The Buell Blast is a very good beginner motorcycle, although it is a tad basic compared to other bikes in it's class. Buell is a branch of the Harley Davidson company that makes sport bikes instead of cruisers. People are very passionate about the type of motorcycle they like, usually they either love sports bikes, or they love Harleys. That makes the Buell family of bikes something of an odd duck in the two wheeled world. So how does it measure up when compared to the likes of Suzuki, Honda, Kawasaki or Yamaha?
Well before we dive into the review itself we should get the specifications out of the way. The Buell blast is powered by single cylinder, 4-stroke, 492cc (30.02 cubic inches) engine and it produced about 34 horsepower. This makes it less powerful than either the Suzuki GS500 (44 bhp) or the Kawasaki Ninja 500 (52 bhp), even if it happens to be lighter than the two of them. The low power and the light weight of the Blast makes it a good middleman between the Ninja 250 and the Ninja 500.
The controls of this motorcycle feel very basic however. Like most cruiser style motorbikes there is no tachometer included in the instrument cluster, just a speedometer. Therefore you will have to guess by engine sound what RPM your motorcycle is doing, and trust yourself not to take it past the invisible red line. The transmission on the motorcycle also feels much more clunky compared to it's Japanese competitors, although you won't have any trouble finding neutral with this bike.
Buell's generally are hit or miss when it comes to reliability, and the blast is definitely no exception. Some riders claim they never had any problems with the Blast, while others have spent more time wrenching on the bike than actually riding it. Overall the Buell Blast isn't the best motorcycle, but it is a pretty good motorcycle and can be very fun in the curves because of the it's nimbleness.
Pros:
- Lightweight and nimble.
- Less powerful than other 500cc bikes, but more powerful than a 250cc motorcycle.
Cons:
- Hit or miss reliability.
- Clunky transmission.
- No tachometer.
Specs:
- Displacement: 492.00 ccm (30.02 cubic inches)
- Engine type: Single cylinder
- Stroke: 4
- Power: 34.00 HP (24.8 kW)) @ 7500 RPM
- Torque: 40.68 Nm (4.1 kgf-m or 30.0 ft.lbs) @ 3200 RPM
- Starter: Electric
- Cooling system: Air
- Gearbox: 5-speed
- Clutch: Wet, multi-plate
- Fuel capacity: 2.80 gallons
- Power/weight ratio: 0.2082 HP/kg
- Dry weight: 360.0 pounds
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Sorry, The Buell Blast isn't between 250 and 500...
It's a completely different animal. I mean the styling and engineering of the thing is very nice and it should make a nice in-town bike with minimal headaches and maintainance, but as far as performance goes the Ninja 250 will spank the Blast.
It's probably a bit more friendlier.. I expect the low-end torque would help make gear changes easy and such. The thing is is that the Ninja can rev so high that it'll stay in a lower gear far longer then the Blast can and thus the Blast dramaticly looses on any torque advantage. I don't know the final gear ratio difference between them.. but when the Blast is lost it's breath at 8000+ rpm the Ninja 250 is just getting warmed up! In other words the Ninja 250 in at higher RPMs in 2nd gear is going to have much better acceleration then the Blast in 3rd.
I suppose the final educated guess on my part (considuring I've ridden neither) is the Blast low-end torque is going to help ridability and performance in lower city traffic situations while the Ninja 250 is going to have a lot more advantage in the 'fun' parts of the drive with better acceleration and handling. Maybe the Blast is more 'urban' and the Ninja 250 is more 'country'?
This is reflected in their respected performance...
It's hard to find timeslips for Buell Blast, but it seems to be (in mph)
0-60 in 7.1 sec
15.75 s @ 85 mph in the 1/4 mile
vs Ninja 250:
0-60 in 5.75 sec
14.6 s @ 88 mph
Although it's obvious from the quarter mile that they both loose effective acceleration around 80mph. It's just he Ninja is a lot quicker at getting to it.
I realy like the Blast though, the design of it is can almost be described as 'minimalist post-modern'. The way the exhaust is setup is just a work of art. However, for it to be a sports bike on par to the Ninja or other Japanese bikes it's going to have to loose the HD hardware, unfortunately. That and probably drop the rubber band and go to chain (which is a lot more efficient; a important thing for these low-displacement bikes even though the trade off is higher maintainance)
(Either that or convince HD to get into gear and start producing modern powerplants and transmissions)
Could you imagine the light-weight and modern Buell chassis mated up to a more modern, more lightweight power plant like what is used in the Hyosung Gt250? Your looking a 300-325 pound bike with a 600cc-like punch. Now THAT would be something to write home about. :)
(Of course then it wouldn't be such a great beginner bike.)
where did you get these stats?
Ninja 250 with 5.75 0-60???
