| Author | Message | ||
     garyhoov |
Does anyone have any real information on the expected availability? My dealer is telling me to put down a deposit now if I hope to get one this year, but I would expect him to say that. Can anyone out there predict if models will be available off the showroom floor in, for example, August? Thanks in advance for any help. Gary | ||
| Court |
Gary: Be cool man....as the world waits, the Buell fanatics are sticking to the "we want it to be ready when Erik SAYS it's ready". I suspect, given recent hints and innuendo that is precisely what is occuring. "a few issues" seem to be all that remains. In addition, Buell, I am betting is going to break new ground by having SUPERIOR support and manuals in place at/near (within the month) when the XB9R is introduced. The dealers that I am talking to indicate that, at least at this point, getting a Firebolt is not a problem. However, I suggest that the moment one of us gets our hands on one and reports back, that could change. Like Aaron, I'm not quite sure that this is my style. But, from a Buell Corporate History perspective the XB9R Firebolt represents the next, and likely the most critical, chapter in the evolution (can we use that word?) of Buell Motorcycles. I am thrilled to see what the folks at Buell have done and if the enthusiasm of the folks who designed and tested this motorcycle are a valid early indicator, well "worth the wait" is going to take on an entire new meaning. Court | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Bill, Those are excellent, common sense rules. Like Blake said and I had said a while ago, you should only race with what you sell, and you should only sell what you race with. #1 is exactly my problem with the Pro Thunder Buells, ie, you can't go anywhere to buy dual carburated heads or the full fairing, these are not widely available. If Buell sold a 1350cc "race kit", the fairing or the heads, I would drop my objections in an instant. | ||
| Reepicheep |
 Well, I don't know about you, but *I* can't go anywhere and buy any of those "factory" Ducatti's either. Heck, I can't even get my wife to let me get a $1500 dirt bike. A $35,000 limited production "factory" engine is just a silly as a unobtanium dual carb'd head IMHO, which is just another argument for elimination of the whole class I suppose. And while I am on the topic, I don't know why anyone would want any kind of bike designed for supersport racing on the street, but I suppose the type of people that buy these things for the street are generally severely testosterone poisened and are not thinking clearly anyway. The perfect example is the TL-1000. When I had the normal "intro to Buell" class during my first 3 months of Cyclone ownership (two blown speedo sensors, leaking rear rocker box, and flush busted header stud) I started looking around again. When I ran across the TL-1000, I figured it was perfect, everything looked fantastic. Then I went and sat on one. Never even had to ride it. What (IMHO... ducking already) an idiotic setup for a street bike. Terrible seating position, nasty to service, lots of stuff to break and be in the way, totally uninspiring appliance like looks, and it sounds awfull. Course, it would make a FANTASTIC track bike, but that is not where I ride... The more I looked around, the more I realized the Cyclone was the perfect bike for me. It only falls short in one catagory (reliability), and it is not THAT far off the mark in that category. With this list as a tool, it is not that big a deal to keep a Cyclone running pretty well. I could not possibly care less what the characteristics are of a motorcycle above 90 miles per hour. I could not possibly care less how well my bike will handle if I put on tires that cost $400 and last only a day. I could not possibly care less how my braking system will hold up after fifty or so cycles of going from 120 to 20 mph in 30 minutes. I could not possibly care less how much power my engine will produce when fitted with an exhaust that will bother my neighbors if I leave for work at 6 am. I could not possibly care less what my peak horsepower is. I do care about torque curve across the RPM band that won't attact the attention of every cop in a 5 mile radius. I do care about how easy my bike is to work on. I do care about how expensive it will be to fix when I drop it backing out of the driveway. I do care about what kind of fuel milage I get. I do care about how often I will have to be wrenching when I would rather be riding. I do care if my bike has character, and looks good, so long as form is driven by function (as opposed to driving function by form). I do care about how much the bike costs to buy, maintain, and repair, and if I will be able to get parts for it two decades from now. So for me, my 2000 Cyclone is nearly the perfect bike, the 2002 Cyclone is even closer (everything that broke on mine is likely already fixed by the 2002 model). I bought my used 2000 cyclone for about the same cost as I would have paid for a used 2000 SV-650 (a great bike) and i think it beats the SV in every catagory EXCEPT reliability, and I would pick it again in a second. The Firebolt is likely an absolute home run (once I can find one used in good shape for $7000 or so), and looks to be "The best bike ever made", even if Court does not say so . Bill | ||
| Al_Lighton |
what Bill said. Except substitute 99S3 and 98S1W in place of M2 everywhere, and substitute 110MPH for 90 . Good post. Al | ||
| Jim_Witt |
Bill mentioned: I could not possibly care less how much power my engine will produce when fitted with an exhaust that will bother my neighbors if I leave for work at 6 am. Woa, Hold on there partner, I love firing up my Buell at 4:30am every morning and pissing my neighbors off! It makes them appreiate the weekends better (if I'm not working) and generates a ton of converation that otherwise would never take place. <grin> Cheers, -JW:>) | ||
