Show off your Buell

[Kootenanny]

Yeah, it's tough, but somebody's gotta live here

Here are a couple pics taken during the 2nd day of that ride to the dealer, 2 years ago (only time it's ever been in--I do all my own work, but that was warranty).

[Sport-Touring]

[Bueller]

Beautiful looking area there.
If thats the way you went to the dealer then I can understand you taking 2 days.

I can take two days to get to my dealer through the city.  

They are good looking roads Kootenanny.  We have some great roads here but they are locking them down.  Lower speed limits and much more policing.  In areas where it is hard to get a speed fix they set up EPA traps.  Pull the bikes over and check the noise levels.

They managed to kill one of the local country motorcycle festivals.  Thousands of bikes for a bit of a show off as a long time regular event.  Two years ago they pulled up all bikes on their way out and booked a large % for being over the EPA limit.  The next year only 12 bikes came and it seems that now it is cancelled.  

I don't stop for coffee much, but many of the small towns do a big weekend trade on motorcycle latte runs.  I can see them losing income as motorcycles avoid the heavily policed areas.  If the police here have a motorcycle agenda it may be working, but we manage to stay near the top of the world list for reported violent crime.

Anyway the police will ensure that more insects on country roads will survive to puberty.  

Nice bikes mates.

[Bueller]

I had pulled into a Harley place one morning, for a small bit of warranty service; the dealership is 8 hours ride from home (actually, I'd taken two days going the scenic route) and my bike was completely covered with bugs.
...

8 hours to a dealer is huge.  I do a few trips about that long to visit friends and family and occasionally for work, but you'd want to be able to do everything yourself.  Needs a big toolkit.

[Kootenanny]

Actually, there are two dealerships closer (one four hours, one six) but if I ride to the major city, Vancouver, I can access one of the largest dealers in Canada, a place which not only has dedicated Buell techs but they sponsor a race team (and I had one of the race techs working on my bike).  The two closer dealers are strictly small-town Harley places that carry Buell almost as a sideline.  I don't have to go in often, so I might as well go quality

[ccryder]

Just posting one here:



Look over here so I'm not wasting bandwidth: https://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,28285.0.html  

The 1125r(t) is almost, too much fun!  Guess I'll just have to suffer  

[Oilhed]

Those panniers look perfect.  Are they the new Givis, the ones Suzuki sells as OEM on the Bandit?

[ccryder]

Thanks for the kudo's.  I feel they look pretty good myself.  Out of the after market choices I felt they were the best choice.

As far as i know the V35's are the newest side bags Givi has to offer.  If Suzuki offers them on the Bandit, I would think it was a wise move instead of reinventing some good stuff just to say "it was invented here".  I just looked at Suzuki's site and from the picts, it appears you are correct.  Pricing looks to be the same retail price as Givi.

Later
Neil S.

[Oilhed]

As far as i know the V35's are the newest side bags Givi has to offer.  If Suzuki offers them on the Bandit, I would think it was a wise move instead of reinventing some good stuff just to say "it was invented here".

Neil S.

Ironically, Givi never competed with BMW, figured BMW owners would get OEM panniers.  Well, I saw the V35's on a new BMW and I think they look better (and better made) than the OEM bags.  The mounting system is very sturdy looking, too!

[ccryder]

Friends and family have BMW's and there has been universal complaints about the older hard bags.  

My B-in-law was skeptical of my V35's until he got a close look at the bags and mounts.  He was real impressed with the construction/ function of the bags.  When he used the mounts to help me load the bike he commented how sturdy the mounts felt.

[Rogue]

Nice 1125R.  

The bags looks good on it.  

[Hooch1]

Sure hope this post works!

[Brad1445]

Artsy and Farts Hootch

[hhhch45]

Picture of my M2 at the first WCRM, unfortunately I sold it to help my daughter with some medical bills.
Of all the bikes I have owned it is only one of two I wish I had back. But I am looking at an XT when my VFR is paid off in a couple of months.
Jim

[smackdoogle]

Thought I'd add my new addition.  Never thought I'd get one (always out of my price range or on the other side of the country) but I finally got lucky and it so far is the perfect ride.  3500 miles on it.  Got it yesterday, today she got some 15W-50 Mobil1 in the primary and engine.  Anyway, here's the "not so good" pics.

[BlueRidgeKat]

Just posting one here:



Look over here so I'm not wasting bandwidth: https://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,28285.0.html  

The 1125r(t) is almost, too much fun!  Guess I'll just have to suffer  

This is just awesome. A real American SPORT-touring bike (kinda).

I have been looking at Buells for a couple of years now and the Buell Ulysses is the only one that I somewhat like but just not enough "sport" in it, more "street adventure touring" in my opinion, still its pretty cool.

I would love to see your bike sometime, again its just awesome. If I would go this route would you consider doing some more welding, cutting and sweating (with compensation of course) and mount some hard bags on it?

[Oilhed]

This is just awesome. A real American SPORT-touring bike (kinda).

Yeah, If they had a clue they would be calling Givi to rebadge the bags as Buell optional equipment.  But they may have a commitment to H&B.

[BUSAFETT]

Owning a Buell is funny.
 
When you mention you're considering a Buell, riders will immediately reel back and tell you about their friend's friend who owned a Buell and how that bike was always falling apart.  Never a Buell owner though but definitely know a lot about Buell's and their relibility/quality issues.
 
Then, when you get a Buell, you've got people coming up to you asking you how you like it while admiring your bike.  Everytime I ride my Buell up to a popular sportbike hangout, it always makes a great conversation maker. Someone will always be coming up and asking questions about the bike. Definite curiousity but I'll bet sometimes a closet-desire for the brand.
 
Back when I had my Hayabusa, I had a lot of younger guys, riders and none riders alike, AND girls always coming up to me at gas stations or running up next to me at Intersections to tell me of their admiration of the bike. One of my friends called them "Hayabusa Groupies".  It didn't surprise me due to the bike's legendary reputation.
 
Now, I have older guys coming up to me and asking me about my Buell. "Buell Groupies".

I like your post Rogue, coming off of being a Busa veteran myself.  It gives me hope with the world of Buell..  

[Kootenanny]

Owning a Buell is funny.
 
When you mention you're considering a Buell, riders will immediately reel back and tell you about their friend's friend who owned a Buell and how that bike was always falling apart.  Never a Buell owner though but definitely know a lot about Buell's and their relibility/quality issues.

When I bought a Buell, my wife came home and asked me "Is the swingarm bearing on that new bike OK?"  Now, I don't think she knows what a swingarm bearing is, so...of course, it was some guy at work, who rides a Ducati, whose first words upon hearing her hubbie bought a Buell were, "The swingarm bearings fail on those things!"

(BTW, of course, there is some truth to that...I understand that one of the early models of the tube-frame Buells had a recall on swingarm bearings...something like a decade before my 03 was produced...  On my bike, the recall was for wheel bearings )

Oh, and since I see that some of the pics I'd posted in this thread have disappeared (photo site closed down), I'll post one up again:

[Bueller]

I love the white Kootenany.  I've often though of buying a set of white bodywork, but I'm not sure if it works with my red wheels.  A new set of wheels is just pushing it too far.  The red decals on yours might work with my wheels, but that year's bodywork doesn't have the holes for the later model air intake.

The generalisations I got when I bought my bike were that everybody who buys a Buell gets killed on it, and that it is the most dangerous bike in the wet that has ever been made.  It's funny how false reputations develop.

[2DFlyer]

Okay so I (still) don't own one dammit.  If I could afford it this is what I would be riding.  It just sits at the local dealer torturing me.