2008 Buell Lightning® XB12Ss

I have had the bike for a couple of months now and it had been wonderfull. The torque curve makes the bike more mannerable and smoother through the gears. Driving long distances on it is not bad at all. The bike handles great and stops on a dime because of all of its technical advances (fuel in frame, ... oil in swing arm) best of all is the sound no one expects the rude grunt from a bike like the xb.

I've had this (beautiful) bike for almost a year. I already had to take it to the garage twice for repair besides maintenance. They fixed the bigger problems but told me that the rest is just the bike's character. Not starting on first try in cold weather or the sorta throttle lag I feel when hitting ... it after a curve is not what I call character. The bike literally sounds like it's gasping for air! I won't even talk about the break-in period.

My last bike was a Honda 919. True, it had less character but it NEVER had ANY problem and the break-in period was optional. I knew I might have problems with a Buell. It just sucks more than I thought.

Now the good stuff. It's very comfortable for me and my girl. We ride together quite a bit and we have no complaints. The seat, the peg/handles position and even air protection all work very well. I'm average built and she's small.

It's powerful enough but I was disappointed to find-out it doesn't quite have the kick my 919 had. The power curve is very gradual and I just miss that extra pull I'd get when the Honda reached peak power. It does feel light though and it's a pleasure to throw it around traffic until that throttle lag deprives you of power at the worst moment.

I haven't pushed the handling to its limits so I can't really judge. But I will say that the bike simply doesn't inspire enough confidence to make me want to play with those limits... It looks damn good though.