Most custom street fighters you find online are born out of a lazy effort to clean-up a set of thrashed fairings more often than they’re built out of an ambition to purposefully actualize a vision of something cool. This custom Buell however unmistakably falls into that seldom-seen latter-category. This heavily-modded 2003 XB9S has had all kinds of work done to it, structural, mechanical, electrical and a whole lot of cosmetic, making the final product one badass two-wheeler.
My father has always been a huge fan of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. I grew up hearing about Roth’s philosophy on vehicles which I’ve always personally subscribed to. EBDR believed that vehicles should be more than a means of transportation, that they should be unique and interesting with their own character and flavor and above all else, they should be fun and exciting to drive (or ride). This custom XB9S wonderfully encapsulates that philosophy.
The first two changes you’ll probably notice on this Sportster-powered machine are the headlight assembly and tail section. The tail is from a 2016 (Ducati) Panigale and sits on a custom built sub-frame while the 4-bulb super-bright LED headlight off of a 2016 Kawa Z1000 set-up further modernizes the 14-year-old Buell’s look. The build also gets a myriad of new parts such as handle bar(s?), grips, adjustable shorty-levers, (one) bar-end mirror, flush LED signals up front, LED tail-light w/ integrated signals in back, speedo, indicator lights, and a right-side air scoop which the seller claims is rare. He or she also mentions that the build “has carbon fiber parts” but fails to mention them in the parts list.
Completing this street fighter project is a fresh set of custom “titanium, silver and rough matte black” paint. This modernized XBuild also has new K&N oil-filter, custom air-filter, new battery (w/ 2-year warranty), ceramic brake-pads, fresh brake fluid and a set of Dunlops with less than 300 miles put on them, all saving the potential buyer on cost of ownership making this sub $5k custom more attractive to you and your wallet. The bike is said to be in fantastic condition with just over 15k on it. You can find this one-of-a-kind 03′ XB9S for sale here on Craigslist on Long Island, New York for $4,800.