| Author | Message | ||
     Rainman |
I agree. Um, with all of you. I'd like to see a Buell Hyperbike but I love my Blast and, to be honest, my next bike will either be a Lightning Long or a Bonneville simply because that's my style of riding. I had a G-Wing and a Sportster for 20 some years and it boils down to something light, about 50 to 100 horses and drive all day on the roads and in the city. I don't care how quick I get there, I just want to go. Still, I like the idea of Buell having something at all ends in case I change my mind...... | ||
| Jon |
I demand more stars!! I DEEEMMMAAAANND IT!!!! Go thou to Gixxer!!! Outcasts!!!! Reprobates!!! | ||
| Rocketman |
Not to split hairs Jon, but I believe those of us who have been asking for years for a more powerful Buell aren't asking for a Hyperbike. 150+ MPH with reliability would be about close enough, and that's where in recent years the high end Monsters, Brutales, TNT's, Tuonos etc etc have pitched in with their performance. Like I always say, the throttle works both ways, but if 150mph is too much for anyone the throttle action at least gives you a choice. That is not the same for those of us, perhaps it's more a Brit thing - I don't know, who want to twist that throttle beyond Buells seemingly content performance parameter. For too long now 120mph on a regular basis is ringing the neck of a Buell and that's not good enough. Certainly not from a reliability stand point, never mind anything to do with getting your rocks off at silly speeds. So no, not a Hyperbike. Just a faster than we've had for years Buell. Rocket | ||
| Glitch |
At what point do you just say "screw it" and design something different that is inherently better at producing power? But you'd need to be an engine company to pull that off I'd think. Buell makes it all except the engine. Why in the world would Buell make a hyper bike? Not sure why they would. This time it's not internet chatter as much as it is chatter about something Erik Buell himself said. We're merely trying to figure out how he's going to pull it off. It seems we all agree it can't be done with merely hot rodding what's already in the Buell line up. Me, I don't think it'll be the end of what's being offered now, only in addition to. | ||
| Snail |
What a bunch of whimps. I want a bike that inspires fear, not confidence. I want a bike that scares children and makes the faint of heart swoon. I want excessive power, and blistering speed. I want the most powerfull production bike built. And more. For the rest of you there's Bingo, warm milk and cookies. | ||
| Ceejay |
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| Davegess |
Snail, LJK Setright once said about power "too much is just enough" | ||
| Tommy_2stroke |
I guess I mostly agree with Jon... I don't see a future hyperbike in Buell design philosophy. Buell is about doing something different and better, not bigger and badder. Buell is about "less is more"... less mass, more cornering ability, more fun. Buell has managed to design really satisfying street rides that don't need hyper-power to beat the road into submission. Buells are very well balanced---meaning the amount and character of the available power is perfectly matched to the small, stiff chassis. The result is a bike that just "feels right" to most street riders. Well, it does to me, anyway... A hyper-motor would need a hyper-chassis to match, and it sure wouldn't be a 52-inch wheelbase. Yeesh, that's a scary combination! The hyper-chassis needs to be long and stable, which is a good thing, but then that wonderful Buell ferret-in-a-drainpipe cornering would be lost. I'm sure there are some cool new bikes in the Buell development pipeline, but I'm not worried about the comparatively long gestation period, compared to Japanese standards. There is something about the Japanese development model that bothers me... how in hell can they design clean-sheet superbikes every 2-3 years and still undercut the rest of the market on selling price? The development costs must be hidden somewhere, but I don't know where... My fondness for my XB12S notwithstanding, I'll admit I get a woodie every time I see a Kawi ZX-14. But it goes away before I start writing checks, thank God. Snail, Kawasaki's got your bike waiting. Me? I'm going to wait and see what Buell's got up their engineering sleeves. It won't be the ZX-14-beating hyperbike, but I'll bet it will be huge fun to ride nonetheless. | ||
| Blake |
"I want a bike that inspires fear, not confidence." Though I'd hate to see you do it, would letting your front brake fluid run low and putting some oil onto your rear tire satisfy that requirment? If not, maybe try removing the spring from the kickstand? Paint it fluorescent hot-pink with the words "Gay Pride" emblazoned on the fairings and tank? Hey, my Buell not only scares children--it made one little dude cry--it frightens adults too--two cowboys who were casually talking, leaning up against their old Ford pickup about jumped outa their boots at the Exxon station one evening as I fired up the old Cyclone. Don't even ask what MikeyP's S1 did to the church ladies one sunny Sunday morning in Hope, PA. With no wind screen, running at 120 MPH can put blisters on your forehead from the helmet rubbing. Is that considered blistering speed? ![: ]](http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/clipart/proud.gif) | ||
