2004 Buell Lightning® XB12S

After 6 years and 30000 miles: 3 words = Fun, reliable, unique.

PROs:

Great torque, fast enough, loud enough (with after market exhaust), Great hadling, Grreat gas mileage, little to no maintenance required, attention getter.

CONs:

Small, engine heat, VIBRATIONS.

It shakes, it sometimes marks its territory and when its hot it may knock. But each and every time I get on it I know I am going to have a grin from ear to ear!

Yes some may bag on its antiquated engine or whatever other preconceived shortcomings they may have. Though once you hop ... aboard that all goes by the wayside. The Lightning is a blast to ride through the twisties, it may not be as fast as the liter bikes or even the 600's in a straight line but when the roads start to twist you see that this is where the Buells love to be.

I have put about 10,000 miles on the Lightning in the last year and I haven't had a single issue with it. It may not have as much HP as a 600 but it has enough torque to pull a stump. When I last had it Dyno'ed it put out 87HP and 78 ft-lbs(and 60 ft-lbs were available as low as 2k RPM).

The only real issue I have with Buells in general is resale value. If you buy a new one be prepared to take a big bite when you go to sell but in turn you can get great prices on used Buell's. I got mine last year so it was 3 years old and only had 4,000 miles on it and I paid half of what a new one would have cost. Great for me not so great for the previous owner.

So if you are thinking about a Buell do it you will not regret it.