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Do you have any other bikes?

Not me. A friend of mine has just picked up this Buell X1 Lightning. Eric Buell was a visionary. Always thought that the design was remarkable and one of the first radical road going experiments into mass centralisation. The fuel goes in the frame and the oil into the swinging arm. when you ride it, you're sat directly over the rear wheel. It's very squat and compact, yet that's a tuned 12000 cc Harley Sportster engine nestled in there - so it has a shit ton of torque.

He had one when they first came out, but it was stolen from his garage. Remarkable that this is over 20 years old and as dated as the Streetfighter genre is, still looks radical.

He's having it sprayed all black.

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Not me. A friend of mine has just picked up this Buell X1 Lightning. Eric Buell was a visionary. Always thought that the design was remarkable and one of the first radical road going experiments into mass centralisation. The fuel goes in the frame and the oil into the swinging arm. when you ride it, you're sat directly over the rear wheel. It's very squat and compact, yet that's a tuned 12000 cc Harley Sportster engine nestled in there - so it has a shit ton of torque.

He had one when they first came out, but it was stolen from his garage. Remarkable that this is over 20 years old and as dated as the Streetfighter genre is, still looks radical.

He's having it sprayed all black.

Had one too! MY 2008, one of the last ones they produced.
It's the only bike I've ever crashed. 3 times. First time no bodily harm. Second time broke a finger. Third time broke a collar bone. That's when I understood this bike wasn't for me and sold it.
Never crashed any other bike, before or after.
Something about that extremely short wheelbase I just couldn't handle, I suppose. The FTR is nice and long in comparison. More stable.

The individual in the light brown leather jacket c'est moi. Well, was, in 2010. 14 years and 16 kilos / 35 lb younger 😅

Now that I think about it, I seem to like blue motorcycles. My FTR is (will be - still awaiting delivery) also blue :)
 

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Not me. A friend of mine has just picked up this Buell X1 Lightning. Eric Buell was a visionary. Always thought that the design was remarkable and one of the first radical road going experiments into mass centralisation. The fuel goes in the frame and the oil into the swinging arm. when you ride it, you're sat directly over the rear wheel. It's very squat and compact, yet that's a tuned 12000 cc Harley Sportster engine nestled in there - so it has a shit ton of torque.

He had one when they first came out, but it was stolen from his garage. Remarkable that this is over 20 years old and as dated as the Streetfighter genre is, still looks radical.

He's having it sprayed all black.

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Erik*

and thats not an x1, its an xb12s lightning...this is an x1:
BUELL-X1-Lightning-11217_12.jpg
 
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