Tpoppa

XBs are plenty reliable...until you start modifying engine internals. Check badweatherbikers.com for lots of info on the subject. If an exhaust an ECM reflash (several good optons) won't result in enough hp for you, I'd look at something like the Z1000 or Speed Triple instead. My $.02

I prefer the 9. The power of the 12 doesn't feel much different, the 9 actually revs up little quicker. Also the 12 was prone to crankshaft bearing failures after 35k. The 9 had no such issues.

I've had 3 Buells, including an XB9S & XB9SX. I put 40k on a first year (2003) XB9S and only ever needed gas, oil, spark plugs, and tires. I won't be nearly as fast in a straight line as your GSXR. Speed is closer to an SV650. XBs are reliable and simple to maintain. Dealer support sucks, but that was true even when Buell was still around. If you can read a manual and turn a wrench there is little reason to need a dealer. Maintenance is simple DIY. The best qualities of the XB9SX are the comfort and the handling. Handling will feel a lot different than the GSXR, but once you get used to it they eat up tight twisty backroads. btw, VERY few parts are interchangeable with Harleys. Maybe the clutch ramp and some gaskets...not much else.

I think it may lure some sportbike riders that are on the fence about cruisers.

Who makes electric dirt/trail bikes? It seems like that may be a more practical application with current restrictions on range. Plus, you can't stall an electric bike, which could be an advantage on a tricky trail.

My chain was 3" longer at the end of last year's WV trip than it was at the beginning. You should have been there

Chains stretch over time. Belts don't. All you would need is a small adjustable tensioner sprocket that could be adjusted up and down with a screw to get to the correct chain slack. If you removed the adjustment pieces from the end of the swingarm the weight gain would be minimal if any. Unsprung weight would even be reduced. I doubt chain wear would even be noticeable. The tension on the adjustment sprocket would be a tiny fraction of the tension on either drive sprocket.

**Slight thread jack** Why do motorcycles still even have any adjustments at the axle? You're never going to it exactly straight. If Buell could design a fixed axle system that used a tensioner for a belt drive, why can't the same be done for a chain drive? Having the tension correct is far more important on a belt than a chain. This is what I miss most from my Buells. The axle was always perfectly straight, and tire changes were simple.

In the photos the axle doesn't look exactly straight per the alighment marks. That could just be the camera angle. What tire pressure do you run? The left side should wear a 'little' faster due to roads being crowned, but not that much.

I need something wall mountable that can hold 3-4 jackets, riding pants, and a few helmets. I am either going to mount it in the garage or maybe my home office. Who makes something like that?

I would probably look for a used replacement on ebay instead of fixing a radiator.

The correct answer.

I've had Zero chance

Have you been racing in NASCAR?

Do a search for videos of the Peacock Mantis Shrimp preying on other creatures. It's not a peacock, a mantis, or even a shrimp...but it's a highly evelved predator.

If I was the CDC driector, I would have swooped into Texas like the FBI and taken over the isolation protocol. Then patted myself on the back in gratiutous, nationally televised press conferences for months.

I have to disagree. The CDC fucked this one up. They exist to deal with this shit. Where was their onsite presence and oversight? http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/16/opinion/vox-frieden-should-resign/index.html?hpt=hp_t3 -- This week Thomas Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stepped up to the microphone and took responsibility for the worst mistake in Dallas' Ebola-stricken hospital: its utter lack of preparedness. After insisting for months that any U.S. hospital could handle an Ebola case by following CDC guidelines, Frieden now wishes he had provided Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital with the robust CDC clinical support team it desperately needed to care for Thomas Eric Duncan -- the first of three people to be diagnosed with Ebola on American soil.

IMO, torque is only important on a cruiser becuse typically they redline so freaking low that the gearing has to be riduculously tall. You need torque to pull through the tall gears. OTOH, If you have a motor that revs over 7k (unlike most cruisers), you can have much more reasonable gearing. Like the new Indian Scout or this Kaw. For example my 600rr with 42 ft/lbs will pull much faster in 1st gear at low revs than any cruiser because of the gearing.

My take is this: As I've stated before, I don't believe in such things. And that works well for me. You do, and that is clearly working well for you. I am completely cool with all of that. I see no problem whatsoever.

Thanks for sharing. Do you mind explaining what you mean by this? Are you saying your living expenses changed? Less unplanned expenses?