 Rider
Review: 2002 Buell Blast P3 |
Submitted
by: LtlBoyBuell
| Part
One |
Quick
Overview:
Air
Cooled 4-stroke 492cc OHV Single, 5spd, Belt Drive, Hydraulic
Lifters, Dent & Scratch resistant Molded in color Surlyn
(sp?) Bodywork (the stuff golf balls are made of), 34HP/30lbft
Torque, 360lb dry, 400 load capacity.
Pros:
Light,
Turns very well, torquey off the line,
Low maintenance, fun, Gets noticed, Power upgrades
for every taste, Comfortable standard riding position feels
great (coming from a 5'7" guy w/ 30" inseam), hard
to get friends to give it back after offering test rides. 250
like fuel mileage.
Cons:
Due
to breather design oil consumption can be an issue, roll-on
acceleration above 65mph+, People who haven't ridden one tend
to poke fun at it, vibration at idle may be annoying to some.
Ownership
Experience:
11
Months / 2300 Miles (I'm in Pa and our summer & Fall was
crappy).
Introduction:
I
spent the better part of 4 months researching different entry-level
bikes. After attending the Cycle World show and getting to know
the salesman at the local shops on a first name basis I came
back to the Blast because of it?s comfort, low maintenance (no
valves to adjust or chain to lube ), reasonable price and newbie
friendly bodywork. My first weekend on the bike was in a parking
lot with my lifelong friend who happens to be a HD Sportster
fanatic. After giving more grief than I care to remember for
buying a "chic's bike" he asked to take it around
the lot to feel it out - 20 minutes later I was yelling at him
to get off and stop playing so I could learn. When my time came
up for the MSF course they actually had 2 Blasts in their ?fleet?
so I naturally decided to use one for the course. The first
thing I noticed was that the bike definitely requires good clutch
work at low speeds. Below 10mph it will start to lug without
modulating the clutch and with a single it?s very noticeable.
This made some of the exercises difficult but the instructors
told me to bump the speeds up a little to compensate and only
use 1st gear for some of the lower speed 2nd gear exercises.
Using 2nd gear on that 500 would have meant I?d be running over
the 125s and 250s. Through the course I found the bike?s handling
to be exceptional aside that the lugging at low speeds distracted
me from concentrating at times but that was more due to my lack
of experience than any fault of the bike.
The
Good:
Once
I got comfortable on the street I found that the lightweight
and easy handling really helps the new riders confidence. The
ride is almost telepathic with little more than thigh pressure
needed to change lane position. The bike takes off great from
a stop but tends to run out of steam on the top end. This essentially
means that you can forget about anything more than local traffic
speeds during break-in. Once break-in was over and I could run
it up to it's red line (which is indicated by the annoying rev
limiter as it isn't equipped with a tach) with no problem, I
found that it was quite capable as a city commuter and back
lane fun machine. Contrary to what some say the bike will cruise
in excess of the legal speed limit with no problem but starts
to run out of steam over 75mph. This is when the rush of acceleration
starts to get leisurely.
The
Bad:
At
first as a new rider this wasn't much of an issue. As I gained
experience though I was becoming increasingly concerned about
its ability to out accelerate the errant cager at highway speeds.
I would have to say this is the one glaring annoyance that I
had to tackle. My first 300 miles was going well until my speedo
went from 40 to dead in the middle of a ride. This wouldn't
have been bad except that I had no idea how far I'd gone on
that tank and now had no way of knowing how close I was to reserve.
When I got home I called the dealer and the asked if I could
bring it right over. They took it right in and found that the
speed sensor was defective. There had been a bad batch I was
told. They sent me on my way and a week and about 300 miles
later the part was in and they installed it in 5 minutes while
I enjoyed their coffee.
The
PO'd Customer:
The
only other problem I had in 1800 miles was with the 1000-mile
service. After stopping for a break in our ride the Sunday after
my 1000-mile service my Sporty friend asks me what that stuff
was dripping from my swingarm. I figured he was just being a
PITA as usual until I went to mount up and found oil dripping
heavy from the left rear of the swingarm. I check to make sure
none had gotten on the tire and that there weren't any broken
lines. After getting things cleaned up the best I could and
nursed it back home with no rear brake as the rotor was now
covered in a fine film of oil. I called the dealer and gave
them some hell and the service manager asked me to check the
oil and call him back. Here, the wonderful tech at the dealership
saw fit to overfill the tank by about oh?. A quart!
I called him back and told him what had happened and asked him
to thank the tech for trying to kill me. (The PCV and Oil Purge/Drain
lines are plugged and run to the rear of the swingarm)
| Part
Two |
The
"Itch":
The
lack of power on the top end and the ever present flat spot
in the mid-range was really bothering me. So at about 1200 miles
I purchased a White Brothers E-Series exhaust system and a Dynojet
kit. In order to meet CA and EPA emission standards the bikes
are set a little lean from the factory. In fact, the last reports
I heard of said that it actually beat CA standards by 30%. I
can say the re-jetting is almost a must once you've spent some
time with the bike and have it broken in. The difference is
dramatic. Once you add the exhaust the bike becomes even more
exciting. Before these mods I could barely reach 45 in second
before hitting the rev-limiter. Now I am approaching 52-55 mph
when it?s time to hit third. It may not sound like much to the
sport bike crowd for it's intended audience and those who just
want a fun economical machine it's more than sufficient. Especially
when you consider that I?m still averaging about 69mpg!
Q&A:
Q:
Cygnus- Is there a history of engine troubles?
A:
Buell is very adamant about one thing in the owners manual.
You must allow the bike to warm up. Most of
the engine failures I've heard or read of sound as if they were
due to improper warm up of the bike. The rest seem to have been
from not checking the oil level (see the breather issue under
Cons). The early models did have problems with a rocker box
gasket leak that was due to a poorly made paper gasket. 2002
and new models have a redesigned paper/metal gasket which seem
to have taken care of that problem.
Q:
Roy V - Is vibration a problem? Is the throttle forgiving
for the beginner? It should have low maintenance costs... is
this true? How's the comfort factor? What's typical mileage
and range?
A:
Whew? OK, The vibration is only annoying at idle. Even then
it's not a high speed buzzing like you would get from an inline
engine, it's more of a low speed pulsing. Once you?re moving
it smoothes out very nicely and the mirrors are relatively clear
and vibration free. I guess it?s all a matter of preference.
The throttle is very forgiving but the bike
is torquey. An accidental blip will still get your attention
but it?s not going to rip you off the bars unless you weren?t
holding on in the first place. My 1000-mile service came to
$120, how's that for maintenance cost? Being a standard bike
and a 5'7" man I find the regular seat height and peg location
to be fantastic. Slightly lower bars may be nice though. I am
getting about 65-70 mpg. I can?t say what my tank range has
been since I make it a point to fill up at 120-150mile intervals.
But the capacity is 2.8 gallons.
Comments:
The
bike can feel flighty at higher speeds (70+) but since it is
so responsive it?s easy to control. The aftermarket performance
folks are starting to jump on the band wagon and there are plenty
of fun things you can do to this bike to really wake it up and
customize it. A few people have been wondering if it might not
start an awakening of the Cafe Racer here in the US?
As much as I think I?d like something with more torque and power
I keep having a hard time thinking of parting with this bike.
For me, it is just too much fun to ride to think about trading
it in. So while some may say that it?s a learning tool that
you'll outgrow; I say yes, it is a learning tool but it's one
that can grow with you and one that you?ll never outgrow because
it's just too much darn fun to walk away from.
Pics
& Info:
http://ltlboybuell.tripod.com
On-Line
Community:
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/board.html
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