My initial impressions of the Buell XB12S Lightning are:

I initially had a problem with the gearchange. It was very difficult, and sometimes virtually impossible to change from 4th to 3rd gear, and later it became difficult to change from 2nd to 3rd gear. It seemed to be getting worse so I took it back to the dealer. They fixed it. Apparantly the bush in the primary chain case that the gearlever shaft passed through was not aligned correctly (a manufacturing fault). I believe they replaced various parts. Afterwards the gearchange was transformed and was as I expected from my demo rides, i.e. it's better than the Harley Sportster gearchange, with mostly light and smooth changes, although it can still clunk like the Harley at times.

With the gearchange sorted I was able to concentrate on the rest of the bike. The riding position is probably somewhere between that of the SV650 and SV1000. It's less relaxing and comfortable than the Harley, but not too uncomfortable. The ride is firm (but fully adjustable so I might make some more tweaks to it) but it absorbs small bumps well. On bumpy roads the ride can feel a bit bouncy (or lively, as some people describe it!) due to the short wheelbase and because you have to support some body weight on the handlebars (on the Harley I just rested my hands on the bars and if the front end bounced up and down it wasn't uncomfortable because I wasn't leaning on the handlebars). I found it to be reasonable comfortable when I went on a 150 mile ride (with three brief stops).

The seat height is a little tall for me (I'm on tip-toe if I try to put both feet down at once). I believe you can get lower seats (Buell do a lower seat height version of the Lightning, and although they don't currently import it to the UK you could probably order the seat), so I'll see how I get on and maybe think about changing the seat later.

The fuel consumption on the second tankfull was 56mpg. I was surprised that after running onto reserve (at about 125 miles) I could only fit in 10.2 litres of petrol. With a 14 litre tank and about 2.6 litres reserve I was expecting to be able to put in 11.4 litres. For the next tankfull I went on a longer journey with not much riding round town, and the fuel consumption improved to 67mpg - I was impressed with that!

I've got the Buell Race Kit fitted, i.e. a stage 1 tune (less restrictive air filter and exhaust, and a different ECM to richen the mixture). I like the exhaust sound, and the volume level. It has a nice deep tone and it's not too loud, but loud enough for me to hear and enjoy. Just how I like it. :-)

I think the front break is good. I've yet to break hard (still bedding in the pads) but on one occasion when some traffic light started to change just as I arrived at them I grabbed the front brake a bit harder than normal and I was surprised at how powerfully it braked (in fact I had to back off the brake or I would have stopped too soon). Not so good is if you apply the front brake while the bike is leant over it quickly lifts the bike upright.

The steering lock is not very good (I mean the angle you can turn the handlebars through, not the security lock of the steering!), so I need to be careful of low speed turns - it would be easy to expect to be able to turn more tightly and end up overbalancing and dropping the bike, and I don't want to do that!