Buell Lightning X1 reviews

I have owned 5 bikes, mostly Suzuki's. Right now I own a '04 DL 650 V-Strom, a '04 GSXR 1000, and an '05 City X. The Buell is the most fun bike to ride of them all. I love how it corners, the way the bike just disappears in front of you (like highway surfing!), the usable torque and sound (with the aftermarket pipe). It is so different, it's hard to explain, but you feel more bonded to the machine than the others, especially after riding a bunch of twisty roads. It has personality. For once, the stock tires (Pirelli Scorpion Sync) are excellent and I will replace them with the same. Downside? There is some heat that you will notice on the right side on hot days (the GSXR puts out a fair amount of heat also), the suspension needs to be adjusted to your weight to really enjoy the abilities of this bike, I wished both headlights could be on like my V-Strom (best lights around!), not much wind protection for cold days and rain. Get the select seat, it is better. I Love this bike!!!! Show less

I never owned a bike before I rode a couple of bikes - a Suzuki, a Yamaha... I seen a Buell Lightning and couldn't believe it. I bought it without a test ride, AWESOME!!! I recommend this bike to a new rider, they are so easy to ride and when you want to challenge the road, it will work with you. Show less

Plenty of power, splendid handling and iconic good looks. The horsepower and torque from the 984 are sufficient for any application short of actual competition on the track. Corners are cake. Even a relatively inexperienced rider can flick the bike back and forth with easy confidence. Finally, there are bikes that look better on paper, but none that look better on the street. This bike turns heads right off the showroom floor. Show less

This is the quickest turning bike I have ever ridden, it handles like a motocross machine. You've got to ride it to truly understand just how agile this thing really is. Show less

I purchased my bike purely on looks and the rareness of seeing them in my area. Since then I have gained a whole new respect for it. I had the race kit put on it when i bought the bike so I never got to experience it without it. But as far as the power goes, the front wheel will come up with ease in 1st through 3rd gear. Was recently in Colorado and got to experience the handling aspect of my bike, and can't say I've ridden anything better. Far as I go....I'm a buell customer for life! Show less

I used to have a 2003 Honda CBR600RR and have been a long time Crotch Rocket owner. Over the last 2 years I noticed that I was not riding my Honda that much and started to wonder why. It came down to comfort. The bike, for commuting purposes, just isn't all that friendly although it was great otherwise. This led to cramped neck muscles and sore arms. So I decided I was going to get something a little more friendly and was pretty set on going back to a Kawasaki. While explaining this to a contractor who is a Harley advocate, he suggested Buell because it is American Iron. I AM SO HAPPY HE DID!! Due to its styling and color, the CityX immediately caught my eye. I then watched all of Mr. Buell's technical explanations on the web site and was blown away. I had to find out for myself if the theory I was hearing translated into the real world. After calling numerous dealerships I located one very close to me that had one in stock and went to take a look. When I got there, I fell in love, and purchased the bike. On a Monday I took my bike home and was lucky enough to have a perfect work week of weather. I traded in the Honda and haven't looked back. The first thing I noticed when sitting on the bike was the nice upright position akin to a standard. Having actual handlebars vs. clip-ons really allows me to do some super tight slow spin circles and figure 8s that just weren't possible on a crotch rocket. I can now dictate the body position and be comfortable or aggressive to my taste depending on how hard I am pushing it. The engine is very different from an inline 4. Right from the get-go it pulls like a demon. Combine that with a pretty stiff clutch, and you have to be a little careful about not hitting the car in front of you or hopping a curb on take off. This translates into some very useable power on the street and really reduced the amount of shifting you have to do. No longer is it imperative to keep the bike above 10k RPMs to ensure power out of a turn. I was prepared to lose a little bit of handling compared to my previous pure race rocket but that proved to be an unnecessary concern. Turns out the opposite happens. For some reason, this bike inspires a level of confidence that I did not have with my Honda. As a result, I have been leaning into turns quite aggressively without even knowing it. An inspection of the rear tire 3 days after getting the bike showed that I am using all of the tread at this point except for about 3/4' on either outside edge. Hey, cut me a break, I am still breaking in the engine. I'll let you peruse the Buell site for the remaining details of this fine piece of equipment, but as far as I am concerned, the theory of this bike has translated exactly into reality. Get one and own the street. Show less

