Aluminium frame with Uniplanar™ Powertrain
vibration isolation system, fuel in frame
Rake
22°
Trail
119 mm / 4.7"
Front Suspension
Showa Ø43 mm inverted forks
compression damping, rebound damping and spring preload adjustable
Front Wheel Travel
120 mm / 4.7"
Rear Suspension
Showa coil-over monoshock, remote underseat
reservoir and adjustable compression damping, rebound damping and spring
preload
Rear Wheel Travel
127 mm / 5.0"
Front Brakes
ZTL type brake, 6 piston, fixed caliper, Ø375
mm single-sided, inside out, stainless steel, floating rotor
Rear Brakes
Single Ø240 mm disc, 1 piston
floating caliper
Wheels
6-Spoke, ZTL cast aluminium
Front Wheel
3.50 x 17"
Rear Wheel
5.50 x 17"
Front Tyre
120/70 ZR17 Dunlop D208FW
Rear Tyre
180/55 ZR17 Dunlop D208FW
Dimensions
Length: 2023
mm / 79.6"
Width:
755 mm / 29.7"
Height: 1091 mm /
43.0"
Wheelbase
1372 mm / 54.0"
Ground Clearance
118 mm / 4.6"
Seat Height
775 mm / 30.5"
Dry Weight
181.5 kg / 400 lbs
GVWR
386 kg / 850 lbd
Fuel Capacity
16.7 L / 4.4 US gal
Fuel Reserve
3.1 L / 0.82 US gal
Oil Capacity
2.37 L / 2.50 qts
Standing ¼ Mile
12.0 sec / 178 km/h / 110.6 mph
Top Speed
204 km/h / 127 mph
An extended swingarm and increased fork rake give the new Lightning Long a
54-inch wheelbase, two inches longer than the Lightning XB12S. Fork rake is
increased from 21 to 22 degrees and trail goes from 3.3 inches to 4.7
inches. The result is a streetfighter with more relaxed handling and
expanded ergonomics better suited to taller riders. The tail section is
longer and the seat is taller and wider, and offers more room for a
passenger. There's also a larger under-seat storage compartment. Larger
frame side panels give the Lightning Long a fuel-in-frame capacity of
4.4-gallons.
Buell InterActive Exhaust, a valve in the dual-chamber muffler
controlled by the ECM that adjusts exhaust flow, gives the Thunderstorm 1203
V-Twin engine smooth torque delivery and optimized power. Like all Buell
motorcycles, the handling remains quick and responsive. It is offered in
Sunset Orange with Sunset Orange wheels, Midnight Black with Translucent
Amber wheels, and Thrust Blue with Translucent Amber wheels, all with a
Graphite Gray frame.
Buell Lightning XB12Ss features:
Buell Thunderstorm 1203 fuel-injected air/oil/fan-cooled V-Twin engine
103 peak hp, 84 ft. lbs. peak torque
Buell InterActive Exhaust
4.4-gallon fuel-in-frame capacity
New extended swingarm
New easy-shifting transmission
New Goodyear Hibrex drive belt with Flexten Plus technology
New air intake location
Graphite Gray frame
Oil-in-swingarm
43mm fully adjustable Showa upside-down fork
Fully adjustable Showa rear shock absorber
Buell ZTL front brake system
Flat track-style handlebar
Road Test
From being a limited sort of company in terms of
their product range - you could have either a sports fairing and clip-ons or no
fairing and raised bars on an otherwise identical bike and that was it - Buell
have come quite a long way in developing their range. Because although the
Lightning/Firebolt was a fabulous bike in many ways, if you wanted something
else then you were going to end up on a different brand. Which was a shame,
because Buells have a lot to offer.
So now the range has grown. As well as the soon to be replaced XB12R Firebolt
sportsbike and the fundamentally identical XB12S Lightning, you've got the XB12X
Ulysses, a monster trailbike available with or without luggage, a hybrid
supermoto called the STT and two other versions of the Lightning - one with a
reduced seat height for the short of leg and the other with a longer wheelbase
for the slightly larger person. The logic is easy. One size doesn't fit all,
especially when you're trying to accomodate Americans, who are generally
somewhat bigger framed than average, as well as Europeans who err on the side of
svelte. And the original Lightning especially, despite it being just so very
good in so many ways, was just a little too uncompromising for many people,
particularly when it came to pillion accommodation. Because the pillion perch on
the standard Lightning is, um, a perch, really. It certainly doesn't qualify as
a seat in any real sense. And if you strapped a bag on then there was a good
chance of blocking the rear light. But, of course, that short wheelbase made for
fabulous handling...