| Aydenxb9 |
Why in the world would Buell make a hyper bike? It's about image, plain and simple. In the U.S. particularly, sport bike sales are spurred by image, who's got the biggest, baddest, fastest. Machines with finesse need not apply. Most buyers of sport bikes don't care so much about racing wins but more about the numbers, H.P. and top speed. When I selling Buells, numbers were the biggest objection I faced. I could talk till I was blue in the face about how much better the Buell chassis was, or that the Buell was easier to maintain, or that it handled better, etc. All things that the average American sport bike buyer can't relate to, for the majority are young, first time purchasers who are more concerned about, you guessed it, image, what others think of them on that bike. The likelyhood of the average buyer ever seeing a track or doing some serious twisty action are small. The Buell line as of current, really is appreciated by buyers who are looking for a well balanced package, much of the time in my experience are coming off o hyper-sports, tired of their finicky-ness, over the 'image' aspect of sport bikes. So a hyper-sport makes sense for Buell as a company. Look at Ducati for example. Most of Ducati's line are made up motorcycles with about the same performance potential as Buell's. Ducati's image is looked upon differently because of their hyper-sports. They sell only a handful of 998's, 999's, and will only sell a handful 1098's, but those machines help create an image for Ducati. Buell needs a hyper-bike, and I like idea of Buell getting into dirt bikes also. | ||
| Liquorwhere |
The guys I ride with, four of us have Buells, the rest are zx-7, cbr 600, gsxr 600 x4, r1 x3, zx 10 x2, f2 , and 929 , the most prevalent theme is horse power period!!! They know my bike is good in the corners, they know it sounds good, but it won't go 175mph so it doesn't mean shit to them..that is the truth. | ||
| Jon |
I can hang with Rocket's sentiments. I 5 starred him. I also 5 starred Snail for artistic expression. I like milk and cookies but I'm too Baaaad for Bingo. | ||
| Jon |
Blake, Well said. 5 stars. | ||
| Swordsman |
WOW! This has been one wild ride of a thread! I think I just burned up 2 hours reading the whole thing (what can I say, work is slow!). I personally have NO need whatsoever for anything more than my Ss, so a hyper-whatever would be useless in my book, but I guess there will always be that constituency that isn't happy unless they're wetting their panties in glorious, glorious fear.  And I HOPE we're only talking track bikes here, because we all know that 150mph top end is utterly useless on the street (unless you pin your manhood on it like Snail), and therefore moot. Reg hasn't posted in a bit. I miss his posts on this... always an excellent read. My one thought on Buell marketing: Buell has marketing??? Snail, I'm sure you could kick my arse every which way all day long on a bike, but you DO realize you're coming off as one of those guys that have to compensate for (ahem) other things, right? You don't own a jacked up SUV, do you?  (Just kiddin' wicha' of course!) ~SM (Message edited by Swordsman on February 08, 2007) | ||
| Imonabuss |
Are ya feelin the love, Jon? The thread has actually cleaned up into something reasonable to read. I'm sure that won't last, but it felt good! | ||
| Jon |
I'm feeling it, baby! We can keep the rabbit alive, I'm sure. | ||
| Rocketman |
because we all know that 150mph top end is utterly useless on the street (unless you pin your manhood on it like Snail), and therefore moot. Utterly euphoric is the word you were looking for Jon. 150 over here? On any Sunday - except on a Buell of course. But some Buellers live in hope. Rocket | ||
| Tommy_2stroke |
Where in Great Britain can one ride at that speed, even for a short time? The whole place is smothered in thousands of speed enforcement cams (what do you call them... Gatso?). Or are you referring to riding on closed sites like tracks or abandoned RAF airfields? From the Assoc. of British Drivers: A survey carried out by Car Parts Direct has revealed that over 268,000 drivers are now banned from driving and millions of pounds are being paid out in speeding fines. Thousands of motorists are losing their jobs, freedom and ability to earn a living. 82% of speed camera victims thought they were driving safely at the time of their conviction and were just unfortunate to be doing a few miles over the limit. 65% thought their speeding ticket was totally unjustified and felt cheated. | ||
