Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

2004 Buell XB 1 28 By SCOTT ROUSSEAU PHOTOS By BRIAN J. NELSON ~ traight up, two things: 1) The new ~ Buell XB 12R Firebolt and XB 12S Lightning are absolutely bitchin', and 2) I never thought that I would ever hear myself say that about a Buell. It's not that I'm not a fan of HarleyDavidson or Harley-powered products - quite the contrary, but I never really could get all that enthused about Buell. While I appreciated the incredible engineering challenges that Erik Buell and his engineering staff faced in producing a Harley-motored sporting motorcycle, the finished product never really seemed to be all that appealing to me. Buell's top-line offerings were especially suspect. No matter how much lipstick they tried to put on it, the Buell Lightning was still a pig. There were plenty of other models from competing manufacturers, such as Triumph and Ducati, that could beat the Buell at its own streetfighter game - hell, a game that Buell practically invented. But that was then and this is now, and Buell really made me a believer with the introduction of the XB9R Firebolt and XB9S Lightning last year. Sure, the engine was still basically a hot-rodded old-school Harley V-Twin, but the new aluminum XB chassis was light years better than the old tube-framed version, and the Lightning earned my respect with its excellent cornering capabilities and 26 ,JULY 30. 2003' eye I e rock-solid stability - the latter despite the fact that the Lightning rode on a miniscule 52-inch wheelbase. It was a fantastic bike, though not one that I'd necessarily have spent my own dough to purchase. That's not the case this year, as I'd be cool with owning either one of Buell's 2004 flagships, the Firebolt XB 12R and Firebolt XB 12S. Funny thing is, they're essentially the same motorcycle everywhere but where it counts most, the engine. What a difference a year makes! Belly af the Beast All Buell did to stoke up the fire was to increase the stroke of its 45-degree air/fan-cooled, fuel-injected, push rod, two-valve V -twin. The 3.5-inch bore found in the 984cc XB9 remains the same with the new XB12, but the rods have been shortened, and the crank throws have been moved out a smidge so that the stroke is now 3.812 inches, bumping total capacity to 1203cc. As they say, there's no replacement for displacement, and the new XB 1200 engine bears this out with considerably more thrust off the bottom end while not giving up too much on top. The compression ratio is 10: 1. The intake throttle body diameter is increased from the XB9's 45mm to 49mm for the XB 12. To further broaden the XB 12's torque curve, the new XB 1200 engine is equipped with what Buell calls its n e vv s InterActive Exhaust. An electronic actuator activates a butterfly valve housed in the muffler to adjust backpressure by alternating between two gas flow paths. The engine ECM monitors engine speed and throttle position while activating the valve to optimize torque and horsepower under the given riding conditions. At wide-open throttle the valve is opened at low rpm to reduce backpressure, which helps the engine to build revs. The valve then closes in the midrange to increase torque and then opens again at high rpm to maximize horsepower. To deal with the extra power, the XB 12 also has stiffer clutch springs and a new aramid-reinforced Hibrex drive belt. The XB 12's primary drive ratio has been lowered from 1.68: 1 to 1.50: 1 for more flexbility, but the gear ratios in the five-speed transmission remain unchanged. A Chassis Refresher Buell blew the lid off of conventional chassis wisdom with the introduction of the XB9 chassis last year, and that chassis remains as the foundation for the XB12. The XB's aluminum perimeter frame also serves as its fuel tank, the main spars holding the XB's 3.7 -gallon capacity in an effort to lower the center of gravity and reduce the moment of inertia, both of which improve handling response. Buell's "mass centralization" ideology is further underscored by the location of With comparatively minor revisions, namely in the engine and with the fit and finish, Buell has seriously stepped up with its new Lightning XB12S (left) and Firebolt XB 12R (right). offering a tremendously competent American sportbike alternative. the exhaust system below the XB 1200's engine, a Buell trademark. The aluminum swingarm still doubles as the engine oil reservoir. Another Buell trick is its Zero Torsional Load front brake system, which feeds braking forces from a six-piston caliper through a 375mm inside-out rotor mounted near the wheel rim. Buell then further reduces the wheel's unsprung weight via its six-spoke cast aluminum wheel. The inverted front fork and rear shock are Showa pieces. The Buell's unconventional chassis also sports equally radical geometry, combining a 21-degree fork angle and 83mm of trail with a tiny 52-inch wheelbase. Buell says that 52 percent of the bike's mass is carried on the front wheel. Finishing Schaal If the more powerful engine weren't enough, the 2004 XB 12s are by far the best-looking motorcycles yet to bear the Buell name. Both still use the scratch-resistant Surlyn bodywork, which this year is offered in either Midnight Black or Racing Red and is accented by the Graphite Grey frame and swingarm, Black-and-

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