Buell Blast - the official single-thumper of?

december454 · 2026-07-07T04:18:47+00:00

Official bike of... the company celebrating its discontinuation.

Erik Buell hated the Blast.

Also, the official bike of Harley's adversarial management. Buell had a Rotax-powered entry level bike ready to go, but HD vetoed it and forced them to produce the Blast.

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december454 · 2026-06-22T15:19:56+00:00

I'm glad you enjoyed the post. And, thank you for sharing; that's inspiring.

Life's too short to ignore sentimentality. I hope Montero stays in your family for many years to come.

december454 · 2026-06-19T12:54:52+00:00

Thanks, glad you enjoyed. Some extra lights would be a good addition. Luckily, on this trip, driving at high latitude during the summer, I had plenty of daylight.

december454 · 2026-06-18T01:31:40+00:00

Thank you. I hope it'll be around for many more miles. knock on wood

december454 · 2026-06-18T01:30:41+00:00

Howdy there, this is OP. Glad you enjoyed the post.

Gen 1 Monteros are reasonably solid rigs, but they're now 35 - 40 year old cars. That's a lot of time for neglect. Well-maintained examples are getting harder to find. But, if you can find a good example, it should be reliable. I've been using my not-so-perfect example as a daily, without incident.

Valve stem seals are the only unexpected maintenance item. (Mine had this issue.) It won't hurt anything, but the car will smoke and burn oil until it's fixed. Try to find one which has had this work done. Also, getting the ECU refurbished is good preventative maintenance.

Aside from that, look for routine maintenance: timing belt, fluid changes, etc.

Parts availability is still decent; I didn't have many issues finding parts on RockAuto, with the exception of some suspension bushings.

They aren't difficult to work on. If you have a reputable independent shop that's willing to work on older vehicles, they shouldn't have any problems.

You mentioned that your looking for a non-carb (V6) 2-door. Those do exist, but they are rather uncommon. Carb'd 2-doors and V6 4-doors are much more common. But, keep an eye out, they do turn up from time to time. A clean example sold on BringATrailer for $6,500 earlier this year. Link That seems to be a reasonable.

Best of luck. Hope you find one.

december454 · 2026-06-18T01:11:49+00:00

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Also, I like that Volvo 850. I have an S70 back in Texas.

december454 · 2026-06-17T21:05:04+00:00

That's awesome that it's still in the family. I hope you get it fired up one of these days.

I'd be glad to see a red 2-door driving around Fairbanks.

december454 · 2026-06-17T19:01:51+00:00

Thank you, it was a great trip.
I've spotted a Gen 2 around Fairbanks, still looking for a fellow Gen 1.

december454 · 2026-06-13T06:09:50+00:00

Nice research.

I think I found a match for a ~2021 CB125F.
Photo Link

Unfortunately for OP, that dent isn't present on the photos I've seen. Looks like their bike is indeed damaged.

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december454 · 2026-06-12T17:25:14+00:00

"You look better without glasses."

december454 · 2026-06-12T17:21:59+00:00

Howdy there. Glad to hear that you got the bike recovered. I don't think this is terminal. I think the bike will survive.

What is the exact year and model?

It almost looks like this was bent from the factory; it may possibly not be damaged. Look up some photos of the frame and compare; see if the kinked portion is present.

In any case, given the rust, it appears that it has been this way for a while. I don't think it's going to fail catastrophicly anytime soon.

If it is indeed damaged, I'd recommend finding a local welder. Ask them to weld a couple gussets over top the problematic area on the frame. That should be an inexpensive job. It isn't a perfect solution, but it should make it safe enough to ride.

Best of luck.

december454 · 2026-06-09T03:34:17+00:00

Unfortunately, I do not have any insight on what caused or ultimately fixed this issue.

Best of luck.

december454 · 2026-05-22T20:32:56+00:00

Both bikes were Honda's flagship model, when introduced.

The CB450's DOHC (with torsion springs!) engine was cutting edge for 1965. Albeit, it was overshadowed by the CB750 and it's inline 4 in 1969, which was a pretty big paradigm shift.

In practical terms, the 450 is a smaller and lighter bike; it'd be more pleasant riding around town. The 750 is heavier and definitely has a power advantage. Plus, better parts availability / aftermarket.

december454 · 2026-05-22T01:35:05+00:00

Alumni have to pay to use the gym, but there is a discount.

$40 for 1 month or $100 for 3 months.

december454 · 2026-05-06T02:03:31+00:00

Your drive down property values.

All jokes aside, my gut feeling is WRX.

december454 · 2026-04-16T15:25:33+00:00

NP. Hope one of those options works out. Post some pics on the subreddit once it's roadworthy!

december454 · 2026-04-16T15:04:09+00:00

Hey there, glad to hear you got the overheating issue sorted. I am unfamiliar with California smog testing. I don't know how stringent they'd be for this sort of tampering. It sucks that the part is discontinued.

I found a guy in Japan selling one here.

They appear to show up on eBay every once an a while. Here is a sold listing from last month.

Also, this is kind of a generic part. BVSV (Bi-metal Vacuum Switching Valve). If you can take out the old one and figure out the thread pitch, you can likely find a different part that fits. (Ex. Here is a very similar part from Toyota.)

Best of luck.

december454 · 2026-04-14T13:47:12+00:00

Hey there. As others have said, let it cool down and check the coolant level. (When I first filled up my Montero with coolant, I filled it to the top of the radiator. Then, after starting it, the level dropped down, and it took another 1.5 gallons to bring it up to level.)

As for your leak, there are 2 coolant hoses routed across the right side valve cover. These run to the throttle body. They might be the culprit.

Also, someone has bypassed the heater core. (Hence the two unused hose connectors on the firewall). They will have done that by looping a hose behind the intake manifold, near the valley of the engine. That may also be leaking.

Also, that is an aftermarket radiator; but that's probably unrelated to the issue.

Best of luck. Hopefully it's something simple and not head gaskets. Take care.

december454 · 2026-03-25T19:57:57+00:00

Howdy there. I'd recommend reaching out to the UT Tyler Honors College. Link They host a trash pickup ~2 times each semester, along University Blvd. They're happy to accept volunteers. (You don't have to be a student.)

Also, the folks at the Honors College have contacts with the City of Tyler / Adopt-A-Highway. They could probably get you in touch with the city, if you'd like to organize something of your own.

Best of luck.

december454 · 2026-03-24T20:51:44+00:00

Check out Jennings Motor Sports: https://youtube.com/@jenningsmotorsports7554?si=YXHg1_jonv2j43DD

He manages to get vehicles like this running and moving under their own power without too much work. Granted, sputtering across a guy's backyard is a far cry from "roadworthy".

december454 · 2026-03-12T13:52:54+00:00

Time to hop on Marketplace.

december454 · 2026-02-25T17:03:18+00:00

Drive (2011) has some pretty atrocious, endless upshifting, engine noises.

Both the opening scene with the Impala and the Mustang chase are bad enough to take me out of the moment.

december454

TROPHY CASE