
1997 Buell S3T Thunderbolt
Miles: 87,985
Second Owner
Clean Title
Bid at post: $5,500 Or Best Offer
Listing Ends: July 10th, 2025
You can’t help but root for Buell’s recent return to the sportbike and cruiser world, although I have my doubts they can effectively compete with modern superbikes using a decade-old v-twin design like their 1190 Hammerhead, however innovative it is/was. But I wish them the best, as the world is a much more interesting place with them in it, building and racing bikes. Personally, I’m a huge fan of their early efforts like this Buell S3T Thunderbolt, just for the audacity it required to build a genuine sporting machine using a massive, air-cooled 45° American v-twin displacing 1203cc and incorporating the usual hot-rod tricks to make a claimed 101hp. That lump was suspended in a stiff, lightweight tubular frame, with quality suspension components, including a shock slung under the engine to help centralize weight, and good brakes that also included weight-saving tricks like the single giant disc, combined with the massive six-piston caliper to compensate for the loss in power of the missing second disc and caliper. The result was a Harley-engined sportbike that weighed in at a surprisingly svelte 513lbs wet. These were a little rough around the edges, with a bit of a kit-bike reputation, but well-reviewed when new and are generally shockingly undervalued currently. They handle well, have plenty of character, and are surprisingly effective sport-tourers. Obviously: this one has nearly 100,000 miles on the odometer currently.

Nice bike. Extra windshield. Runs great. Clean title.
Seller’s descriptions like this one remind me of one of my favorite exchanges from Miller’s Crossing, one of my all time favorite movies:
- Verna: “What you doing?”
- Tom Reagan: “Walking…”
- Verna: “Don’t let on any more than you have to.”
- Tom Reagan: “…in the rain.”
Seriously guys, could you… tell us maybe a little something more than just the bare minimum here? The photos are of decent quality, and do show some battle scars, so maybe tell us how the bike got those? That might be nice. Maybe give us something to make us feel more confident that our newly-purchased, nearly 100,000 mile motorcycle won’t blow up on the ride home. Mysterious boyfriends or girlfriends can be sexy. Mysterious motorcycle maintenance histories, not so much. Luckily, part of the appeal with these Buells is the rock-bottom pricing, and that holds true here. Bodywork aside, there’s little here you couldn’t replace or rebuild, so perhaps worth taking a chance on? I had some real reservations about posting this one, but something about it just appealed to me. Maybe it was the moody, atmospheric pictures, the chiaroscuro. Maybe I see the potential here. I believe the Vance and Hines exhaust was a period accessory, so this high-mile example of Buell’s tube-framed sport-touring bike should sound great while you ride around, deciding what parts from Harley’s vast catalog should go into the high-performance rebuild you’re certainly considering for this bike.
-tad