Vehicle Description
It seemed at the time like the perfect match: Buell and
Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson had its customer base, a century
in the making, with the quite different Buell targeting the rest of
the market that Harley-Davidson didn't. When mutual synergy like
that doesn't work out though, it can be surprising. Sometimes, as
they often say, that's just how things go.
By the time this 2002 Buell X1 Lightning was built, however, it was
the last of its line that kicked off just a few years earlier in
1999-but with engineering and idea tweaks that dated back into the
1980s for engineering entrepreneur Eric Buell. Built off the
traditional, old 1200cc Sportster V-twin, Buell did tame down the
vibrations of the also traditional teeth-chattering revs while also
making internal upgrades that would see 95 BHP from the air-cooled
mill. In addition to the cylinder and piston upgrades inside, Buell
added fuel injection to the V-twin and created the X1 Lightning, a
sportier "Sporty" that topped out in the 135-plus MPH range and ran
quarter-mile times in the 11s.
This one, however, is the special "White Lightning" series that
received an extra level of tuning up to 101 HP at 6,000 RPM, 90
lb-ft torque at 5,600 RPM and topped out at just above 140 MPH.
This 2002 Buell X1 Lightning comes from The Throttlestop Museum
with its factory original paint and only 85 miles showing on the
odometer. The White Lightning models featured a white frame, wheels
and bodywork, blue exhaust pipes, and had a phantasmic ethereal
charm. Like other Buell models, the X1 used a 5-speed transmission
and steel tube frame with the 6-piston single 340mm disc forward
and a 230mm disc rear. The White Lightning is notable for the
seemingly scribbled "W" over the X1 logo on the tank and side
panels.
