Hello All,

Looking to get myself a 1125r or a nice Firbolt. Had the Buell itch for a while and looking to scratch it.

Just taken a deposit on this so in the market if you have a nice one before I move on to a Harley bobber .....yes I've been watching sons of anarchy but want the Buell so I can still go for a ride with mates.

There is a nice black 09 on scumtree with low miles for £3500. Anything I should look out for... Recalls, common faults etc?

1125?
-09 or 08 (08 has blue frame)
- If 08 then as long as you keep on top of the battery (and don't hang accessories off it)then you are probably OK
- if 09 the ask about the current standard of the stator and associated wiring and wait for someone with more knowledge than me about options
- What standard of clutch slave fitted...I think there were 3 standards of factory revision but I believe that Oberon do one that will not leak
- Low temps (Spring and Autumn mornings) can result in low fuel warning due to problems in the fuel pump/fule level sender........new fuel pump required or remember when you filled up and ignore the warning on cold mornings

There may be more design quirks/faults that I have forgotten...

Stonking engine when above 3k rpm, I think there has been some success tweaking the mapping to improve response below this, otherwise too lumpy to be driveable. Fuel in a watercooled engine frame means post ride be prepared for a smelly garage (petrol vaopur) it should be fitted with a mod to the LH Pillion pegs for the tank breather.

Aftermarkey exhausts struggle with enough volume to reduce noise to a reasonable level (for me at least) and the original pipe is ugly and corrosion prone.

Cheers jez and thanks to Alan for his input.

Deposit placed on this beauty today and pick up next Saturday. It's an 09 with 6.5k in excellent condition so I can't wait!.

Steve

Few more ...because who doesn't like a nice photo

I've got a very early one, that I now use as a track bike. The little niggles with them are easily sorted and are well known. The only thing I'd add is, never over torque your wheel spindles. The bearings are marginal at best, and crushing the alloy spacer will destroy them even faster. Easy to avoid this if you're aware.
If you get the opportunity, get a EBR ecm, it makes them a lot more civilised to ride.
I'd imagine the handling will be quite different to your Aprilia, but give it time and you'll love it

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

My friend Eric has a Buell but I didn't realise he had had the 1125R in the past and his S2 didn't look like this the last time I saw it. I asked him to send me some pics ....thought you might like to see what he sent.

Hi Steve,

I have had a long 'love' relationship with Buell, I saw the 1st one in Chicago at a HD dealer back in 1990 right after it was acquired by Harley, it was an S2 and I fell in love with it right away. This was exactly the kind of bike I wanted, a bike with a torquey engine in a small chassis with good suspensions and brakes. They were not available in France at the time, I even had a conversation over the phone with Erik Buell, very nice guy - beside the obsessional passion for fast motorbikes we also share a 1st name and the first 3 letters of our name.
So I ended up buying a Monster 900 and it was ultimately a better bike (kind of...). Then the Buells arrived in France but it's only in 1996 that I bought one, it was the S1 White Lightning, a small production of the S1 with bigger head cylinders to allow better tuning for racing. At the time there was a race series for the Buell S1 in the US. This is how it looked back then:

Image one below

I still have it and made several modifications, starting with the engine about 10 years ago, high tuning of the cylinders on a flow bench, new cames, huge valves with new springs and race carburettor. It became a different bike, it felt like if I had increased the capacity by 30%, it is much more powerful, with more torque and it revs ! I had made different look as well over the years with carbon bits etc... then did a proper custom work on the engine, wheels and frame 4 years ago. And recently I sent it to a paint workshop in Derby.

This is how it looks now *:) happy

Image two below

You see I also put a chain kit and a forcewinder, it became even more 'brutal' ! I love this bike, but obviously it's not the bike to use in town for commuting, or maybe the occasional ride to the pub to show off, or to take on a long ride (I have lost bits almost every time I took it outside London). But it pulls like a monster truck and the sound is just incredible. It put smiles on people face, especially kids, every time I ride by.

