Buell XB-12 S LIGHTNING 2007 — Specifications

Roadster or supermotard? The question is worth considering seriously, because the XB-12 S Lightning doesn't fit into any category cleanly, and that’s precisely what makes it fascinating. Buell took the recipe from the XB-12 R, removed the fork head, installed two aggressive headlights and a mini-windscreen in its place, raised the handlebars, and obtained a radically different machine in terms of handling without touching a single engine or chassis part.

The 45-degree V-twin with a displacement of 1203 cc, a clearly acknowledged legacy from the Harley-Davidson galaxy, delivers 100 horsepower at 6600 rpm and, above all, a torque of 107.9 Nm available from 6000 rpm. On paper, this looks like reasonable mechanics for a 209 kg machine fully fueled. In reality, this engine pulls with a brutal sincerity and a typically American character that Japanese or Italian twins never truly reproduce. The announced top speed of 220 km/h places the machine between two worlds, without claiming to reach the level of a Ducati Monster S4R or a KTM Super Duke of the same era, but without seeking to imitate them either.

What truly distinguishes the Lightning is the way it carves through a curve. The perimeter aluminum frame, which serves as a tank for its 14.5 liters of fuel, concentrates the masses obsessively. The 43 mm Showa inverted fork with 120 mm of travel works in harmony with a tightly adjusted single rear shock absorber, and the result is striking: the motorcycle pivots around its steering axis with a lightness that belies its displayed weight. Compared to the sporty XB-12 R, the raised riding position paradoxically improves handling sensations, placing the rider in a more active and less prone posture on the tank. You turn, the machine follows, and stability remains exemplary even when pushing the pace.

The single disc front brake is one of the few points that divides opinions. Buell has always defended this choice, arguing for the centralization of masses, but faced with competition that was increasing in power with increasingly high-performance double disc systems, the technical argument no longer always suffices to convince on the open road at high speed. The 5-speed gearbox associated with belt drive remains, however, a treat in everyday use: clean, silent, with no demanding maintenance.

At 11,995 euros in 2007, the Lightning positioned itself in a competitive price range for such an atypical machine. Its natural audience is not the beginner, who might be surprised by the torque of the large twin and the chassis’s liveliness, but rather the experienced rider who is looking for something authentic outside the well-trodden Japanese paths. Buell was then owned 95% by Harley-Davidson, and this DNA permeates every acceleration, in this particular taste for generous displacement and organic sound. The chassis, for its part, frankly deserved better than an engine whose design dated back several decades. This is the permanent contradiction of the American brand: state-of-the-art chassis engineering bolted around a nostalgic mechanical heart.