Should I worry? Or are there simple mods that will solve most of the problems if they've been identified by now?
Honest answers please as I'm looking to buy one soon

It'll be fine

GM, where's that cat of yours, just about to land in the water?!


It's a ten year old bike, but it is based on very standard V-twin technology that had its origin at Harley Davidson .

If you are handy, you can sort just about anything basic that the bike would and should need, the small updates and improvements you have surely read and been told about already on here. If you are not confident with a spanner in hand, you should either accept that you should spend additional funds to get the bike worked over by one of the few on here who are qualified and who do it for a living, or, if reliability is that much of a concern, buy a newer bike
that you are still going to have to maintain, or pay someone to do it, but the bike will have cost you tons more to start with.

FFS just dive in, the water's fine.

Or not.

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2006 XB12Ss..... 1998 S1W..... 1996 S2T
We do not need the help of our friends so much as confidence that they will help us when we need it. –Epicurus

Thanks again for the info.
It'll just be a weekend bike, but I want it to run when I want it to.....I understand that the years will inevitably mean some work will be needed but I don't want to spend my time by the side of it rather than riding it too often.
Don't want to just jump in- I need some research first. Could be looking at the one in my other thread this weekend so want to be prepared.
I'm at a loss to see why there are rumours of unreliability- elec ign, no cam chain, hyd. valves, easy access spark plugs - just what goes wrong?

I've owned over 60 bikes in my time, and they're just the ones I remember. Currently got two X1s and they are the most reliable bikes I've ever owned
I'll qualify that it by saying, I've only owned a handful of Jap bikes, simply because they really don't interest me that much.

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If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough.

Buells are no different to any other marque. You will always hear the bad shit, never the good. Plenty of high mileage, trouble free Buells out there. Mostly being enjoyed and ridden by people who enjoy the outdoors more than computers.

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I started out with nothing and still got most of it left.

what goes wrong ?

well every now and then you have to stop an put more petrol in it.


since i have owned mine

i have renewed the 02 sensor
the battery
the front wheel bearings ,these only because the previous twat
who assembled it wrecked them
fork seals one was weeping slightly

other than that
tyres / oil / spark plugs


oh an the muscles in my face from excessive grinning

_________________
Feros Ferio

Met a guy on Wednesday who had a 2000 X1, said he had 90K on the clock. Been down to Italy on it, and said it was a reliable bike.

_________________
Adventure before dementia.

The worst that's happened on my current favorite X1 is the speedo sensor failing because of (I believe ) a spikey feed. Maz knows a trick to get a regulated feed from the ECM (I forget which wire you splice into now) and that sorts the problem

_________________
If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough.

Red/white to the CPS

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Mithered ta death.
92 MB
96 S2T
98 S1W
00 M2
01 X1
03 P3
10 CR