Ask MO Anything: Can I Still Get Buell Parts?
Dear MOby,
I’m thinking about buying a Buell XB12S Firebolt. My question is, do they still make parts for this bike?
Agarwal in India
Dear Agarwal,
Is your google broke? They don’t really make parts for the XB12 anymore, which was manufactured from 2003 to `09. But that doesn’t mean that plenty of parts aren’t still readily available. Sashaying over to ebay, we find many, many parts listed under Buell XB12S, including this cool LED Headlight Module just like the one on my naked Yamaha R1 “streetlover,” except mine’s not LED like this one. Very nice.
In short, there are more than a few Buell nuts out there, scattered all over the globe. Our friend Chaz Aagaard, at Aagaard Motor Foundry in Janesville, Wisco, says, “Some things are becoming obsolete – frame pucks, front isolators, etc., but the majority of parts will be available as long as Buellers buy them… it’s a pretty healthy supply chain.”
Don’t forget the forums and Facebook groups, which are a great source of advice in addition to parts…
The www has done away with sifting through swap meets for hours to find obsolete artifacts. Now, you sit at your computer for hours hunting down obsolete artifacts, which can be shipped to any corner of the world in a matter of days. All the Buell XBs are great bikes. If you want one, being able to find parts going forward should be way down on your list of things to worry about. Our motorcycles, let’s face it, will outlast all of us.
Send your moto-related questions to AskMOAnything@motorcycle.com. If we can’t answer them, we’ve taken the Hypocritic Oath and at least will attempt to do no harm in the time it takes to seek out a believable answer. If a question lasts more than four hours, seek medical aid. Ask your doctor if you’re healthy enough to read MO.
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The misinformation and ignorance abounds here starting with the question to Motorcycle.com's response to the majority of the comments. Most of the comments are laughable.
1. A Firebolt is an XB12R. A Lightning would be an XB12S. Simple mistake, but something Motorycle.com should have caught and corrected.
2. Buells, like Sportsters, have old tech engines and they are pretty reliable. Sure, there will be outliers that have had lemons, but for the rest of us the bikes are reliable as garden tractors. I've owned my 2007 XB12Scg since new. The only issues I've had is two voltage regulator failures. I now know there area aftermarket options.
3. The chassis had some leading edge ideas that the Japanese soon borrowed. Just as an example, after the XBs were released with the underslung muffler pretty much every Japanese sporty bike followed suit.
Erik Buell is a great engineer. He doesn't get the credit he deserves because his failures as a business man sadly get more attention.
If you want real answers and real information without the anti-HD trolls checkout the Buell groups on Facebook.
I have a Buell Firbolt and I'm surprised that there are not any statements about Cross-reference of parts from the Automotive sector. There are parts that swap from Ford and Dodge and maybe another that I can just think off hand. Another great part of owning a Buell is the ability to connect your laptop to modify the Maps and finetune. There are even Bluetooth adapters that you can get so you can Log and view perform in real-time on a phone or tablet! What other bike can you do that with on free software on the net? Unless you just don't know or want to wrench on your ride then yes you will run into issues....
I like to do my own work on my rides:
2016 Road Glide Special
2004 Firebolt
2001 Electra Glide Clasic
1982 Electra Glide
1979 Ironhead Sportster
1975 Honda 125
1975 Kawasaki H1 500
1955 Dnepr with Sidecar