The Buell XB9R Firebolt

The design of the Firebolt is as they say "Different in every sense". Its 3.7 gallons of fuel is stored in the massive (and extremely rigid) aluminum frame. The engine is a 984 CC / 60 CI Harley Davidson 45 degree twin that stores its oil in the swingarm. What is normally the fuel tank on most motorcycles is the air filter housing for the fuel injection system. Look closely and you will see that the front disc (375 mm) is mounted to the outer section of the rim instead of the spool and is clamped by a six piston caliper. Buell calls this system ZTL for Zero Torsional Load and it is awesome. Two fingered stoppies are common.
Power is delivered to the rear wheel via a belt that is tensioned by a fixed idler wheel.

Even though its red-line is 7500 rpm I rarely go over 6k mark. The torque is so much fun to play with I find myself toying around the 3k to 5k range. It is capable of much more than I am and I know it.

It's just your average American made, wet framed, air cooled, sport twin with push rods in the engine and a dipstick in the swingarm that doesn't leak oil, has an immeasurable amout of charisma and is the sexiest thing on wheels.

I bought this bike from Gary at Gainesville Hd / Buell and I have nothing but nice things to say about both Gary and the dealership. Gary was and continues to be very professional and helpful. The entire dealership has always treated me like an old friend, everyone there that I have met has been great and they are all enthusiasts. I would recommend them to anyone. There are Buell owners in every department and it shows. Pay them a visit, you'll see what I mean.

Miles Per Gallon
For some strange reason I have rcvd. 4 e-mails this past week regarding the mpg of the Buell, so here it is.
42 to 45 mpg riding aggressively.
50 to 55 mpg riding normally with a mixture of both city and highway. Real life driving.
62 to 65 mpg on the interstate. Basically, get it up to 75 or 80 mph and stick it until reserve.
The overall fuel capacity is 3.7 gallons with reserve. I generally get around 140 to150 miles before the reserve light comes on (in the real life stuff). I have gone 25 miles plus on reserve and haven't had to push it yet. Plenty good enough for a liter sportbike to me.

Mods
Removed stock mirrors and replaced them with a Baren mirror from Napolean. Removed rear footrests. Removed overly complex, designed by lawyers belt guard. Re-riveted the small Buell emblem on the engines right side cover.

For Those That Wonder About Buells
Just to show all of the unbelievers out there that the US is capable of producing quality goods, this Firebolts maintenance records will be shown below. Both good and bad... honest.

