Ok folks I need your help. I don’t know much about bikes but I have my eye on one, there is a 2006 buell firebolt that I am 99% sure that I am going to buy but have no idea what to watch out for. Any advice or opinions are greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Tommy
Any particular reason why you want to buy a Firebolt?
This. Other than it’s weird/cool looking, give me ONE reason to buy such an obsolete bike.
You can’t really know everything but I do a few things any bike I look at.
-Run your hand across the width of the tire and see if its smooth or rough. Rough sometimes indicates the alignment is off and not wearing properly.
-Let the bike warm up for a few minutes and shut it off. Look for engine leaks and see if anything is cracked.
-Straddle the bike and check the brakes for compression and they are solid. While holding down the front one, push down on the forks to make sure they still feel solid.
-Check forks for any bends or cracks
-Check chain for rust and sprocket for any curved spokes
I have had an obsession with buells for a long time. Its just one of those guilty pleasures lol
i would just check the tires and sprockets for wear and damage, and look for oil leaks from the forks or the engine itself. Beware of bikes with custom paint/bodywork because 99/100 the bike has been laid down/reconstructed which could be anything from minor cosmetic damage to a serious wreck. Maintenance history is important.
PM me, I have a Buell Lightning, I can prob answer most of your questions about them, and am one of the only people on here who ride one so I can help you out.
^ lol, yeah because we haven’t been for years now?
You’ve been riding a Buell for years now? lol
He edited his post, it said, “I’m one of the only one who rides on here”
Damnit!
Many of the issues that the earlier (03-04) models had were solved with the later years. I assume since it’s an 06 it is also an XB12R. This is good as the XB9R was very under powered.
I will tell you this. The chassis is extremely rigid by design. If you don’t pay attention with these bikes you will pay for it. The rake and trail is very aggressive and you almost have to ride them like you stole them. They handle amazing due to the mass centralization and coming out of corners torque is great. If you are very aggressive the bike will squat and bounce out of corners so watch out.
Use an air cooled engine oil specifically. Check fork seals, check rotor condition. The perimeter rotors have D rings which hold/sort of center the rotor. If they are worn you can get some pulsation which is disconcerting at high speed. It will run hot, especially near your right inner thigh due to how the cylinder is tucked up under the seat and air box. If when idling in traffic it looks like the pipe is getting blue and its running very hot you may want to check the engine over for any sort of vacuum leak near the manifold. Keep an eye on the condition of your air filter as well, very sensitive to the amount of restriction.
Rear wheel bearings shouldn’t be an issue like on the earlier models but if getting tires they say you need them, have them changed. Makes a difference. I did mine and the bike was a lot smoother.
I love these bikes for the same reason you do, and I loved mine.
However I will say this.
If riding a GSXR/CBR is like riding a precision machine, this is like riding a washing machine. You’ll understand when you ride it.
Don’t let it stall when you come down to a stop or when you take off, it’s not like a normal harley where you have a good amount of control by positioning yourself back on the bike. Your riding position is not conducive to abrupt low speed and low RPM maneuvers. It takes some getting used to but once you got it, it will still bite you in the ass 
I just want to say thanks for all the advice to those who contributed. It went on its maiden voyage tonight and all I can say is “I FUCKING LOVE IT!!!”
Looked sweet bro, congrats again.
X…
Nice - have fun. We should set up a big nyspeed bike meet so I can check everyone’s shit out
That would be pretty sweet if we could get everyone together for a big meet.
I am down, just let me know when.
---------- Post added at 09:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:41 AM ----------
Thanks buddy! Sorry to bail on ya last night but I had the itch to ride bad!