It's probably worth It looks small in the photo. The camera never lies,
remember...pointing out at this point that the Lightning Long or XB12Ss to give
it its proper name, is still not exactly a large motorcycle. Overall it's just
eighty millimetres longer than the standard diminutive Lightning, with a ten
millimetre taller seat. And in all honesty it feels exactly the same to sit on,
with everything falling nicely to hand and foot as before. Perhaps there's a
little more room to shuffle around, but it doesn't leap out at you. And that's
good - the original was sublime so why change it more than necessary? The
stretch is partly in the frame and partly in the swingarm, with a longer rear
subframe to accommodate the extra pillion seat. The real bonus is twofold. First
of all you get a very useful two Litres
of fuel in the frame mounted tank. And
secondly you get a pillion seat that is actually worthy of the name. It's still
a fine looking bike, it's well proportioned and definitely has character, even
before you hit the starter. The optional extra translucent bodywork is a
conversation piece, though I suspect it would look just as good in solid black
as well as being a few hundred pounds cheaper.
But having mentioned the starter, let's get on and ride, shall we? Starting the
Buell is straightforward and never caused any concern. Tickover is lumpy but
regular, though the vibration is a little disconcerting. Deceptive, too, as the
engine smooths out dramatically at a couple of thousand rpm. Blip the throttle
and note the typical Buell response - revs climb fast but the big flywheel makes
them slower to drop. Pull in the surprisingly light clutch, remark to yourself
how much better the gearbox Stylish, yes. But that speedo isn't the easiest to
read in the heat of the moment...is on the Dyna Harleys and wonder when the
improvements will find their way onto the Sportster (and therefore Buell) boxes
as you hammer it into first and pull away. The vibration, while never entirely
absent, decreases dramatically and speed increases in a totally linear way -
open the throttle more to accelerate faster but there are no sudden steps or
lurches, just this huge wave of thrust. Once you're moving the gearshift seems
to improve as well, though it's still agricultural compared to newer Harleys,
let alone oriental machinery. The rate at which you gain speed is quite
surprising as it doesn't feel anywhere near as quick as the hard to read speedo
indicates.
At vaguely sensible out of town cruising speeds, staying in two figures but not
dawdling, the Lightning makes perfect sense. It's comfortable enough, with the
tiny flyscreen providing just enough wind deflection to make this sort of pace
bearable while the longer seat gives room to move if your bum starts getting
tired. The handling is, if anything, even better than the original Lightning.
The puppy-like eagerness of the shorter bike has matured a bit and though it
still turns ever so easily the more relaxed geometry makes it a bit more stable
and the overall feeling is of sure footed agility rather than slight friskiness.
The brakes are as excellent as ever and the ground clearance will never, ever,
prove to be a problem.
It's a great looking bike, though, and it really is as good to ride as it
looks...But it's in town that the Lightning, regardless of variant, is truly in
its element. The short wheelbase, nicely spaced bars and sharp throttle response
make it nigh on the ultimate urban tool. Perhaps the CityX is better, but it's
close. Certainly I could make my cross London journey around twenty percent
quicker on the Buell than on anything I normally ride. The mirrors and bars are
just the right height to miss most car and van mirrors and swapping lanes is an
exercise in thought rather than muscle. Of course a set of more interesting
exhausts would probably make the journey even easier though perhaps I'm getting
old as I rather like the discreet approach...
The Lightning Long is probably the most sensible bike in the Buell range. It's a
superlative town machine, it has room for a passenger or to carry a bag, it's
guaranteed to raise a smile as soon as you get on it and it's relatively cheap
to run. The belt drive is a delight, being completely maintenance free though
you'd be advised to use some sort of tyre sealant as removing the rear wheel is
a job best left to the dealer, and the engine, while still fairly primitive,
does exactly what is asked of it without hesitation. It's not perfect - the
speedo is way too hard to read for a bike that accelerates as well as this and
the lights aren't especially brilliant - but it's pretty damn' close. And for
the money there's almost nothing other than Buell's own 900 CityX that comes
anywhere near it for sensible, usable fun.