Cycle world just reviewed this bike this month, and the stats for the Ninja 250r were:
Price $3499
Dry weight 352 lb.
Wheelbase 54.9 in.
Seat height 31.0 in.
Fuel mileage 60 mpg
0-60 mph 7.6 sec.
1/4-mile 15.54 sec. @ 82.70 mph
Horsepower 27.2 hp @ 10,770 rpm
Torque 14.3 ft.-lb. @ 9650 rpm
Top speed 96 mph
http://www.cycleworld.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=816
It gets a glowing review there...for a 250. It would seem that if you want performance below 6 seconds. you need to get a 650.
I was hoping for some objective criticism from people who'd actually ridden the bike...oh well.
you're writing a review
you're writing a review comparing the buell blast against the kawasaki ninja 250, and you've "ridden neither"???!!
The Buell Blast will spank a
The Buell Blast will spank a Ninja 250 all day in every way - you have to wring the 250 out to keep up with the Blast - and sooner than later that 250 will crap out being maxed out constantly to keep up - seen it time and time again. - lol -
EZ
The Buell Blast will spank a
The Buell Blast will spank a Ninja 250 all day in every way - you have to wring the 250 out to keep up with the Blast - and sooner than later that 250 will crap out being maxed out constantly to keep up - seen it time and time again. - lol -
EZ
I have both
The 250 ninja will get to 70 quicker but the buzzing will numb you in an hour or less ( done it) . The Blast hopes around @ low RPM but get pertty smooth @ mid RPM , which it can do 70 MPH in 4th gear. I just wise the Blast had a lower ratio on 1st gear, the motor is lugging at 7 MPH and is hard to get going if your at an uphill stop. That is harder for new riders. I use the 250 to teach start and stops, but the Blast is a better highway bike. Sory about the spelling. LoL. Also, the 250 has issues with its suspention, the bike is not so good on 60 MPH sharp curves, it wiggles. The Blast will ride 2 up at 70 MPH and corner like a pro. Life it good.
I'm a 250 rider and I have
I'm a 250 rider and I have not ridden a blast. But, I can just say that you must have ridden a lemon. I rode my 250 on a 3400 mile trip in 8 days and spent much much more than an hour at 75 or 80 mph (freeway) and never had a problem with vibration near the point of fatigue. Also, the bike is a cornering machine, even at high speeds. The suspension is just fine. The only problem is if you keep the crappy stock tires that it comes with. That is where the slope in the lean comes in. With different tires, I impressed a group of buell riders (one of them having an 1125R) with how I could keep up with them while we blazed country windys at 70+ with our knees on the ground. I have nothing to say one way or the other about the blast, other than the fact that it looks like a bike for chicks with dicks. But I love my 250. So much so that I will be keeping it after I pick up a 1098 next month.
Odometer/Speedometer
I have a 2001 Buell Blast and the speedometer stopped working recently. I have seen online that it is pretty common for this to happen, and there might be a quick fix rather than replacing the whole thing, Something about a sensor? Does anyone know what I can do? or where the sensor is?
Thanks-
Has been reliable so far
I have a 2003 Blast that I bought new and so far it has been reliable. I usually just ride it back and forth from work. I don't like to ride for more than 30 minutes because my butt starts to hurt. I've put 5000 miles on it so far.
My only complaint is the dealership. I got it at a Harley Davidson dealership about 2 miles from my house. I bought an extended warranty for $500, and shortly afterward, this dealership stopped selling and servicing Buells. I can't even get them to change the oil or replace a turn signal cover. Nothing. I think they should service what they sell or at least refund what I paid for the extended warranty.
Umm..
I'm almost positive that, by law, they have to either:
A) Return your money
B) Hold their end of the deal up
or
C) Show you were you can get it fixed under your warranty
They cannot offer you a warranty, then stop servicing the bikes, that's extremely unethical. Firstly do some research and find out what you have here.
Be easy.
Blast
The blast is an awesome beginning bike, it is a quick 500 ccs, and I have an 07 and the dealership told me that it has 48 hp, and it feels like it. It does lose some power between 60-70mph in 5th gear, but an after market exhaust makes up for it. Then add some more aftermarkey parts(header etc) and then take it to some twisties, and you can run against a 750 ninja and blast it(no pun intended haha). The blast has just so much more control and stability that its really no competition in that situation. Its not hard to get a blast running at 700 ccs with some extra money, and they are so cheap comparatively that putting more money into it is not that big of a deal.
Brief Review
As I am just getting started motoring and don't know much about it I am a little surprised to see this bike hasn't generated a little more buzz/traffic as a beginner bike. Even this review (when compared with the other reviews on the site) is pretty brief and not nearly as comprehensive.
I have often wondered about H-D reliability, quality, and service. Seems like they have such a strong brand and can sell bikes based on that alone that maybe their reliability leaves something to be desired. Guess I will have to hunt around for some more info on this bike before I rule it out or in for sure.
