2003 Buell reviews

This bike is truely awesome. I have had the bike for several months now, and I get excited everytime I get it out of the garage. The bike is a real eye-catcher and I get compliments on it everytime I ride. It's reliable and quick with little to no drawbacks. Get the aftermarket race kit for true power and sound. A great buy. Show less

Buell had the guts to design something that does not look Japaneese and that has the torque that a Mustang or Camaro owner could appreciate. The braking is awesome. The bike is a lady picker- upper. The sound of the bike gets the attention of any teenager and you are suddenly cool. The bike is so reliable most guys think it's a Japanese bike. Even my Japanese friends are buying Buells now. Show less

This 2003 Blast is my first bike . It has been a blast riding with my father. I bought it in March 2004 and have had no problems riding with my dad's 1100 vstar custom and his friend's Harleys. I was suprised it ran so well on the expressway!! Not as quick as the big guys but cruises fine at 70mph. I love it. No negatives here!! Show less

THIS IS A REALLY FUN BIKE TO RIDE. NO, IT MAY NOT BE THE FASTEST, BUT IT HAS GOT PLENTY OF POWER AND A LOT OR TORQUE. YOU CAN EASILY GET THE FRONT WHEEL UP IN FIRST OR SECOND GEAR. I BOUGHT MINE THIS PAST SEPTEMBER AND HAVE HAD A BALL WITH IT SO FAR. I HAVE NOT ADDED THE RACE KIT YET, BUT PLAN TO DO SO SOON. I LOVE THE FACT THAT YOU don't SEE THEM EVERYWHERE. Show less

First off this bike was not intended to compete with the inline four top end screamers. I had an XL lightning in which had a good amount more power, but lost it in a wreck. So I test rode a XB12r and XB9r, I bought the 9r cause it was a little less and didn't seem much slower as it would pull up in first gear pretty easy and the other 9r they had would not. I'm no motorcycle expert, but I have owned different bikes and have been able to ride many a bike. The XB9r fits me the best, good torque, good brakes, good gas mileage, comfortable at least for me, and as the add says different in every sense, isn't that what riding is about, finding a motorcycle that fits you the best and just riding it. It's not the best at anything but it does everything very well. And the 9r will do better than 120 mph. Just a little note the X1 I had would pull up into a wheelie at 2600 rpm with just throttle, how many inline fours will do that. Show less

Walked past the bike in the dealership as I thought it was a 250cc. Decided to spoil myself and had organized to ride the race kitted version of the XB9R straight up. I now believe there is such a thing as one finger brakes as coming down a grade to a stop sign I managed a fifty meter endo. My face was still hurting three days later from grinning whilst riding possibly the most fun bike ever created. If you can get over the spec sheet bulls**t and put away the egos about who has the most HP you will actually enjoy the bike for what it was designed. Show less

I have had my Lightning for almost a year now and I love it. I traded my 03 883 Sportster for my Buell and I could not be happier with the decision. The Buell performs great and loves corners. It is not as fast as the Japanese made street bikes but they cannot touch the Buell in the appearance and quality department. I also get looks everywhere I ride the bike. I have an aftermarket pipe (D&D) and K&N air filter installed and the bike is louder then most Harley's. Show less

Ok like most of the others on here I'll be the first to admit its not gonna brake any top speed records. But thats not what this bike is all about, its light, short and flickable, the looks alone are what sold this bike to me, I ordered it from 300 miles away without even riding it or any other Buell. Got it on my door step and just drooled over its looks, wanted one ever since I saw it at the NEC bike show in the UK. Its a fantastic bike to ride, handles really good, will keep up with most things up to about 120mph, which is quick enough for most. Who wants to be doing 160mph+ all the time I mean when's the last time YOU did over 140mph?? So why do you need a Fire blade that does 175mph??? It makes me laugh when these people buy a bike because its got 160bhp, there is that old saying BHP sells bikes, Torque Wins Races enough said, this bike has plenty of that, in fact this bike has similar torque as the following: (bare in mind the Buell is a V-Twin and V-Twin's have more torque than BHP) First the Fireblade CBR1000RR 2004,163 hp, 178 kg and 80 ft*lbs. Second the R1,172 hp, 172 kg, and 76.6 ft*lbs. Third the ZX10R, 170 hp, 165 kg and 75 ft*lbs. For the XB9R, 92hp @ 7200 (REMEMBER IT'S A V-TWIN), 92Nm-68 ft-lb @ 5500 rpm and Weight is 175kgs. So when you start to look at the details and the fact that it drops into corners like nothing else you have ever ridden, and the fact that the wheelbase is shorter than an R6, you start to see the potential. Torque is where its at on this bike, its got LOTS of it, I got The Race Kit fitted and the XB12S air box cover (add's more grunt due to its internal design), plenty of over run, popping and rumbling like those monster V8's sounds fantastic, its just so different from any other bike out there, when its parked up at the pub with the other Japanese bikes, its always draws the attention away from the more tricked up bikes. I had a Honda Hornet before, and was worried about build quality of the Buell's, but I've not had it long but I also have not had any problems with it at all, runs fine, goes great, looks fantastic, its so very different from the other stuff out there, they all look the same. Its a bike for the individual, if you want to be different and your not shy......get yourself one of these things!! Show less

I was looking for a light bike with good handling characteristics and one I could do most of the maintenance on my own. I was admiring the Buell XBs for its stylish looks and innovative features for a few months. Happen to test ride a bike with a buddy of mine and we both ended up riding out the dealership with two new XBs. This was in October and wanted to wait for three months to write a review to see if my opinion will change. I must say I have no regrets for that spontaneous decision. The only regret is why I did not get this bike sooner. This bike fulfilled all my expectations and more. Show less

I am 5'4" I wanted a sport bike. Every bike I checked out was to high. I went into the Harley dealer & sat on the XB9S. The guy asked me if I wanted to test drive it. That was it! I loved it! We went on the freeway and on some corners and I coulden't get enough. I ride it everyday. Show less