| Rocketman |
I presume that's not how you really see the UK? Yep, lots of Gatso's, and other types of cameras, but there's thousands and thousands of miles of roads of varying types were cameras don't exist. No closed courses or disused airfields necessary. If you're in any doubt as to the speeds capable on UK roads from a 150 mph or more motorcycle, suggest you watch a DVD of the TT or the NW200. The British Isles are smattered everywhere with roads just like those. My far traveled experiences tell me Yorkshire has the best roads of anywhere, though many I'm sure would argue otherwise. But hey, I'm a Yorkshireman and I know 150 + mph is achievable past my own front door, which opens out into Yorkshire of course  Rocket | ||
| Cochise |
AS much as I like Jon. The madness HAS to stop. We can't just 5 star people just because they want to be 5 starred, we do it because they deserve to be five starred. That being said, I just 5 starred Jon. | ||
| Woody1911a1 |
mediocre post joe , i'm giving you a 4  | ||
| Tommy_2stroke |
I've admittedly never been to the U.K., but my view of motoring in the U.K. is probably similar to that other Americans---I see it as a crowded, unpleasant and extremely restrictive driving environment, far more so than anywhere in the U.S. But perhaps this view is incorrect and things are not so bad as they seem. I have watched the videos of the IOMTT, of course (mostly with my jaw on the floor) but surely that is not typical---that is a closed-course event. I certainly don't need to visit the U.K. to find an Englishman, however; I'm surrounded by about 20,000 Brit ex-pats right here in Santa Monica. They are good neighbors and friends and know how to bend an elbow. :-) | ||
| Cochise |
TOUCHE' | ||
| Woody1911a1 |
lol  | ||
| Rocketman |
Don't get me wrong. Cameras are prevalent, and a royal pain in the arse, but they are not situated permanently on our more rural A roads, which are just like the roads you will see on the Island, except they have traffic on them. Riding in the UK is truly awesome and there are many thousands of miles where you are off the beaten track. One advantage the cameras have given us though, there is a major lack of traffic police anywhere in the UK. That's not an exaggeration either. Many forces have but a handful of dedicated traffic officers. Forces cut backs etc, have seen the cameras regarded as adequate enforcement, bearing in mind that speeding enforcement is also taken care of by the 'camera partnerships', which is basically a pretty ordinary police officer sat in a van with a video recorder and laser gun. Traffic cops are in serious decline in the whole of the UK, so you only need to be vigilant against cameras or policemen patrolling in built up areas. Other than that the open road is pretty safe save for the odd speed trap on sunny Sundays. Rocket | ||
| Jaimec |
I've heard British riders have gotten quite adept at pulling wheelies past the Gatsos to prevent their license plates from being photographed... | ||
| Glitch |
My far traveled experiences tell me Yorkshire has the best roads of anywhere, though many I'm sure would argue otherwise. Arguing otherwise: 93000 square miles in the UK. Great roads I'm sure. But in the Southern end of the Appalachian Mountains where the some of the best roads in the states are we have: 59441 square miles in Georgia alone. 52669 square miles in North Carolina alone. 31189 square miles in South Carolina alone. 42146 square miles in Tennessee alone. By shear volume we have the advantage. And the only cameras we have are in the city at stop lights.  | ||
| Rocketman |
But Glitch our 93000 square miles have corners, whereas your 185,445 miles, only 10 of them have anything remotely like a bend! Actually, many of the more recent cameras, unlike the first type of Gatso, take forwarding facing photos, thus motorcycles have not been identified. But, and it's a big but, just this past month new laws are proposed to catch speeding bikers by allowing the speed capture photo showing any identifying feature, like your helmet, leathers, type of boot, feature on your bike, whatever, to be allowable evidence to prosecute you with. No more wheelying past the camera! Rocket | ||
| Jon |
Us roads are way better than anything in the UK. Get over it and get over it with a great big slice of HUMBLE PIE. It's tea time for you and your quaint roads!!! You are living in an electronic concentration camp. Move to America before it's too late. Your ancestor's relatives have been here for over 300 years already. Get with the program! Oh, I almost forgot...remember that you can't be addicted to heroin here...you'll get in trouble. | ||
| Phillyblast |
just this past month new laws are proposed to catch speeding bikers by allowing the speed capture photo showing any identifying feature, like your helmet, leathers, type of boot, feature on your bike, whatever, So you're changing your leathers to read "Blake in England" ??? |
