Buell or kawasaki?

i am very interested in buying either the 2008 buell xb12 or the 2008 kawasaki z1000. i used to be a motorcycle instructor and have riden all kinds of bikes, but never a buell. i rode the 2006 z1000 and didnt like it, but the 08 i hear are much better. im not a speed freak, i usually take long trips, and i love the vtwin sound and torque, thats right, im a torque junky. every one who i ride with, ride sport bike, (i dont want to be a odd ball)

iv been riding bikes for a long time. basically any thing from a yamaha r1, to a ducati monster, i get no joy from a sport bike whats so ever, they are speed bikes and im not in to that, would buell give test rides? the one i like is the xb12.

the buell will handle great, and have that low end tractor like grunt you seem to want, but it has a harley engine that hasn't seen R&D in about 50 years which means it will be in the shop 200 days per year.

look at the triumph speed triple if you aren't against its unique headlight setup. lots o torque out of the triple, and more reliable than a buell, handles better too.

thats a hard question.

Kawasaki! Buell's are not the best handling bikes. And the up keep is quite more plus they vi berate them selves apart. I'm not a Kawasaki guy either but I would pick it over a buell.
And odd balls are cool so ride what you like!

Easy to tell you want the Buell. I'm kind of wondering why the Kawasaki would be your second choice in the world of sportbikes. The z1000 isn't even a lay down riding position, while the beull is.

I think you should be comparing the Buell to a Ducati, and the clear choice is the Ducati.

Depends on what you like.

If you want arm socket popping accelleration, the Kaw Z1000 is hard to beat in that area. If you want to do some fast canyon carving, the Buell XB12 is very nimble in that area.

I think if the road in question is mostly curves, the Buell will stay at the lead. If the road in question is mostly straights, the Kaw will quickly make up for lost ground.

I own an XB and I can tell you that the person who said they don't handle well has no idea what they're talking about...they handle excellent. They have the torque you're looking for and are fun as hell to ride in the twisties. An XB won't be winning any drag races or top speed contests with a Z1000 but if that's not what you're into it shouldn't matter. By the way, a couple of friends and I have had XBs for over 4 years without a single problem so the maintenance issues are a bit of a myth with the newer Buells.

Check with your local Harley/Buell dealer. Most will let you demo a bike if you are serious. Maybe they have that model used, they should let you ride a used bike. If not ask them if the Buell demo fleet is going to be anywhere near you. They go to events and dealers all round the country.

I've been considering the Buell myself, and I'm a BMW rider. Why- because it's something special. I am sure your local dealer will let you ride one, why wouldn't they, surely no one would buy a bike they haven't ridden. I went and test rode a 750 shadow once, it looked great, but was slower than the 250 I was riding at the time and I found that uncomfortable for me. The 750 shadow was Honda's biggest selling road bike in Australia for a number of years, showing that my perception was different to others. I Also rode a BMW1200c
and hated it,even though I got on it prepared to part with $20,000 because I thought I wanted it so much.
Don't worry about what others think, ride what you want.