Cam wheels out his beloved Buell from theback
oftheshedandexplainswhyit’sakeeper2009 BUELLLIGHTNINGXB12SS
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MOTORCYCLE TRADER 103
I
t was 2002 when I first laid eyes on the
Buell Lightning XB9S, and I couldn’t
look away. Sure, I knew of the Buell
brand, but none of its previous models
had grabbed my attention.
At the time I wasn’t a fan of Harley-
Davidson road bike styling, but I did like
The Motor Company’s V-twin.
After all, my dream bike has always
been the XR750 flat-tracker. I’ve always
loved the XR’s simple design. The XR is
essentially a high-performance V-twin
engine with just enough components
bolted on to make it a race bike, andnothing added that’s not needed.
Although it’s a far cry from an XR750,
the XB9S also has a minimalist design,
with the big points of differentiation
being its fuel cell in the frame, oil in the
swingarm and perimeter front disc brake
design all of which make it unique.
One of my mates soon had one and I had
the chance to sample it for myself. The
upright riding position with its booming
985cc V-twin beneath you is contagious.
It was half Harley and half hoon machine,
and it handled better than I expected.
Then and there I knew I had to have one.