Buell City X (by Guy Allen, November 2004)

You may have heard the term crossover vehicle. It's popular in the car world at the moment, and is used to describe something that straddles a couple of recognized categories, such as 4WD and family wagon. That's pretty much what the Buell City X (or XB9SX) is, though in this case it falls somewhere between big naked and supermotard classes - which, when you think about it, is a pretty good place to end up.

What is it?
The plot is essentially a variation on Buell's innovative (or quirky - take you pick) rolling chassis, which carries fuel in the massive alloy beam frame, engine oil in the similarly beefy swingarm, and boasts motorcycling's only production rim-mounted disc brake on the front.

So what's different about this one? Quite a lot. For a start the company has done some work on the tuning of the 984cc XB9 powerplant, to good effect. Then there's the radically revised suspension rates, plus a styling package that boasts some translucent panels and some motard cues such as hand guards. The whole visual effect is techno meets urban warrior. The resident 18-year-old, Ms A, says she'd own one in a minute, and we agree. In fact, I'll risk sticking my neck out by saying the looks alone make this one potentially collectible.

By now the engine shouldn't require a lot of introduction. It started life as a Sportster V-twin, which means 45 degree cylinder angle, two valves per cylinder, and pushrods. Buell's tuning efforts make it a fairly high-stepping version though. It's air cooled, with fan assistance for the rear cylinder. The manufacturer claims 92 horses.

What's it like?
I'll confess to having a soft spot for Buells. Why? Well, they're mostly a hoot to ride. The combination of lumpy V-twin power delivery, and ultra quick steering makes them a joy to flick around on your favourite sports road and even, particularly in this case, around town.

What's significant about this model is the combination of things that Buell has improved. For a start, suspension is now spot on. The XB12s I rode some time back were a little harsh in this department, and some of the older generation models needed a fair bit of fine tuning to get right. This one is just about perfect.

The initial response is relatively soft, and firms as you get further into the travel. It has its limitations - big bumps will overwhelm the available travel - but the package maintains its composure and gets on with the job. Top marks.

Down in the engine room, things are equally well sorted. This is the best injected Buell I've ridden to date, and really can't be faulted on the carburetion front. If I owned one and was considering swapping the muffler for something a little more free-flowing, I'd be taking care to ensure the carburetion wasn't ruined. A Powercommander and a capable workshop with a dyno would soon fix that. Gearshifting is light and accurate, while the clutch offers good feel.

As we've already hinted, steering is very quick, and pin sharp. It's also stable at top speed.
Braking from the single rim disc up front, with six-piston caliper, is very strong with loads of feel. It's one of the nicest front brakes out there.

The only potential Achilles heel is the fuel capacity, which Buell doesn't reveal in its online spec panels. What I can tell you is the reserve light comes on around 10.5 litres (about 150-160km), and previous XB models claim 14 litres which is a bit light-on. Pricing ($16k) is in the ballpark and this is one test bike I was genuinely sorry to take back.


Warranty: 24 months (unlimited mileage)
Price: $15,995 plus ORC