| Loki |
Bill, well put.... JW, Hats off to ya.... Try sticking it to a busy body on a cell phone going down the street. I got the look of death from this guy this past summer. I wuv my D-Boss...... | ||
| José_Quiñones |
Don't misunderstand, I agree that Buells are wonderful street bikes (other than the reliability). I tell people that all the time. What I fail to understand is their approach with Racing in the Pro Thunder Class, where a Ducati has won the championship of a class sponsored by BUELL for the last three years, and the "Factory" (the engines are built in E. Troy) Buells have an embarassing record of breakdowns and DNF's. To me this does not help Buell's image at all. The Formula USA Lightning Class, however, is the perfect racing class for promoting the brand, because the bikes are reasonably close to the one you or I can purchase, the racing is great, and it helps the Buell dealers get involved in a way that will help them in all things Buell at the showroom floor level. If I was Buell, I would concentrate on the Lightning Class and forget about Pro Thunder. The one positive that I can think about the Pro Thunder class is that a lot of the things that have become production items were first developed and tested in this class. Examples of this are the fourth tie rod linkage, and the new engine stroke. Tilley used the 3.125 stroke first in his bikes in the 1999-2000 seasons, and this is the same stroke that the Blast and the Firebolt use . If the trend continues, the "big" bolt will displace either 1135cc (3.75 x 3.125), 1291 cc (4.0 x 3.125) or go whole HOG and go to 1337 (4.0 x 3.5) Kind of like the VR1000 helping HD with developing the VROD, right?  | ||
| Anonymous |
If you want the new bodywork everyone is talking about, then wait for the Firebolt's big brother to be released. It has even more. | ||
| S320002 |
Like the man said, "If you're gonna make an omlete you gotta break a few eggs." Sure Buell has breakdowns but they are not the only ones on the DNF list. No one hates losing more than Don Tilley. If he wants to race, and do a little R&D in the process, I say we should thank him not throw him off the track. We should also thanks the other racers and builders who help with the R&D process. I don't know if Honda or Ducati won there first race but they obviously didn't quit either. Buell has won more than a few ProThunder races and will probably win more, if they keep racing. Also Buell may sponser the class but the AMA makes the rules. If other teams didn't think they could compete under the rules they wouldn't race (and win). I would hate to see Buell lose just the R&D tool needed to develope the kind of bike some of you say you want. Greg | ||
| Court |
"The Firebolt. . . looks to be "The best bike ever made", even if Court does not say so." I am perfectly open to, once I get my paws on a REAL one, the idea of finding that statement true. To date, I am most impressed with the WAY the Firebolt is happening. A few old "that's the way we always do it" have fallen. I'm excited. "If you want the new bodywork everyone is talking about, then wait for the Firebolt's big brother to be released. It has even more." That's very likely true. Harley-Davidson folks, reeling over the embarressment of the VR Program, love to brag of the upcoming "RR-1000 bodied 1300+cc Buell world beater". But, for my money, Buell needs a few baby steps and is in no position to, any longer, play the "well, just wait till the next bike" game. The Firebolt, and Buell knows this, is a HUGE make it or break it for Buell Motorcycles. Both the bike and all the ancillary services, support and programs. I'm excited....about THIS one NOW, not the NEXT one THEN. Court | ||
| Lsr_Bbs |
Hey, I got an idea! Let's all beat up on Neil for a while! Hey, great idea...turn-about's fair play. Anyone from BMC wanna throw the first stone??? Sorry that Aaron see's no positive contributions from me to this board (or just this discussion???). Can't please everyone...Aaron, obviously you and I will never see eye-to-eye on much of anything. Sad. Neil Garretson X0.5 | ||
| Blake |
Neil, what color is that thong you're wearing? | ||
| Aaron |
At some point, I think you need to accept that Buell isn't playing in the mainstream market, and isn't likely to do so in the immediate future. They're trying to come up with bikes that no one else has. That's not just my speculation, by the way, their CTO has said as much. Whining, complaining, second-guessing, and insulting them is not going to change that. There are folks a whole lot smarter than you or me, with access to a whole lot more information than you or me, who've made that decision. Personally, I'm thankful for it, even when the product they come up with is not my cup of tea, like the X1 or XB. Nice to see someone thinking outside the box. I'll watch their products closely, and when they offer neat bikes that do appeal to me, I'll buy. And they do that every so often, as you can tell by looking in my garage. But I won't sit around complaining that they're not making a clone of some other bike. That makes no sense to me. If I wanted that other bike, I'd go buy it. I fail to understand why you choose to complain instead of just going out and buying what you want. You still haven't explained that. It leads me to only one conclusion. | ||
| Cro13 |
The comment was made to write letters encouraging the BMC to make the XB9R race parts avaible to the general public. If one wanted to do that: Can someone give a name and address to whom these requests would be herd and make a difference? Carter Smith Cro13 97 S3 |
