| Author | Message | ||
     Slaughter |
The year's racing at Willow Springs is coming to a close on 14 and 15 November (14 practice, 15 Racing!) This'll be a final gathering of the folks racing our Buells out here at the Club level - along with a couple of Pro racers returning to Willow Springs. Some of us will be continuing into next season, some may not - but this WILL be a "gathering" of sorts. Last word is that Shawn Higbee will come out one last time. Eric Pinson is coming out from Georgia to do a last race of the year on Antelope Valley's (Liberty Waves) MotoGT 1125R... and we'll have Mario Vindeni and Ernie Snair from Glendale, Dave Finnerty from Victorville - a mix of a few Blasts... and yours truly on the oft-abused XB. If you're in California, COME ON OUT. It's a friendly crowd at the club level. $10 at the gate gets you full access. Yes - racing CONTINUES - and WILL CONTINUE on the Buell machines!! | ||
| Smoke |
GOOD LUCK BUELL RACERS!!! tim | ||
| Paint_shaker |
What Tim said!! Hope you guys have fun! | ||
| Slaughter |
We'll get pics posted when it's all said and done. Gonna be fun. | ||
| Skully |
Good luck from East Texas Steve! Keith | ||
| Firemanjim |
Darn Steve,will be at El Mirage those days. Going after the A-750 BG record. Have fun. | ||
| Slaughter |
Sheeesh FMJ - where you going to be on Friday or Saturday night? Is Terry coming down with you? | ||
| Nik |
I'm going to try to make it. I've been wanting to get involved in club racing for a while. Is it crazy that I'm now considering starting on a Buell? | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Is it crazier than starting out on a Blast?  | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Steve, did you post this at the Storm Fronts SoCal section? Or is Glendale/Antelope Valley/Bartels 'sponsoring' a ride to Willow? | ||
| Slaughter |
Didn't do the Storm Fronts thing. Al is sponsoring a ride-up of sorts. Glendale is going to do a BBQ in the pits. It's evolving informally. I think that the American Sport Bike gig is being announced in Al's Meetup.com postings. | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
Hope you folks have a good, fun weekend | ||
| Nik |
Is there a particular time to show up on Sunday to catch most of the Buell action? | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Racing Schedule: 1. Formula Two Grand Prix 1st Wave / Formula Twins Lightweight 2nd Wave / 500 Super Stock 3rd Wave 2. SPORT TIRE SERVICES 600 SUPER STOCK 3. RACEBIKERENTALS.COM NINJA CUP 1st Wave / Formula Singles & ANTELOPE VALLEY HARLEY DAVIDSON-BUELL 500 SINGLES 2nd WAVE / HYPERCYCLE TRACK DAYS LIGHTWEIGHT NOVICE 3rd WAVE 4. BOTT Heavyweight 1st Wave / 500 Modified Production 2nd Wave 5. CYCLEMALL RACE TIRE SERVICES OPEN SUPERBIKE 1st WAVE / CATALYST REACTION SUSPENSION TUNING 750 SUPER STOCK 2nd WAVE 6. ROADRACINGWORLD.COM 250 GRAND PRIX 1st Wave / 2 Stroke Production 2nd Wave 7. Formula 40 Heavyweight 1st Wave / TRACK RIDERS TAX SERVICE FORMULA 50 2nd Wave / Formula 40 Lightweight 3rd Wave 8. TRACKDAZ.COM 650 SUPERBIKE 9. Formula Twins Heavyweight 1st Wave / 550 Superbike 2nd Wave 10. RACER’S EDGE/PRECEPT MOTORSPORTS OPEN SUPER STOCK 1st WAVE / PRIVATEER’S GARAGE 750 MODIFIED PRODUCTION 2nd WAVE 11. Vintage Heavyweight & BOTT Lightweight 1st Wave / 125 GP 2nd Wave 12. TOYOTA GOLD CUP UNLIMITED FORMULA 1 ROADRACE (12 LAPS) 13. HYPERCYCLE TRACK DAYS HEAVYWEIGHT NOVICE (651cc to OPEN) 14. HYPERCYCLE TRACK DAYS MIDDLEWEIGHT NOVICE (501 to 650cc) 15. L & L MOTORSPORTS 600 MODIFIED PRODUCTION 16. CT RACING BOTT MIDDLEWEIGHT 1st WAVE / Vintage Lightweight & 660 Singles 2nd Wave 17. PEAK PERFORMANCE MOTORCYCLES OPEN MODIFIED PRODUCTION 1st WAVE / VP RACING FUELS 750 SUPERBIKE 2nd WAVE Racing starts about 10am. By the schedule it looks as if there are Buells racing all day. I dont know who's showing up and who's racing what races as some bikes and some riders qualify for more than one race and some race more than one bike! | ||
