Are Buell's pretty reliable?

[tached1000rr]

I'd like to hear from Buell owners how reliable their bikes have been thus far. What are typical maintenance items and intervals. I simply ask because I really do not know a lot about them and don't know anyone personally that rides one.

[Mr Lefty]

Oh lord... you had to ask this huh... cue marko and cutty...


naw... a few guys on here pretty much swear by buell... as for maintenance intervals... there pretty few and far between from what they've said...

but i'll clear out and let the Buellheads blow their load of happiness...

[OneSickPsycho]

Mine inexplicably ate shit at about 9k miles... For some reason the ECU started thinking the bike was running lean so it kept pumping more and more fuel into it until the bike dripped gas out the exhaust and barely fucking ran. Now, the reason for this was never officially diagnosed (while I still owned it), but it could have been caused by some defect from the factory or, more likely, from me pinching a wire or something when I put my engine back in. NEVER heard of this happening to ANY other Buell, so I'm pretty sure it was my dumbass fault.

Otherwise, the XB series are known to be reliable. Blasts are from what I understand too. The new 1125's have had fueling issues, but no real mechanical issues... just standard new model FI gremlins.

Maintenance is non-existent. Fork and brake fluid once a year, lube the cables each wash, and change the oil every 5k. I recall the primary fluid changes being every 10k, I think... I'd just do it every time I changed the oil... using the same 20w50 oil. I used Amsoil for v-twin engines and primary drives.

[Dave]

i understand blasts are hit or miss via research for a starter for the gf and or commuter for the summer. cheap as hell though

[OneSickPsycho]

I should add... My experience only lies within the XB series.

One thing I didn't mention that is generally required maintenance at some point or another with most bikes... Valve adjustments. No valve adjustments needed on XB's... EVER.

[Mr Lefty]

Originally Posted by OneSickPsycho

I should add... My experience only lies within the XB series.

One thing I didn't mention that is generally required maintenance at some point or another with most bikes... Valve adjustments. No valve adjustments needed on XB's... EVER.

never understood how though...

[FT BSTRD]

The early model blasts had issues, but that model hasn't changed in forever. It's the Ninja 250 of the Buell line.

The XB's are pretty much stone ax simple. They either work or they don't. Buell's first year models tend to be more "gremlin prone" than subsequent models. The 03 Buells had several issues that were corrected in 04 and further refined through 2006. The 06 Ulysses had issues that were corrected in 07 and further refined in 08. The 08 1125R model had issues that were corrected in 09. I'm assuming there will be further refinements in 10.

The XB line has very little maintenance wise to do. There is no valve adjustment. You change the oil, you adjust the primary chain at 10,000 miles(transmission linkage), you change the primary fluid at 10,000 miles, you change the fork oil, you change the spark plugs at 10,000 miles. I have an 06 Ulysses (in the Flea Market Section in case you are interested ). It had several issues that were corrected in 07, but all my issues are covered under the Buell 2 Year Unlimited Warranty.

The 1125 platform has slightly more maintenance to do (Valve adjustments, radiator flush and fill, etc.) but not much else.


I have loved mine. I am selling it for financial reasons mostly, but I will DEFINITELY be buying another Buell.

What also makes Buell great is the Buell Community (www.badweatherbikers.com). It is a treasure trove of information and great people. It's a very close nit community of folks.



There, I blew my load. I'm going to smoke a cigarette.

Originally Posted by ebbs15

never understood how though...

They are hydraulic.


Hydraulic lifter, also known as a hydraulic tappet or a hydraulic lash adjuster, is a device for maintaining zero valve clearance in an internal combustion engine. The Conventional means of adjusting valve actuation always require a small clearance to be left between the valve and its rocker or cam follower to allow for thermal expansion and wear. The hydraulic lifter was designed to ensure that the valve train always operates with zero clearance, leading to quieter operation and eliminating the need for periodic adjustment of valve clearance.

The hydraulic lifter consists of a hollow expanding piston situated between the camshaft and valve. It is operated either by a rocker mechanism, or in the case of one or more overhead camshafts , directly by the camshaft. The lifter is filled with engine oil intermittently from an oil galley via a small drilling. When the engine valve is closed, the lifter is free to fill with oil. When the valve is opening and the lifter is being operated by the camshaft, the oil feed is blocked and the lifter acts just as a solid one would, oil being incompressible.

[Mr Lefty]

ahh ok... never knew they were hydraulic... thanks for the info

[DaveDD]

I've got about 35K miles on my '03 XB9S. Been dropped a few times, been low sided twice...I've beaten the crap outta her and she still runs like a champ! I'm having a little issue now with her not wanting to go into neutral unless moving, but that's the first real problem I've had. She's also gotten slower...used to top out at about 140, and now 120-125 is max. I change the oil and plugs regularly. Only thing I'd still like to do is get her sprung for my weight. I'm 275 fully geared up, so the suspension always feels really soft.

[Cutty72]

1125's are a bit more to maintian, but not much

service intervals are 620, 6200, 12,400, 24,800, 31,000 etc (every 10,000 KM)
Valve check is every 20,000 KM.
same stuff to service as any jap bike, except no chain and sprockets. LIFETIME warranty belt.

Warning... it eats rear tires.