Engine size 1203cc
Power 100bhp
Top speed 150mph
Insurance group 16

The Buell XB12S Lightning is weird but it works. An antique, character-rich engine in a stubby street-fighter motorcycle chassis dripping technical innovation. Buell motorcycles is a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson set up by employee/ motorcycle racer/visionary Eric Buell. The Buell XB12S Lightning is a very individual motorcycle and hugely enjoyable to ride. Easy to love if hard to justify.

Engine: 1202cc Harley-Davidson air cooled V-twin in the Buell XB12S Lightning has been tuned and lays down fat wads of torque from tick over upwards. The Buell XB12S Lightning’s power is plentiful if not excessive. The gearbox is not good though. It needs a firm prod and makes plenty of noise as you swap cogs – but it kind of adds to the experience of taming this motorcycle. Injection somewhat jerky with this particular motorcycle.

Ride And Handling: Superb handling. Buell were talking about (and using) mass centralisation years before the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers cottoned on. The Buell XB12S Lightning’s rim mounted disc brake works well plus lets the wheel be lighter for lower unsprung mass. Fuel in frame and oil in the swing arm aren’t rocket science but help keep the motorcycle’s weight where it’s best carried and the Buell XB12S Lightning corners with aplomb.

Equipment: Little is expected on streetfighter motorcycles and the Buell XB12S Lightning is particularly minimalist. The motorcycle’s seat is barely adequate for one, let alone two and the lack of wind protection makes longer journeys tiring on a Buell XB12S Lightning. Fuel range poor. Twin trip meters is about as much luxury as you get with this motorcycle. Factory extras include a gel seat, rigid panniers, frame protectors, loads of carbon and dress up parts and more.

Quality And Reliability: Buell promise the glitches and niggles of earlier years are sorted with the Buell XB12S Lightning but owners of the motorcycle report otherwise. Electrical problems and poor finish are more minor than the snapping bolts and drive belts that earlier Buell motorcycles suffered. A local dealer who understands the Buell XB12S Lightning will make ownership easier.

Insurance: Insurance group: 16

Model History: 2002: Buell XB9S Lightning introduced.
2003: Buell XB12S Lightning introduced.
2004: Buell XB9S replaced by Buell XB9S City-X.
2005: Buell XB12Ss Lightning Long introduced.
2005: Buell XB12X Ulysses introduced.

Other Versions: Buell XB9S Lightning: the original Lightning (in 2002) came with a smaller 984cc engine
Beull XB9S City-X: smaller 984cc engine motocross style bars, transparent bodywork.
Buell XB12S Lightning Long: longer wheelbase, more spacious riding position and slower steering geometry for a less manic ride. Other minor mods.
Buell XB12X Ulysses: ‘adventure sport’ style with enduro bars and bodywork and long travel suspension.

This article was taken from: Motorcycle News

This spy picture has just emerged revealing the first significant updates to the Cagiva Mito 125 in 13 years.

The revamped motorcycle is due to be officially unveiled for the first time at the Milan motorcycle show in less than two weeks time, but this picture from an MV convention reveals the two-stroke learner motorcycle has been given a complete restyle.

The seat and fairing are shaped to mimic Cagiva’s C594 500GP machine from the 1990’s, replacing the Ducati 916-alike shape seen on every Mito since 1994.

The swoopy fairing houses two wide-eyed headlights and a dummy intake shaped just like the C594’s carbon intake ducts, and the slim tail piece tapers to a point.

The passenger seat is colour-matched to the bodywork to give the appearance of a single race-seat.

The motorcycle’s chassis appears identical to the outgoing model in this image, but it remains to be seen whether the bike is to get a new four-stroke engine to pass emissions laws, or whether Cagiva has managed to get the current motorcycle’s 30bhp two-stroke engine through emissions laws.

This article was taken from MCN

The Motor Cycle Industry has recently released details of sales figures for new motorcycles. It seems that more and more people are purchasing new motorbikes with a 7.8% increase on last year. February alone saw an increase in sales of 12%. March’s sales figures are expected to be up by 15%.

