How many Buell Lightnings are left?
284 are on the road in Great Britain and 499 are declared off the road. A thousand or fewer on the road.
Looking at one? Check its own record:
284
on the road in Great Britain
plus 499 declared off the road
Rare
- Most on the road
- 1,261, the end of 2009
- Still on the road
- 23% of the most there were
- Since 2021
- Down 22% (362 to 284)
Every version, as the DVLA records it
The model name on the logbook. Some are the same bike recorded in slightly different ways, and a few are typing mistakes.
| Version | On the road | Off the road | Most there were |
|---|---|---|---|
| XB 12S Lightning | 90 | 187 | 514 (2008) |
| XB9SX Lightning City X | 101 | 155 | 450 (2009) |
| XB 12 SCG Lightning | 46 | 75 | 224 (2009) |
| XB12 SS Lightning Long | 20 | 40 | 105 (2010) |
| XB12 SX Lightning City X | 10 | 13 | 86 (2010) |
| XB12STT Lightning Supertt | 10 | 22 | 76 (2008) |
| XB12 SCG Lightning LOW | 5 | 4 | 10 (2009) |
| XB9 SX Lightning City X 10 | 2 | 2 | 7 (2010) |
| XB12 SS Lightning Long 10 | 0 | 1 | 5 (2010) |
What the numbers mean
- On the road means licensed: taxed, or exempt from tax, at the end of June 2026.
- Off the road means declared SORN: still registered but not used on public roads, often stored, being restored or waiting to be sold.
- Counts are for Great Britain and come from the DVLA. Records start in 1994, so older cars may have been more common before then.
Buying one?
Rare or not, check the one in front of you: its MOT history, mileage and tax are free, and the full check adds finance, write-off and theft.
Source: Department for Transport and DVLA vehicle licensing statistics for Great Britain, table VEH0120, to the end of June 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.