Recently, I decided it was time for another bike. I quite regularly check out the ads on Craigslist, and I weighed many different options. For a while, I almost had my mind made up that I would finance a new DR650. I thought about riding the fire roads around Ocala National Forest, and maybe one day even going on a long adventure up to the Rockies. I though about getting an old ran-when-parked bike that maybe only needed the carbs cleaned or had other minor issues I could easily fix. I came across several candidates, including an '85 Goldwing, a couple of CB900c's, and a GS800. I definitely kept my eye on 5-speed Sportsters and even well-priced Ironhead Sportsters in good shape. But I've wanted a Buell for a very long time. When I saw a '98 M2 Cyclone with 16k miles priced for what Buell Blasts are often priced at, I had to get it!
One might ask why I even need another bike. My old '88 Sportster has held up pretty well over the last three years. But there have been mechanical problems I've had to deal with - transmission issues, shifter lever issues, electrical issues, etc. I've been able to handle them just fine, but when my bike is down for repairs for several days or even several weeks, sharing the van with my wife is challenging. It's not just that I would rather be riding, but my wife has to take kids places, has medical appointments, grocery shopping, general errands, etc. Having a second bike not only gives me a spare bike to commute on, but also allows me to split the wear and tear of commuting between both bikes, which increases the time between break downs and required maintenance. My Sportster isn't getting any younger, and who knows when a catastrophic failure might occur.
One might wonder how a Buell could be a practical choice of motorcycle. They're no longer produced, and when they were, they were manufactured in limited quantities. But consider the engine is essentially just a hot-rodded Sportster 1200 engine. Almost every part in the engine or transmission can be replaced with a newly manufactured part, and there's quite a few used parts available. Other parts, like the brakes, wheels, etc. are not as easily replaceable, but I think I can manage. Also, both the engine and transmission should be easy to work on. No valve adjustments or coolant changes are needed. Any major mechanical repairs shouldn't be complicated.
This bike is a lot of fun! It has roughly double the horsepower of my old Sportster, and is about 60 lbs. lighter. At 70 mph, you can tell my old Sportster isn't too far from its limit, but the Cyclone can effortlessly handle highway speeds. So far, I haven't felt the need to push the bike to its limits, but it does accelerate quite nicely. I think it might be the most nimble bike I've ridden so far, which honestly isn't saying a lot - I haven't ridden that many different bikes. But it is quite nimble. I wish Central Florida had some canyons to carve!
The bike feels very reliable - like maybe I could ride it to California and back so long as I took enough pain medication to deal with the discomfort of the seat. It is actually more shakey at idle than my Sportster. This is probably do to the lighter fly wheels and because the frame has less mass to dampen the vibrations. But once the engine is at 3000 RPM, it runs quite smoothly. I love being able to put my bike in neutral from 1st gear at a stop every time, which is something I can't reliably do with my Sportster.
Time will tell whether I still like this bike in a year, but I'd bet money I will. In fact, I think I'll likely still be riding this bike many years from now.
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