However, the car industry is reporting sales down by 3.2% on this time last year. It seems that with global warming and congestion charging, that people are turning to motorbikes.

The 2007 Varadero has just been released into shops at a cost of £3499. It was first launched in 2001 and is still a popular bike with learners.

The new model has some extra features including a more environmentally friendly fuel and emissions system, new headlights and a new dashboard including an electronic speedo. The whole bike is also slightly smaller in size than the previous version.

The optional extras for the bike include a centre stand, heated grips and a waterproof cover.

The new bike comes in 3 different colours, chevalier silver, pearl concours black and bloom red metallic.

(Image taken from www.motocorse.com)

Former MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi has signed a deal to remain with Yamaha until the end of 2008.

The Italian has won 25 GPs and two world titles since joining Yamaha two years ago but lost his title to Repsol Honda’s Nicky Hayden last season. Hayden ended Rossi’s five-year reign as world champion.

“I’m very happy I renewed the contract with Yamaha until the end of 2008, so now I can just concentrate on racing this season,” said the 27-year-old.

“I think that last year, when we fought back from what seemed an impossible situation to come so close to taking the title, showed what a fantastic team we are - and this is why I want to stay with Yamaha.

“The past three years with Yamaha have been very positive, and this is why I am pleased to stay.

“The atmosphere in our garage is always relaxed and happy, and I think this is something very special and difficult to find.
“I have great faith in Yamaha and I am very excited about my future and the future of the 800cc bike with them.”

(This article was taken from www.bbc.co.uk)

1. The first areas to clean are the greasy areas, for example the wheels and the engine. It is a good idea to use a brush for this to ensure that you are able to clean all the spokes.

2. Secondly, wash the motorbike all over with a cleaner. Do not use washing up liquid for this as it removes the wax from the motorbike. Another good idea is to have two separate sponges, one for washing dirty areas and one for areas that aren’t quite so dirty - this should prevent the paintwork from being scratched.

3. Rinse off the cleaner with some clean warm water and then chamois the motorbike to prevent water marks remaining.

4. Then carefully apply wax onto the motorbike details, leave on for a minute, then wipe off with a clean and soft cloth. Make sure that you don’t apply wax in direct sunlight as this will make cleaning the wax quite difficult.

5. Finally wash the windscreen with warm soapy water to remove any dirt and rinse with clean water. Then dry fully and clean with a glass cleaner - this will prevent any smears on the glass.

The latest from the Suzuki Superbike squad, who are looking ahead to the AMA season for 2006;

Team Yoshimura Suzuki’s Mat Mladin, Ben Spies and Aaron Yates have completed a productive and relatively successful two-day test of their 2006 GSX-Rs at California Speedway in Fontana, California.

“This test was really just final preparation for Daytona,” said Yoshimura Suzuki Team Manager Don Sakakura. The biggest priority for us was for Ben to focus on developing the new GSX-R600 and he spent the whole day riding that bike.

This was a hard test for us, said Spies (pictured). But it was good. This is the first test where we’ve had real race suspension on the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R600. We’ve just been making little changes, taking small steps at a time. We got a decent setting today and we know what direction we need to go in to make it better.

Team mate Mladin finished off the test with the fastest lap time on his Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike, posting a best of 1:24.448. Mladin and his crew had been focusing on 2005 and 2006 suspension components and engines.

It was a good test, said Mladin. The last time out, we put a couple of things together that we liked. We tried the 2005 and the 2006 motor and I preferred the 2006 version. This test wasn’t ideal for lap times, with the wind and everything, but we found some stuff that we liked and that’s what we’re here for.

Unfortunately for the team, 2005 AMA Superstock Champion Aaron Yates was absent, having broken his right shoulder blade on the first day of the test. According to Sakakura, Yates should be healed in time for the season’s first race.

Going into a ‘right - left’, I got into a tank-slapper and went off over the front and landed on my shoulder, said Yates, who went to the doctor after the incident. Most likely, I won’t need surgery and I’ll be ready for Daytona, he added.

Next for Team Yoshimura Suzuki is the season-opening round of AMA Superbike Championship, scheduled for March 8-11 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

(this article was taken from insidebikes.com)