. Fuel economy, check.

I have a '99 X1 and a 07 Uly.  Both bikes get 50mpg and have been all over the east coast.  For hard bags out of the box, H&B make rails for the 12ss (long), 9 cityx and Uly models.  For all day comfort, the Uly wins hands down.  That bike can compete with any big sport touring rig when it comes to comfort.

[naustin]

The Uly is a cool bike - and is famously comfortable.

But, having broken down 3 days from home on a Buell, I can tell you one thing - it was hard to find a dealership to help when the company was at its absolute peak - now that it is dead --  it will be impossible.

When I finally got home from that trip - I sold the Buell and had the new Honda in my garage in under a week.

[GilaMonster]

Unless you are really going to change your riding and put on a lot of miles, I would suggest what others have suggested like the SV, Versys, VFR, etc.  Mid size bikes have plenty of power, and are more nimble around town (ie sub 500lb).

Sport Tourers such as the ST1300, FJR, BMW RT/GT/S, Concours (550-700+ lbs) are great rides for putting on the miles, but get to be a hand full around town.  All are great rides, durable, and comfortable for 500+ miles per day.  My only issue with the ST1300 is that you really need to leave the bags on all the time because it really looks strange with the bags off.  The others in this group can almost be a convertible, bags on....sport tourer, bags off...big sport bike.  Depends what floats your boat....

[Mastros2]

But, having broken down 3 days from home on a Buell, I can tell you one thing - it was hard to find a dealership to help when the company was at its absolute peak - now that it is dead --  it will be impossible.

I read your report Naustin and that sucked for you.  Both HD dealers told me that they are still going to service Buells.  HD stated 7 years for parts so I am guessing that is how long they will service them as well.  

Unless you are really going to change your riding and put on a lot of miles, I would suggest what others have suggested like the SV, Versys, VFR, etc.  Mid size bikes have plenty of power, and are more nimble around town (ie sub 500lb).

And have great prices used.

[UHOH]

 Suzuki SV650 [naked, w/ aftermarket windscreen] with Givi luggage.  
VFR 800 with OEM or Givi luggage, available ABS
VStrom 650 wtih luggage - available ABS

^^^ what Bass said ...
these 3 bikes every owner loves, so go with what others have tested out and speak highly of.

and welcome to STN