I own and have owned a lot of bikes. I ride a Gold Wing, CB200 Honda, and a '72 Norton Commando. In the past I owned a 1967 T120R Triumph, a '74 KZ500 Kawasaki and KZ750 (the three cylinder two stroke rockets of death), etc. I recently bought a tricked out 1999 Buell X1 Lightning with about 20 extra hp and lb/ft, wheels, tires, exhaust, intake, ECU, etc. My first experience was a test ride and I knew it was special as soon as the mechanic started it up. It was an intimidating sound even at idle. It came to life in a low deep growl, lumpy and very serious, it gave me butterflies and I was a little scared and wondered if I had made a mistake. After a minute of earth pounding idle the mechanic decided it needed to be rapidly revved to about 5 grand 3 or 4 times. The Buell engine sounds like something Enzo Ferrari would build if he built motorcycles on steroids. I climbed aboard this shuddering mass of utterly intimidating technology, metal, rubber and fuel eased off the clutch and rolled on about 1/8 revolution of throttle. My feet found their way to the pegs quite naturally in spite of the fact that I am tall at 6' 3. The riding position was comfortable and more upright than I expected and the saddle fit quite well. I slowly maneuvered around the parking lot getting used to the clutch and controls before my foray into traffic. Within the first 50 feet of very cautious riding I knew the Buell was something quite extraordinary. It was easy to ride and had very responsive brakes, the engine felt lumpy but the throttle felt light and balanced, all in all the bike feels small like a 250. It stumbled a little at low speeds, apparently the lungs desire higher airflow to satisfy the lust for explosion. This turned out to be only one of two bad habits I discovered with the Buell. The engine lunges at very low speeds like a 15 mph school zone. Maneuvering in stop and go traffic requires a lot of finesse on the clutch and throttle and this bike does not like to passively roll forward ten feet. This bike is a thoroughbred racer and wants to go, it feels anxious and edgy at very low speeds, the clutch is very heavy and made my hand cramp. I found that I needed to keep the motor at about 3000 rpm to get smooth performance riding or cornering, below this, it can shudder and affect speed and turn radius. It's a small quirk and something that can be tolerated and the rider can learn to ride around. It's not a sacrifice to have a bit of engine speed in the turns so the throttle roll-on is smooth and responsive. I rode it around a local neighborhood, stopping and starting to get the feel of the controls and pegs, kids would stop and look and more than one car seemed to pay attention. I eventually wound my way to a larger road with a higher speed limit to test my skills. The light turned green I rolled on the throttle, slipped the clutch and off I went. Acceleration is brisk to say the least, the 1203cc plant pulls effortlessly and very smooth above 3000 rpm. The first gear comfortably winds out to about 40 mph and slipping into second and a modest rev got me to 60 in a 45 zone in about 6 seconds. If I could I would change the pulley diameters to trade low speed engine revs for ultimate top speed. I found that I rarely needed 5th gear as I'm a wuss rider and only go 75 or 80 mph anyway. Within a few miles I had gained the confidence to roll the throttle to perhaps 1/4 revolution and this is truly where the fun begins. The acceleration as well as the exhaust note go from effortless and manly to NASCAR and then from NASCAR to Top Fuel somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 throttle. I never revved the engine above 5000 rpm and even so this machine left me grinning from ear to ear and my heart pounding every time I took off from a traffic light. The sound and utter fury are amazing and I found myself respecting this machine the first time I walked it through the gears. This is a bike that can get a careless undisciplined thrill happy rider in trouble very, very fast. It requires discipline, self control and a fondness for life to offset the siren call of the almighty throttle. Beware. The first time you stop on this little machine you will notice the brakes. They are simply the best brakes I have ever felt on any vehicle. I suspect the 60 mph braking distance is about 60 feet. I found that I had to be careful for a number of reasons, first I was afraid that the front tire would lock up and second the traffic behind you cannot stop anywhere near as fast. As with all new vehicles and with any performance vehicle, you will need caution and diligence to manage the performance on this little bike. After a few very satisfying high speed 1/4 throttle launches from traffic lights I decided to find some twisty roads to test the handling. I cruised one local road a couple times and after learning all the bumps and verifying that there were no cinders or oil patches I made a pass and practiced push steering the little Buell. It's a very responsive bike and immediately responds to pressure on the handle bars and immediately returns to upright when you let up. It handles like a road racer, a lot like my Norton, light, responsive, tight and rigid like a fighter plane. Balance and counter balance steering character are also very good and natural, my only complaint is that the steering lock is encountered too early, does not allow enough maneuverability in parking. Again, this is a very small quirk and one the rider can learn to manage. I test rode my Buell for an hour, got off, looked at the bike and all I could do was grin and say Wow! All I wanted was to ride it again. The Buell is a unique one of a kind high performance bike and not for everyone. It's stripped down to the bare essentials necessary for performance, so it vibrates, makes noise, and everything it does is breathtaking. I found it was a good match for me and I enjoy learning to ride it even 1/2 way to its potential. The X1 Buell will always have a place in my stable of motorcycles and close to my heart and it gets the majority of my attention when I go for a ride. I may end up neglecting my Norton and my Gold Wing, and I hope they can forgive me, but I won't have time to feel sorry. Show less

Bought New Year's Eve. Been riding in very cold weather. So far bike has performed great. I also ride dirt bikes. When I'm riding my City X I'm looking for dirt to ride on. This bike is total fun. Show less

I am one of those long term, older, motorcycle riders, who continues to ride his motorcycle for work transportation during nice weather, and for the simple pleasure of owning, riding and working on his own machine. After 13 sorted machines with 6 H-D bikes among the listing that includes one '73 350 cc single SS H-D, three Sportster's, one '82 FXR, and one '96 Road King in those 35 years, I became tired of heavy 600+ to 700+ pound motorcycles and looked to make another change. So in July of 2003 I just happened to test drive a 2003 Buell XB9SL demo. What a difference between the extreme "light weight" 400+ lbs. and high torque performance from its air cooled 984 cc highly modified Sportster V-Twin engine in this Buell. For me it put all the fun back into owning a motorcycle that I had been missing with some of the heavier machines I had owned. It then took me till August of 2004 to actually sell my 2001 Victory cruiser and purchase a Black 2004 Buell XB12S which had 913 demo miles on it from our local H-D/Buell dealer. I also really appreciated all the effort that Buell did in their engineering design of the Lightning model, between the fixed rear axle with belt idler, to fuel in the aluminum frame, oil in the swing arm, zero resistance air intake and their outstanding fuel injection system, to its rider responsive handling just to name some features. So my suggestion would be to motorcycle riders who feel as I did, to just go and drive one, to see what I and others are talking about. It's a truly different sport "street bike" or motorcycle in general for all the right design reasons. The key word here is "Fun". Show less

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