| Bertman |
Great time as usual hanging out with racers and Buelligans even though the temperature might have hit 60 degrees.  Hi Ozzie!  Mitsu, Shawn, Steve, and Bill Bartel. I think Steve is asking Shawn if he would kindly not lap him today.  Ernie Snare on the XB single.  Steve at speed.   In the BOTT heavyweight race Shawn broke his race shift linkage right after the start. A standard shifter was substituted for him to run in the Formula Twins heavyweight race. That must have been fun having to think about shifting while racing. He still put the major hurt on the Ducati's behind him.  Sparky's 1125RTT   See you all next time, TO BE CONTINUED- | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
XB single???? Tell me more please | ||
| Bertman |
I can't believe I don't have a good picture of it. I believe it is a blast engine in a XB chassis as a simplistic description.  | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
Sounds pretty cool to me  | ||
| Nik |
There was several blastard combinations there. That one, another with an S1 frame, another a blast frame with tuber suspension and wheels, and a very stock looking blast with an XB top end. (Message edited by nik on November 17, 2009) | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Ernie's XBlast uses a Blast engine with an XB top end and Mikuni carb.  FWIW: I own the "very stock looking blast with an XB top end". Although we've been running the XB top end for the last 4 years, we blew a piston earlier this year and my budget didnt allow for it to be replaced. So what we're actually running is my street bike prepped for racing, but it uses a slightly modified Blast top end. It was also the only Blast competing that was actually 'legal' for that class. (Lest anyone think you must build an 'exotic' or highly modified Blast to go racing, the other 'Blasts' technically belong in the "Formula singles" class, but with so few Blasts racing its pointless to split up the class. Also when C. Matty raced my 'stock' Blast it was at lap times which bettered the three other Blasts racing yesterday. My point is you dont need to spend a lot of money to race or risk throwing an expensive bike down the track.) (Message edited by Gearheaderiko on November 17, 2009) | ||
| 4cammer |
Blastard.....wow that is cool. Now that HD has killed my dream of building a CCS/TwinSports 883 this might be a fun project when $$$ allow. | ||
| Firstbuell |
how much $$ to create a 'nice' XB-framed Blast? it's already been done - at what cost? | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
About $8k, the easy way. Buy a used XB and a Blast. $6000+$2000=$8000. Sell the XB engine and unneeded Blast parts and use that money to finish the project. Though I dont really have any facts on those that have. Of the guys I do know that have or are close to completing one, have either connections or spare parts! The Blast engine almost bolts right in and the XB swingarm fits the Blast engine case. This way also depends on your willingness to take a fast bike (XB) and make it slower! | ||
| Firstbuell |
thx based on my observations @ BUB Bonneville & watching 500cc road race results here, I believe that the Blast has/soon will replace the Brit-bikes in many forms of Singles competition - dunno about XTs & the other Jap machines' results vs XBlast [BX?] in smaller classes, 'Blast uber alles' may also become true, over time - in larger classes, not so sure regardless, $8k ain't so bad for a competitive racebike with decent brakes & suspension.... (Message edited by firstbuell on November 17, 2009) | ||
| Slaughter |
