05 buell xb9sx front-end project

[elskipador]

after 2 years of it sitting in the corner of the garage i decided today to pull out my room-mates crashed 05 buell xb9sx and see if i could get it started & measure a couple things for the front-end. the right fork is totally screwed & the lower triple is bent. i know we could probably have gp frame & wheel straighten the clamp & wheel, but we'll need to totally replace @ least 1 of the fork legs. however if i can i'd like to just get a different front-end off a japanese bike. triples, forks, brakes, wheel, etc.... just because i think it'll be easier to find than a whole used buell replacement.

some measurements
the forks seem to be kyb's 43mm
upper clamping diameter is 54mm
lower clamping diameter 56mm
the steering stem over-all length is 10.25 inch
through frame 7.75 inches
appears to have cartridge bearings.

if you know any good buell sites or what else fits it let me know :teeth

 

[elskipador]

some pics of the bike

 

[Starshooter10]

i'll give you 100$ cash for it

but seriously... get it running! the would would be a better place with more buells on the road :up

 

[elskipador]

it started right up after we hooked a good power source to it. just need to get the front-end sorted & its back on the road.

 

[Starshooter10]

it started right up after we hooked a good power source to it. just need to get the front-end sorted & its back on the road.

gotta love that :thumbup

so the wheel looks true... but the fork is screwed?!?

 

[elskipador]

wheel is a little bent, as is the lower triple.

 

[auntiebling]

sounds like a pain in the ass for zero gain and you won't have the unique buell brake/wheel dealio when it's all over cuz buell will be collectible now dontchya know? :laughing

lower triple

forks

wrong year but these might be easier to adapt than something from a japanese bike
X1 forks

right leg, perhaps the caliper bracket/axle bracket can be transferred, assuming it's straight of course

ooooor, perhaps just buy this right leg $100 seems like a no-brainer

 

[elskipador]

the problem with the stuff on ebay, besides some of the items selling already, is that i can't look @ it 1st & verify its straight, correct, etc... what i'm thinking about doing is having gp frame & wheel straighten up the triple & then get gixxer forks, wheel, brakes. the stock forks look close to the kyb's on a lot of gixxers, which are a lot easier to find. what do the forks on your gix measure @ the upper & lower clamping area? diameter wise?

 

[auntiebling]

i'll check when i get home, they're showa btw

if the ebay shit isn't straight, send it back. most sellers are so worried about negative feedback now they'll work with you. gone is the day where a seller could retaliate. also, pay with a credit card thru paypal and that's 2 layers of buyer protection if there is a problem

 

[HeTheAethyr!]

tried both sites and everyone is interested in settings with not swapping. i can tell you for a fact that one fork leg thought the dealer would cost 334$ complete but as for both triple clams, stem, bearings, it would prob. be best to reside in the dealer. everything i find is all aftermarket parts witch over half are in Europe.
also the dealer can order the individual parts you could piece it together.

 

[auntiebling]

looks like SRAD forks aren't the answer. measured the spare set i have which are 96/97 vintage. i don't know many years share them
upper clamp diameter: 50mm
lower clamp diameter: 54mm (measured 53.8)
steering stem, from bottom of threads to top of lower triple: 180mm
fork free length from approx axle center line to top of fork (not including preload adjuster) 28.5"

 

[elskipador]

poked around a little more on the buell today & the stock forks are showa's...... anybody know the size on the 01~03 gsxr750 forks???

 

[auntiebling]

^^^
vortex lists the same clipon from 93-08 GSXR 750s so at least the top clamp is 50mm ID for those years

 

[aram]

yeah unless you figured some shimming method or swapped stems the gsxr stuff probably won't be a good solution.

 

[Racer Al]

You can have the OEM wheel straightened by a company called "Wheelworks", which will straighten the wheel, weld any cracks, and grind it back to the factory profile. From 5' away, you'd never know it was fixed.

Do check that the wheel holds air - I got a bad weld with porosity which I repaired on my own.

Try checking local junkyards for front end parts, and Craig's List for complete front ends. A "wanted" ad on CL is a good way to find a complete FE. Because no parts of the Buell will swap onto a new FE, you'll have to get *everything* ahead of the frame - forks, clamps, wheel, brakes, hoses... everything.

I've done a couple complete front end swaps, and the key thing to compare are:

That forks are roughly the same length (to keep steering geometry the same, and longer forks are easier to work with than shorter forks);

That the spacing between the top and bottom triple clamp is roughly the same (because some USD forks taper quite a bit right below the lower triple clamp, and you can't clamp to the tapered portion).

At most, you'll need a custom steering stem made. And some of the fussy details will of course be wrong - stuff like the steering lock, instrument mounting brackets, etc. Good luck, it's a fun job.

 

[FLH03RIDER]

My recommendation would be to stay with the Buell front end instead of trying to bastardize it. Getting the correct stem (length, diameter) cups, bearings, handle bars, levers, switchgear, fitted to the different trees, then shocks, wheel, brakes, etc., etc... your going to be spending more time and money than if you went with Buell parts. Bike will be worth more too if you keep it Buell!

http://badweatherbikers.com/

http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/17143/17143.html?1256333722

http://www.americansportbikenight.net (Local Bay Area group that meets once a month. Web site isn't that busy but meetings get a pretty good turnout.)

http://www.buelletinboard.com/

 

[KWeezyXB12]

new rims for buells are pretty cheap if its bent just get a whole new rim

 

[Burning1]

Gentlemen,

elskipador is BARF's resident technical guru. He knows what he's doing, and he knows what he's getting into.

 

[elskipador]

we finally got most of the parts we needed. we scored a xb9r front-end off ebay. just need to figure out some lights :teeth

 

[elskipador]

:thumbup