Another Two Cents:
I have not owned a Buell so I can`t say anything from first-hand experience regarding those bikes, but I will point out that a long warranty is not indicative of good reliability, rather, just the opposite. In reading the postings regarding your question, I have noticed many posters pointing out the 2 year warranty as a positive point for Buell. While it is certainly a good thing if you actually buy one, you may want to think again about whether a long warranty is necessarily a good selling point.
I work in the automotive industry and have noticed that the companies with the worst percieved quality/reliability record are the ones offering 10 year/ 100,000 mile warranties. Companies do this when they are:
1- Trying to build a market presence when they are an unknown quantity to the consumer - i.e. Kia, Hyundai, etc.
2- Trying to repair a percieved quality/reliability issue in the market - Mitsubishi, Chrysler in the early eighties when they were bailed out by Uncle Sam and had to start all over.
When companies start advertising their new, improved, longer warranties, big red flashing lights go off in my head. If you compare warranties, Honda, Toyota, or any of the Japanese bike brands will invariably have the worst warranty coverage, but that is because they have successfully built confidence in the market that their products are reliable enough that a long warranty is unnecessary. This can only be done by selling products that actually are reliable and of high quality. In the long term, it is nearly impossible to fool the entire market into believing your product is good if it isn`t.
As for your dilema, I would recommend a Suzuki SV-650, GS 500, Kawasaki Ninja 500, 250 or any number of smaller bikes that, for the money, you won`t be able to touch with a buell. With the money saved, you can have the seat modified to lower it with no problem.
Once again, just my two cents.
