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BUELL UNLEASHES A NEW STREETFIGHTER:
THE LIGHTNING CITYX
XB9SX Is An Urban Brawler Brimming With Torque
 EAST
TROY, Wis. (July 15, 2004) - For
2005 Buell Motorcycle Company adds a new motorcycle to the streetfighter
category it dominates: the Buell Lightning CityX XB9SX (pronounced
"Lightning City Cross"), a motorcycle bred to rule
the mean streets. The Lightning CityX gives the Buell Lightning
platform a tough new profile and offers performance that's especially
suited to urban riding - a combination of agile handling and
muscular mid-range power.
"The Lightning CityX is our urban
streetfighter, a bike that's especially suited for aggressive
city riding," said Erik Buell, chairman and chief technical
officer at Buell Motorcycle Company. "This is a bike for
the rider who loves to dodge traffic, power away from lights
and utilize the incredible agility of a sport motorcycle to charge
through the asphalt jungle."
The exclusive black-and-blue styling of
the Lightning CityX establishes an attitude for the motorcycle
and its rider: rugged, no-nonsense, ready for streetfighting.
The Hero Blue Translucid airbox cover and flyscreen are made
of a new translucent plastic that gives the bike color but also
allows some mechanical elements to be visible through the material.
This first use of a "see-through" styling element on
a motorcycle makes the Lightning CityX the ultimate naked bike.
The gauge faces and perforated tail insert are also blue, and
at night the instruments have a subtle blue glow. To better camouflage
urban grime, the Lightning CityX features Villain Black cast
aluminum wheels and a Midnight Black chin fairing and front fender.
Pirelli Scorpion Sync tires feature an aggressive tread pattern
for outstanding grip over the ever-changing urban street-scape.
To handle the urban elements, the Lightning
CityX is equipped with handlebar deflectors and a headlight grille.
A new Skyline seat and a wide Villian Black handlebar with a
Supermotard-style crossbar promote a comfortable, upright riding
style perfect for viewing the traffic ahead. The soft-rubber
Buell X Guard helps protect the airbox cover when the rider's
tank bag is mounted on the motorcycle.
The heart of the Lightning CityX is its
Buell Thunderstorm 984 engine, an air/oil/fan-cooled, 984cc 45-degree
fuel-injected V-Twin that's compact, narrow in profile and tuned
to deliver the kind of mid-range power an urban rider can use
to dart through traffic, merge with authority and out-muscle
the masses from stoplight to stoplight. Peak output is 92 horsepower
and a thumping 70 ft. lbs. of torque, delivered through a smooth,
durable drivebelt.
The engine is mounted in a Buell Lightning
chassis that's especially well-suited to the cut-and-thrust action
of urban riding. An ultra-short 52-inch wheelbase, 21-degree
fork angle and 85mm of trail gives the Lightning CityX razor-sharp
reflexes. The 3.7-gallon fuel reservoir is located in the massive
aluminum frame, and the muffler is located below the engine -
design elements that significantly lower the center of gravity
and reduce the moment of inertia, which helps enhance the motorcycle's
response to rider input. The swingarm doubles as the engine oil
reservoir and is supported by a fully adjustable Showa shock
absorber. The front wheel features the powerful Buell Zero Torsional
Load brake system, with a 375mm inside-out rotor and a six-piston
caliper, suspended by a fully adjustable 43mm Showa inverted
fork.
The Lightning CityX is ready to take the
hole-shot at every green light, dart around potholes, avoid lanes
of strangled traffic and drift through the tightest lines the
urban jungle has to offer. It will also look great parked next
to the sidewalk.
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