Quick Ride

Quick Ride

BUELL XBI2SS LIGHTNING LONG A kinder, gentler streetfighter

HAS ERIK BUELL GONE soft? Have corporate politics, never-ending Wisconsin winters and a public enamored with plas tic-shrouded Fours taken the fight out of the warrior from East Troy?

So it would seem. Buell's latest entry, the 2006 XB12SS Lightning Long, appears to fly in the face of previous works. After all, it is longer, taller, wider and heavier than the XB12S Lightning upon which it is based. As such, longer, taller, wider and heavier riders-and their passengers-will no doubt find it more comfortable, even on shorter hops.

Not that the differences are readily apparent. In fact, parked side by side, the two models appear virtually identical. It’s only upon closer inspection that the changes become clear.

The Long’s more thickly padded one-piece seat, for example, is .4-inch taller than that of the standard Lighthing, and the passenger portion is wider and one-third longer. Less obvious is the bike's greater overall length of 3.4 inches. Chalk up 2 inches to a new swingarm, which, like the frame and subframe, is sourced from the XB12X Ulysses adventure-sport model. Oil for the dry sump, pushrod engine still circulates within the light weight aluminum design, and the filler cap is more readily accessible. Tweaks to steering geometry account for the rest. Rake was bumped from 21 to 22 degrees (effective rake is actually 23.5 degrees, due to offset triple-clamps), and trail went from 3.3 to 4.7 inches. Wheelbase grew from 52 to 54 inches, longer than other XBs, but still shorter than any Japanese sportbike. At the bike's roll-out in Denver, Colorado, this past July, the changes resulted in a more favorable all-day ride. Thin mountain air took some of the punch out of the air/oil/fan-cooled V Twin, but there was no denying the flat, userfriendly torque curve that enables single-gear running in even the tightest of twisties. For those times when you must shift, toeing the new across-the-range, dogring-design transmission is a joy. Ditto clutchwork, thanks to a 20 percent reduction in effort ( 15 percent on 984cc models) at the lever.

High marks to handling, as well. The relaxed steering geometry and added wheelbase have eliminated the breathe-on-the-handlebars-and-away-we-go immediacy to inputs. Even with the short wheelbase, stability is never in question. Keeping with the comfort theme, the settings for the fully adjustable Showa suspension err on the side of compliancy-a good thing.

Because intake air is no longer routed through the frame (instead flowing through a crescent-shaped opening in the airbox cover aft of the fuel filler), fuel capacity has been increased from 3.7 to 4.4 gallons. Figure 200 miles between fill-ups.

Buell would have you believe that the Ulysses will be its crossover model, the bike that pushes sales through the proverbial roof. Maybe not. With its broad appeal, upright ergonomics and lower pricing, the $10,495 XB12Ss Lightning Long has a good chance of being that machine.

Has Buell gone soft? Not a chance. Is he more market savvy? Absolutely.

Matthew Miles