The 1200 has a bigger throttle body (49mm vs. 45mm), but the rev limiter comes in at 6500(soft) and cuts out totally at 6800.

They claim 92hp for my bike. Even with altitude correction, it makes about 73 horsepower. If things stay the same, the XB12R will make about 81hp or so. If it rates higher, I would be surprised and will buy the new crank, rods, pistons, and throttle body to retrofit my XB9R. I think they made a mistake eliminating the white color as an option.

I bought mine because it is American, not like an Ohio-made Honda Accord, but a real American product. You would have to be crazy to think this bike comes close to an RC51 or even the new Ducati. If you consider that terrible sounding clutch of the Ducati, annoying valve adjustments, and a major case of ugly-wierd, the Buell is better, but it would be close on a Dyno.

I've got some experience with Buells. I did the long-term testing for Motorcyclist magazine that led to the 1999 Buell recall, and I tested the 2001 long-term Motorcyclist bike that dropped a valve seat at 2800 miles. If anyone should be suspicious of Buells, it is me.

Because of all the problems I had with the bikes, I never had the chance to write about the good things. Take, for example, the fact that a Buell putting out 100 horsepower at the rear wheel is hilarious good fun. My 2001 test bike dynoed at 101 rear-wheel horsepower, but that bike had an engine with the gall to grenade every 3000 miles or so.

Initial reliability reports of the new Buells are promising. If Buell can make the new XB12R produce 100 RELIABLE rear-wheel horsepower, I want one. Normally I subscribe to the old saw, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me; fool me three times and blood must be shed to restore balance to the cosmos." But I'm willing to give Buell a third chance on this one.

Darwin Holmstrom