11.23.02: Purchased from Gainesville Hd / Buell (Fl.)
11.28.02: 500 mile tune-up - Gainesville Hd / Buell
12.01.02: 1000 mile oil change - my shed. Oil Filter Part #(63806-00Y)
12.03.02: 1200 miles so far, God this thing is fun.
12.05.02: Big problem, not enough time to ride.
12.17.02: 1500 mile oil change - my shed
01.01.03: 2000 mile oil change - my shed - somewhere around this time I removed both factory mirrors and replaced them with one Napolean Baren mirror (geez I hope it's not french) I can now see objects in my mirror other than the inside of my elbows. I also removed the rear passenger footpegs and hangers. This really cleaned up the bike in the looks department.
01.12.03: 2500 mile tune-up - my shed
03.15.03: 4000 mile oil change - my shed
03.30.03: 4700 miles - my shed, the Buell is down for a rear tire (cords showing), wheel bearing recall (front and rear) and primary drive oil and engine oil change
04.12.03: 5000 mile tune-up - my shed. My first tire change by hand. Rear wheel was not a lot of fun to remove. Belt shroud is a real PITA and taking the tension off the idler required some heavy thought. Odd tools that most people don't own (me anyway) were purchased (a 3/8 allen wrench and several other little goodies.) With the rear wheel off the tire change went very well. I replaced the original Dunlop D207 with a D220 and didn't even scratch the purty aluminum. The tire is a much harder compound for sport touring. The next wheel removal/tire change will go much smoother.
Bearing recall was put off for another date due to the fact that I want to ride much worse than I want to haul both wheels to Gainesville HD / Buell.
Engine oil went smooth as should be expected. Primary drive oil/goop was a real mess. The last time I saw fluid like that was when I pulled the dipstick out of my freshly blown up 366 GMC motor. Boy did I feel bad seeing that crap coming out in blobs. I believe what happens is the left side cover is quite large and in the evening it sweats some, letting a few drops of water here and there build up inside the case. Since it never gets real hot during running the water just gets mixed in with the oil and wala ... instant goop. This will not be happening again as I will increase the oil change interval enough to prevent this from happening. I adjusted the primary drive chain and I can honestly say it shifts just like a Jap transmission. It's now very smooth.
04.16.03: 5400 miles, it kills me to write this but the Buell had it's first malfunction today. While going down the road my speedometer and all mileage meters stopped working. It appears to be in the sending unit as the BIT test cycles the needle at start-up. It's a minor item and it is under warranty but it still gripes me a little. I got home and investigated further and found nothing obvious wrong. There are no wires or cables coming from the front wheel .... interesting. (update) Speedo repaired, the sending unit atop the engine went south. A common problem with Harleys apparently.
06.14.03: 7450 miles - my shed. Getting ready for another 2500 mile fluid change. I'm still using HD oil but I went to a straight 50 wt instead of the 20/50. Engine has loosened up considerably. It vibrates, makes cool noises and doesn't smoke or leak. It's friggin perfect. Handling is a little less precise than it used to be. Front tire has maybe 3000 miles more left in it. The rear was swapped out for a Dunlop D220.
08.23.03: 9950 miles. I'm getting ready for the 10k tune up. Engine and transmission oil and I guess I'll treat her to a new set of plugs just for the heck of it. She'll be down for awhile as I'm finally going to get around to the bearing recall and put some new rubber on the front. 10,000 miles on the stock front tire. I cant do the actual bearing change out but I'll be sending in the wheels by themselves. The operation of the bike continues to be flawless. It just keeps on getting better.
Again using HD straight 50 wt. It quieted down the top end considerably the last time. It seems to be running just a little bit cooler but without a temp guage it could all just be in my head.
09.23.03: 10,200 miles. Second speedo sensor went out. Argh.
09.27.03: 10,350 miles. I took the gal back to Gainesville HD / Buell and had the speedo sensor replaced. Oh and I FINALLY got the recall on the bearings done. Both of these were done under warranty and I was out riding again after 3 hours of waiting. I have never recieved this kind of service with any of my other vehicles. It just keeps getting better.
10.09.03: 11,000 miles - my shed. I replaced the original front tire today. It was still pretty good down the center but the sides were turning in to slicks. I've never worn a tire out like that from street usage. Anyway I replaced it with a Dunlop D-220 to match the rear. Once I scuffed the tire up some and double-checked my work I went out to the twisties. It sure is nice to be sportin new tread on the Buell. BTW, the rear tire now has well over 6000 miles on it and it still looks great. There is a small Florida stripe but not bad at all. I would guess that I'll get 10 to 12,000 miles out of it before replacing it again.
11.03.03: 12,500 miles - my shed. Another oil change. Still using the straight 50 wt H/D oil. I'll be going back to 20-50 at 15,000 miles or sooner if winter comes early. Also changed out the xmission oil. It's looking much better at 2,500 mile changes. Bike still is performing wonderfully and no problems at all to mention. The 23rd of this month I will have had the Firebolt for 1 year. It has proven itself to be very reliable and is still just as much fun to ride as the day I bought her.
11.29.03: 13,800 miles - my shed. Winter came sooner than expected. Ditched the almost new 50w and went back to 20-50 for cold weather use. The air filter was also replaced at about this time. Got one off Ebay cheap, I think it was 10 dollars.
12.14.03: 14,500 miles - TodayI installed another Dunlop D220. They're not quite what the stock 207's were in the traction department but I'm getting 10,000 miles out of the rear tire. I'll be changing this one myself also and sending it out to get balanced.
01.20.04: 14,900 miles - Baby needs new shoes. (front only, the rear still look like new.)
The how to. Rotate the front wheel so that the caliper is in between the spokes \\ = // . Loosen both of the caliper mount bolts. Remove the brake pad/s mounting pin. Slide out the old pads, push the pucks back in (6 of them) to make room for the new thicker pads. Slide new pads in, re-install the mounting pin. Tighten the caliper mount bolts and pump the brake lever back up. The whole process (including all of the puck and pin cleaning took all of 20 minutes.) Pretty sanitary set up. It's time to ride again. =)
02.08.04: 15,100 miles - Changed the engine oil and tranny fluid again. Still using 50w H/D dino and H/D transmission fluid. No problems to speak of, I still love the bikes charisma. =)
05.09.04: 16,000 miles (approx) - Changed the engine oil and tranny fluid again. A little premature mileage wise but the old stuff was 3 months old and I was in the tinkering mood.
06.02.04: 17,340 miles - The idler bearings for the belt went south a few weeks back and after a little confusion the proper ones came in today. I got them from Miller Bearing in Ocala, Fl. They are NTN 6203LUA bearings (2) and cost a whopping $9.00 each. Removal and installation was a breeze.
For the 03 models Buell says to replace the idler and belt every 15,000 miles. The bearings failed just about the right time, the belt will be replaced when it starts to visibly look worn or when it snaps. Whichever comes first. I know of too many guys that have over 100,000 miles on their stock belt and have no problems. If I abused the bike or rode very aggressively I might do what they recommend. I don't, so until I see a reason the stocker stays. I'll post any problems I may have of course.
10.06.04: 19,180 miles - Another oil and tranny fluid change. Again I went with straight 50w HD oil and their Sport Trans fluid. To date I've had no further problems with the bike. It's still running great.
Oh yeah, I forgot. I recieved an XB12 airbox cover (this one has the Vortex Cone molded in) and a K&N air filter from a good friend that no longer needed his. I only installed the cover and will wait to install the cleaner as I'm a little paranoid about running it lean. I'm still running the stock ECM box. So far I haven't noticed much of a difference but I haven't been able to ride it much either.
I'll post again after I get some miles on the new system.