So, I have kept this bike for almost 20 years, but did not use it much actulally (only 4000 miles). So when HD stopped the Buell production in 2009 I bought an X1 to use everyday and an 1125R that I wanted to take on track (but did not at the end). I paid less than £10K for both brand new !!

I kept the X1 for about 2 years but sold the 1125 after 6 months, I started my company in 2010 and I also had a 999. One sport bike had to go...

These are the photos:


Image three below

Image four below

I am sure you will like the 1125R, it's a very fast bike with a unique character, although different from the Buell street bikes with HD based engine. But that Rotax V2 engine was much more powerful than the one on the Aprilia at the time. So it could be fast on a track with a few mods, but it is also quite confortable to ride on the road.

Hi Adam,

Do I need the EBR Ecm or can I get the existing one re mapped? In fairness until I pick it up on Saturday I'm not sure what has been done bar an airbox mod.

I have tasked Eric with asking his Buell guy if he can get hold of the EBR side fairings for me and sent a message to Battyone to see if he still makes them but it doesn't look like he has been around for a while, is he ok as last I read he was recovering?.

battyone is alive and mostly well
he doesn't visit here too often but he's easy enough to contact

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Buell X1
Buell xb12s
Buell 1125r
Ebr 1190rx
Bimota Db7
Norton v4rr??



http://www.aph-performance-engineering.com

Rode from loughborough to Maidstone to drop the Aprilia to my buyer then he gave me a lift half hour down the road to pick up the 1125R then rode back to Loughborough.

09 with 6.2k in showroom condition and an Apex pipe. Still can't believe my luck! It's stunning....

Hi mate
Still in love with my 09-1125R
Paid the same this time last year.
Got a white one with fairings and have done the oil jet modification which the 09's need
In the garage now just admiring it
First road bike for me and I'm in total Ore of how it handles and performs.
Did you manage to find fairings yet?
I recon they look even better with them
There is a firm in the states making them if all else fails and they can supply a belly pan to finish the job nicely.
I'm going to have one soon as I can squirrel away the money.
I picked up a spare fairing set in white at what I thought was a giveaway price, from the forum.
My reasoning was that if I drop it I'll need em, what with me being new to road bikes.
The only slightly annoying thing is that I have a cracking noise from the forks which research has led to the answer that it is Normal?!
Brakes are great, had the back wheel in the air already. I still mentally go back to not being able to stop quick enough and grab a big hand full of lever instead of 'two finger braking' when in doubt.
Pilot road 4's have added to my cornering confidence, though initially the front felt very soft at low speed, which was probbly because the old rubber had hardened up.
I gained complete confidence in them after the first ride.
Enjoy mate

Hi Footstuck,

First I forgot to thank you for your post back when I first bought it.

Have you still got a spare set of white fairings buddy as I know Rick (Trickydickie) is after one?.

Steve


Ps ...went with CT2s on mine recently and took it to the track and like you I'm pleased as punch with the handling as mine still had original rubber on that felt a bit wrong.

The bike is a Beauty Ymale. Love the pipe, I have the HMF which is mounted similar. Thanks for posting, its been a good read.

Cheers for the tips too Jez. The fuel breather mod to the rear peg you speak of...is this a normal breather bolted to the peg mount or is it a standard Buell part now...I need this

I am going through the ignition wire fault atm (I think). Going to investigate this weekend, Nothing when I hit the starter Everything lights up and makes the right noises but no starter. Will let you know (just in case you have the same problem later on Ymale)

K

**UPDATE**

Went through all the checks before checking the ignition wire. Yes, the ignition wire had broken. Looks like it has broken before and the repairer just soldered it back in. We soldered an extra inch or so into the line and fixed her all up. Hopefully this should not happen again.

As a note: With this problem all the dash lights work properly. Pump primes also but the headlights do not light-up and the horn/starter do not work either.