Cycle World Long-Term Update
CYCLE WORLD Long-Term Update
BUELL
LIGHTNING
Wisconson wonder
THE BUELL XB12S LIGHTNING IS not a motorcycle-it’s a powered uni-cycle. The torquey and short V-Twin loves to balance on one wheel or the other, the rear during hard low-gear acceleration or the front under heavy braking. That’s one way to maximize traction and save on tire wear! But so far, with less than 2000 miles showing on the odometer, the XB-S is proving to be a true conserver of resources, with a lot of life left in the tires and fuel consumption averaging nearly 50 mpg-you have to ride the 12 hard to get a lower number. So far, no maintenance has been required. The drive belt has needed no adjustment, and on '04 models such as ours, replacement has been extended to 25,000 miles.
A push of the starter button consistently brings the Harley-Davidson Sportster-derived engine to life, and the fuelinjection delivers smooth response. The riding position-an interesting combination of a sportbike leg position (with the pegs relatively close and directly under your center of gravity) with the near-upright handlebar position of a standard-works best at speeds below 80 mph; above that mark, you miss the protection a fairing might give. But around town the handlebar affords lots of leverage, and the Buell feels a bit like an oversized dirtbike. It’s a superb and sporty city runabout with serious backroad capabilities, one we’re looking forward to putting a lot more miles on.
$10,995
DUCATI
MULTISTRADA
Service-friendlier
ONE OF THE DOWNSIDES TO DUCATI ownership is frequent valve inspection. So when it came time for the 6000-mile service on our longterm Multistrada, we turned to Guy Martin at Martin Brickwood Performance (www.mhpducati.com) for replacement valve collets. These $150 CNC-machined, titanium-nitride-coated retainers take the place of the hardened half-rings installed at the factory, and are said to extend service intervals up to 18,000 miles. We’ll see... We had Eric Beaman from Southern California Ducati in Brea install the collets and adjust the valves using aftermarket shims from EMS (www.emsduc.com). Less costly than OE shims, the $289 kit contains 26 openers and 26 closers in .05mm increments. Company founder Michael Guidera claims the shims are hardness-certified, racetrackproven and exceed factory tolerances. Installation of the Ducati Performance comfort seat didn’t require nearly as much mechanical aptitude, but was almost as time consuming. Because the seat ($261 front, $205 rear) attaches to the Z-shaped gas tank, half the bike had to be dismantled to remove it! Fitting the saddlebags ($792), slip-on mufflers ($ 1122), taller windscreen ($99) and centerstand ($211) was far less complicated. What effects have all these changes had on the bike? We’ll let you know in the next update.
$11,800
KTM
ADVENTURE
Tune in, turn on, drop out
THE KTM 950 ADVENTURE IS LIKE the drugs hippies took back in the ’60s—it takes you places you can’t ordinarily go. Not to mention all the usual places: A short lane-splitting jaunt thru rush-hour traffic? No problem. A hop out to Las Vegas? Easy. And that seat we complained long and hard about... well, it finally broke in! Even so, we replaced it with a sweet suede-topped custom saddle ($400 from RDSS; 707/5795198) that promises to be even better. We’ve been riding our long-term 950 so much that we haven’t bothered to touch up any of its scratches-and it’s got a bunch. Ripping knobs off the rear Metzeler Karoo has been the biggest problem (blame 92 rear-wheel horsepower), and finding a good 50/50 dual-purpose tire is proving to be a challenge. We prefer Continental TKC 80s, but they don’t carry a high-enough speed rating for a bike this fast, and their dirt performance is marginal. We’re thinking of having a second set of wheels laced up to give us some more tire options. With our 950 now racked for luggage courtesy of KTM’s promotional department (saddlebags are free with purchase), we’re off and camping. To offset the added weight, we fitted a set of $660 FMF Q mufflers, dropping 11 pounds while keeping things relatively quiet. We hippies gotta hear our tunes, you know... □
$11,998