Oil change intervals will be at every 2500 miles now that break-in is complete. I know that it's way too much ($3.15 per qt) but I'll be using the HD brand 20-50 oil (during summer I will be using straight 50w). I never got a warm feeling about Synthetic lubricants and I prefer to change oil at every 2500 miles. (it's easy to remember when the next one's due) My opinion FWIW about oil is that if changed often it really doesn't matter what type you use. With the exception of paraffin based lubes such as Quaker State and Pennzoil, I wouldn't use these on door hinges much less in an engine.

Specifications

Engine

Type: Air cooled, Four Stroke, 45 degree V-Twin
Displacement: 984 cc
Bore and Stroke: 3.5 x 3.125 in/88.9 x 79.38 mm
Compression Ratio: 10 : 1
Valve Train: OHV, two valves per cylinder
Valve Adjustment: Self Adjusting
Fuel Delivery: 45 mm downdraft DDFI Fuel Injection
Exhaust: Free-breathing 2 into 1 collector
Intake: Zero resistance air box, ram Air intake
Power: 92 hp @ 7200 rpm
Torque: 68 ft-lb @ 5500 rpm. Do I hear an AMEN =)
Lubrication: Dry Sump, 3.5 qts. (3.31L cc)
Oil Filtration: Screw-on disposable element
Battery: 12 volt, 12 Amp-hour, SLA (Sealed Lead Acid)

Drive Train

Transmission: Five-speed, constant mesh
Ratios: (1) 2.69, (2) 1.85, (3) 1.43, (4) 1.18, (5) 1.00
Primary Drive: Triplex chain; 1.68: 1
Clutch: Wet, multiple-plate compensated
Final Drive: Constant path; 11mm GT profile Kevlar Belt, 2.4 ratio 

Chassis

Frame: Aluminum frame with uniplanar powertrain vibration isolation system
Wheelbase: 52 in.
Rake / Trail: 21 degree, 3.3 in/83 mm
Front Suspension: Showa inverted fork with adjustable compression damping, rebound damping and spring preload
Rear Suspension: Showa shock absorber with adjustable compression damping, rebound damping and spring preload
Front Wheel Travel: 4.7 in. total travel
Rear Wheel Travel: 5 in. total travel
Front Brake: ZTL type brake, 375 mm stainless steel floating rotor, six piston caliper
Rear Brake: Single piston caliper, 230 mm stainless steel rotor
Front Wheel: 6-spoke cast, 3.5 x 17 Stardust Silver finish
Rear Wheel: 6-spoke cast, 5.5 x 17 Stardust Silver finish
Front Tire: Dunlop D207 FY 120/70 ZR17
Rear Tire: Dunlop D207 Y180/55 ZR17
Fuel Tank Capacity: 3.7 gal./14 L
MPG-EPA2: 47 City/51.2 Highway
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating: 850 lbs/386 kg
Dry Weight: 385 lbs/175 kg
Load Capacity: 465 lbs/211 kg
Seat Height: 30.5 in/775 mm
Ground Clearance: 5 in/127 mm

Instruments

Electronic speedometer, tachometer, odometer, dual tripmeters, clock, low fuel light, engine check light, oil pressure warning light, high beam indicator, turn signals and neutral.

Electrical

Charging System: 540 Watt trident three phase AC alternator
Headlight: 55/55 w, projector beam
Taillight: 5/21 Watts
Turn Signals: Manual canceling