Buell Thunderbolt S-2
BUELL THUNDERBOLT S-2
Long-Term Wrap-Up
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS WITH AMERICA’S TROUBLESOME TWIN
WE LOVE THIS MOTORCYCLE... when it’s moving under its own power, that is. This statement best sums up the past 15 months with our long-term Buell S-2 Thunderbolt.
We had our share of good and bad experiences with the bike in sport-touring and canyon-strafing modes. Nobody found fault with the S-2’s concept or its fun-to-ride factor, but all agreed that, as delivered, it’s flawed enough to make it difficult to live with.
A pilot-production unit, our long-termer arrived with 4300 miles on the odometer. A brake-line recall and a few mechanical ills were documented in previous long-term updates (see
CW, May, 1995, and March, 1996), and other problems have continued to crop up. Most serious was high oil consumption accompanied by black smoke belching from the muffler during downshifts at about the 9000-mile mark. Our local dealer, Orange County Harley-Davidson, installed new piston
rings under warranty but that wasn’t the end of our problems. Just 2500 miles later, the engine blew a head gasket.
The 10,000-mile service was performed inhouse. Despite minimal parts-and-materials costs, the S-2’s shoddy fit and finish, and some design quirks elicited frustration. Specifically, the fiberglass bodywork does not line up properly and is prone to cracking, the sidestand locking mechanism failed, and the stock muffler must be loosened before you can extricate the rear wheel.
“At first, 9 was very happy with my S-2. It looked terrific, handled great and had tons oP midrange power. Then it fell apart.” -GUM. Nissley, RockvilleP Maryland
Quotes from the logbook
Eric Putter\ Compared to other sport-tourers, the Thunderbolt is a breath of fresh air. The bike’s light weight and sporting personality make up for its lack of horsepower and minimal wind protection.
I appreciate the
S-2’s low-end torque, sweet steering and strong brakes. But I simply can’t accept the poor fit and finish, harsh rear suspension and funky, HarleyDavidson-derived controls.
Call this a transition model in Buell’s move from troublesome kitbike to for-real production motorcycle. More than anything, it showed how far the Mukwonago Mafia needed to go. We’ve seen build-quality improve markedly in the new-for-’96 S1 Lightning—and not a second too soon, either.
At 13,000 miles, a severe lack of compression damping and an awful clunking noise inside the right fork leg led us to California Sportbike Racing in Costa Mesa, California. The diagnosis was a damaged anti-bottoming bumper, which had come apart and lodged itself within the shim stack. Buell replaced the fork at no charge.
Midway through the bike’s tenure, we added Buell’s touring accessories. The taller bars ($90) and touring footpegs ($50) mounted easily and worked well. Unfortunately, the saddlebags ($695) were not as functional. Individually, they hold little more than a light lunch and a small briefcase. Thankfully,
“People compare my Thunderbolt to a Ducati Monster, but I love the fact that it is an American sportbike.
It’s great, but has lots of potential for improvement.
-Herve Marcy, Aliso Viejo, California
the bases accept larger lids ($199), but the system is still flawed. To remove the bags from their mounts, they must first be emptied so as to reach the quick-release Dzus fasteners. Worse yet, one of the barrel-type locks failed, allowing the bag to open and its contents to tumble out onto the freeway.
Speaking of locks, we replaced the ignition switch twice under warranty when the key would no longer turn the tumblers. In addition, our bike required
separate keys to operate the fork lock, gas-tank lock, ignition and saddlebags. Buell assures us that 1997 Thunderbolts will require only one key to perform all these tasks.
To its credit, the chassis held up well. The stock Dunlop Sportmax D204 radiais lasted 6400 miles before being replaced by Metzeier MEZ2 radiais ($341). Then, after another 7000 hard miles, we mounted a set of Pirelli Dragon GTs ($334). Similar in construction to the Metzelers (both are manufactured in the same facility in Germany), the Pirellis offer excellent traction and a smooth ride. After almost 1500 sport-touring miles, they show little sign of wear.
Our S-2 Thunderbolt was one of the
"After 2000 miles ol romance and mechanical heartache (con
stant pinging, high oil consumption and two broken fairing subframes), I returned my S-2 with the help of Massachusetts’ powerful lemon law. ” -David Brown, Boston, Massachusetts
first machines derived from a partnership between this country’s oldest and youngest motorcycle manufacturers. As such, the bike had more than its share of first-run flaws, which Erik Buell himself assures us are now ironed out. Hopefully, this is true, and the afflictions that plagued our testbike have been rectified.
SPECIFICATIONS
$11,900
