With a red line of 7,100 rpm, up this year from 6,900, running the engine near these figures is so smooth you can’t believe it’s a big twin. (Photo: Kevin Wing) » More Photos

Reflecting back at lunch, I think it was the ride experience I had needed to start properly communicating with the Buell. Having spent four days touring Canada on the previous incarnation of this model, I have to say Buell’s are somewhat of an acquired taste. With a ride experience more akin to something like a Moto Guzzi or and older BMW Boxer twin, it takes a while to adjust to the quirky nature of the beast when normally fed on a solid diet of modern Japanese and European motorcycles. This meant the first few miles in the saddle of the new XB12XT were not as blissful as the ones spent chasing the Volvo up the mountain road to Idyllwild, or indeed the remainder of the day. Initially struggling with the vibration and shaking the big, air-cooled V-twin emits, it was also weird to find a five-speed gearbox these days. The power delivery at slow speeds is still on my nit-pick list, although with the latest generation DDFI 3 fuel injection system, it is significantly improved over the previous model. It just still takes some thought where modern motorcycles these days don’t. Pulling away from a stop requires some clutch and throttle work to make it perfectly smooth, and trolling around at low speeds with small throttle openings is less than perfect too.

As the miles on the odometer began to rack up, and the high-speed blast to lunch chased away my complaints, I really started to enjoy the many positive attributes the Buell XB12XT exhibits. The lower seat from last year now sits 30.7 inches from the floor and makes low speed maneuvers a lot easier. With the nice wide handlebars, turning is a breeze, but watch out during the first few turns, as the steering lock is still somewhat limited in a sport bike sort of way. Not as off-putting as the first time you make a U turn on Aprilia’s Tuono, but it lacks the range of the Triumph Tiger or BMW’s GS and needs more mental re-programming to ensure you avoid and embarrassing tip over.

Sat aside the XB12XT, the ride position is comfortable with plenty of room for your legs once you have your feet up on the pegs. I was a tad surprised at the amount of upper body lean needed to reach the bars, but it’s certainly not a problem. Switchgear is pretty generic looking by today’s standards, and the bike comes equipped with a very simple, functional set of analogue gauges for monitoring road and engine speed. The handlebars are stylish enough though and come with a very nice commemorative 25th Anniversary graphic celebrating Eric Buell’s quarter century of motorcycle building. There is a digital odometer in the bottom of the speedo and this can be set to trip or mileage functions at the press of a button. With easy to read white numbers on the gauges, it takes little more than a glance to monitor your progress during riding. With the big engine being deceptively fast on the highway, this is a good thing, as 70mph comes up with barely 3,500 rpm registering.