Thanks for the pics, Bert!!! It has been a helluva year - and a HELLUVA last month since THE announcement on 15 October. As angry as we all became with Harley (Corporate), ALL of us have friends working at our local dealers - Antelope Valley, Glendale, Bartels. This makes it especially hard to take the news since we all KNOW people who made their living with selling, servicing, designing and racing Buell machines. There is MUCH that WILL continue next year with Buell Racing at the Club level and certainly all our friends riding their Buell machines... much networking, much cameraderie that CANNOT be killed by Hardley. Heck, Antelope Valley just today was talking with me about how we're going to proceed next year... so as slow as I am, it aint over. Next year is going to be FUN whether you're racing or riding! We've learned a LOT about tuning, about engine mods that can work on streetbikes (and ways to get the work DONE) - and have seen some cool stuff that WORKS for the 1125R. I have an XB-Last project that has been on the back burner for 4 years (kinda hard when all the spare change is spent on racing the Twin) We'll be putting her together up here at Antelope Valley Buell along with a parts-bin XB (which will become a "B" bike for racing and a "Shop" track bike for employees and special customers) - if we can pull it off. Regarding costs of an XBlast - 'taint exactly cheap... scrounging parts can take a couple years. If you need to START next week - you're talking 2 used bikes! If you can wait, start looking on all the usual places and maybe leaving word at your dealer for bikes with thrashed motors or "mildly" wrecked. (the XB chassis will take a LOT of damage) You CAN get an XB with a blown motor for like about $2G... and a used-up Blast pretty cheap. You have to freshen the motor so a worn out Blast isn't a worry... but you end up discarding ALL the extra Blast stuff. For racing though, a stock chassis Blast works OK but the chassis is pretty flexible. That being said, it is the ONLY thing that is legal in 500 singles. Formula Singles lets you mix and match motors and chassis. Problem is that according to the rules, even the XB heads are illegal in 500 singles - they are not stock heads... but nobody is too likely to protest unless it started beating a bunch of folks (like Matty did the first time out on Eric's Blast) We have a BUNCH of folks doing singles next year... but you have to think of racing a single as racing a superstock bike. FORMULA singles is an anything goes class (up to 660cc) - for the street, you'd be GOLDEN. I'm betting that prices will stay pretty low on used-up older XB models. Having a Blast-motored XB is sweet. Blast-motored tubers are TOO MUCH TROUBLE to fabricate (trust us on this) (Message edited by slaughter on November 17, 2009) | ||
| Slaughter |
One thing to note - the Elves are watching over us. In Bret's first image (Ozzie saluting) - on the left is Bob Sweeny. He's been the "go to guy" for ALL OF US with questions on the racing ECM. Poor guy has spent HOURS AND HOURS on the phone with me in Bartels, Glendale and Antelope Valley dyno rooms with running engines desperately trying to help me sort out what it is that I am seeing while trying to tune some of these bikes - he's another real asset lost with the demise of Buell. (but we're HOPING to pick him up here at work!!!) Bad for Hardley, good for us (if we can work it out) (Message edited by slaughter on November 17, 2009) | ||
| Slaughter |
I also have to say that the ONLY reason that Shawn didn't lap me was that the races have been shortened to 6 laps from 8 - when the days got shorter. He'd always get around me by lap 6 or 7. Amazing to see Shawn "at work" while he's at speed! | ||
| Bud |
nice stuff Steve. thanks for sharing | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Watching Shawn race was like watching a race video at double speed. It was insane! Like he was on rails-no worries! Like the wave he gave to the stands (or someone in the stands) just before hitting turn one, after a long straight and some hard braking. At a near record setting pace (a record he set). | ||
| Manxboy |
What kind of horsepower does a Blast with XB top end make? I race a 500 Manx Norton single (and a 1125R) so I am always interested in other singles! |