Eric
Havin' a Blast
Not sure about the comparison between the Ninja 250, but I've put about 2000 miles on my Blast so far and haven't had any complaints with power at all. The highway speed limit only gets up 65 on my commutes with it, and I now that the Blast does fine for me cruising at 65-70. If I had a 250 of any kind, I would get nervous of riding at that speed on a daily commute basis. An apples to apples comparison would be to ride both at the most common speed you would be using it for and see how much of an effort each bike has to put out.
One comparison I made when looking at bikes was price vs. power vs. gas mileage. I bought my 2003 Blast used for $2400 and regularly get 65 to the gallon. I commute 40 miles round-trip per week day and only put $5-7 at each fill-up twice a week. The only thing I could find that compared to that was a 250 or under, so, for the price, I chose the more soupy Blast.
The Blast has been appropriately named as a blast to ride, but I can see outgrowing it soon in that I want to travel with my bike as well as just commute. The Blast does fine on short trips, but the vibration does get a bit much after a while. My current plan, if money allows, is to keep the Blast for commuting (power and gas mileage) and get a bigger bike for traveling with.
Downfalls to the Blast would be what you might typically read on other reviews...a clunky transmission and very short friction zone.
i'm thinking about getting a
i'm thinking about getting a buell blast. what about cost of maintaining the blast? oil changes? is it pretty costly? also, is the vibration only at certain speeds or is it pretty constant regardless of what speeds you're at?
Maintenance isn't bad on mine
The maintenance is pretty inexpensive on mine, but I've heard that they can be either good or bad with the Blasts. Some Blast owners have no troubles ( www.whereismaggiemae.com ) and others have total lemons. I think it has something to do with whether the bike was properly broken in or not. They can't be ridden hard at all during break-in (first thousand miles) or leaks will happen and that screws up lubrication which screws up everything afterwards. Maggie Mae has put over 51,000 miles on her Blast now, though, with very little maintenance. She's like a walking Buell Blast ad. :o)
I'm a female, 5'5",
I'm a female, 5'5", approximately 125 lbs. We females have such limited options! Grrr... I'm deciding between the ninja 250 or the Buell Blast. I would mainly be using it for commuting approximately 15 miles on the freeway. I've read reviews about the bad vibrations on the Buell but I've also read some scary stories about the windblasts on a 250 going down the freeway. Any help? I need to decide ASAP because one of the dealerships here just got a 250 available because someone's financing fell thru.
Dual posting ==
Dual posting == bad...
http://www.bestbeginnermotorcycles.com/2008-kawasaki-ninja-250-review-pa...
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If there's anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now...
Sorry... I'm trying to get
Sorry... I'm trying to get perspectives from both sides!
On the freeway
The vibration on the Buell Blast is only bad at low RPMs. Once at speed on the highway, things are fine. The mirrors are pretty blurry sitting at the intersections though...LOL.
I don't care much for the freeway on my Blast because the weight is just not there for the wind gusts to not shove around, but I would imagine neither the Ninja or the Blast would be good there. One of my coworkers rides a Ninja 500 and he has a problem on the freeway with his legs wanting to fly out on him. I don't have that problem on the Blast, but any light bike will move around with side winds.
For cruising down the highways, the Blast does fine with me. I get wiffed by the trucks as they pass by, but that would be due to the upright riding position of the Blast. The Ninja probably does better in that regard. I would definitely say ride both of them before deciding on either though. I would also ride the Ninja 500 though for a better comparison. A 250 works harder at high speeds than any 500 will, single or twin.
The 250 wiggle
"I have both
On April 3rd, 2008 Bil (not verified) says:
The 250 ninja will get to 70 quicker but the buzzing will numb you in an hour or less ( done it) . The Blast hopes around @
low RPM but get pertty smooth @ mid RPM , which it can do 70 MPH in 4th gear. I just wise the Blast had a lower ratio on 1st
gear, the motor is lugging at 7 MPH and is hard to get going if your at an uphill stop. That is harder for new riders. I use the
250 to teach start and stops, but the Blast is a better highway bike. Sory about the spelling. LoL. Also, the 250 has issues
with its suspention, the bike is not so good on 60 MPH sharp curves, it wiggles. The Blast will ride 2 up at 70 MPH and
corner like a pro. Life it good."
I too have both and my 250 wiggles when cornering hard. Although I recommend a larger bike, both bikes become quickly boring.
I own a 2008 Ninja 250, and
I own a 2008 Ninja 250, and a good friend of mine has a Blast, not sure of the year. We ride together alot and i must say the 250 is faster. The blast is a good starter bike, that is what i started on actually. The Blast is more like a cruiser than a sportbike, very comfortable and a blast to ride. Pardon the pun.
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