| Author | Message | ||
     Jerseyguy |
Something Erik sad to me last Sunday has lingered in my mind. I was showing him my on the road data acquisition system and lamenting how I've been trying to out think his guys for the last few years and haven't had much success. He looked at me & replied "Well thanks, but it's hard to beat a team of dedicated engineers that do this every day as their job". Lets not BS each other, we aren't going to make significant improvements by making something out of a different material, cutting something shorter or drilling a couple of holes here and there. I'd be willing to bet that some of the best and brightest engineers at the Motor Company work for Buell. By and large these guys know their ••••. Not that there isn't room for improvement because there always is. All in all the XB's are damn good machines. God knows I flog mine & it keeps coming back for more. We do have a bit of wiggle room though since we don't have to worry about emissions and noise and durability and safety and profit and cost as much as Buell does. For me, I'm going to keep on trying to achieve the holy grail of performance because it's fun to do and part of the whole motorcycling experience for me. And I'm not going to be too disappointed if my ideas don't do much. Congrats to my fellow engineers at Buell who schlepped themselves to work every day and created a great product. And as I said to Erik, "Thanks for making one of my favorite toys". | ||
| Spatten1 |
When I was in MC mechanics school in 1990 the instructors said that with a Harley, the stock engine is at about 40% of its potential, and the Japanese bikes are at about 90%. Therefore, you could have more fun and make a bigger difference playing around with the American machines. However, now that Buell has effectively doubled the power of the Sporty mill, we are trying for that last 10%, which does not come so easy. | ||
| Ingemar |
Buell engineers have to work within noise and emissions regulations, and they do restrict power output. Remember just how much you can gain by throwing on a good aftermarket pipe and K&N filter. Don't get me wrong though, other than those two mods or staying within noise and emissions regulations I don't think we can improve much if anything at all. But regardless of the few extra horses we might gain here and there, I simply like fooling around with my bike. Like, revving the engine with toilet paper in the velocity stack .... | ||
| Taxman |
"Like, revving the engine with toilet paper in the velocity stack ...." what am i missing here...? | ||
| Ingemar |
hehe... | ||
| Jerseyguy |
lol | ||
| Race_pirate |
Jersey Guy- Your rig is awesome, you are gathering data, Real World Data. Interesting approach utilizing the Garden State Parkway as a testbed. Well it kinda makes sense...I have always used stock configurations in there most potent form. (ie: 327 chevy 365 HP version or XB9R with Race ECM) factories usually put a significant amount of time and money into R&D, alot more time and money then I have. I always tend to lean towards reliabilty over a 2HP gain and take weight away to make up for it. I found that in road racing there are 2 paths to go down, one is spend your money building a time bomb of an engine which results in not finishing races and a bike that is uncontollable -OR- keep it simple and focus on rider ability. I enjoy passing the fore mentioned... Now dont get me wrong, disassembley of a stock engine for balancing, de burring, lightening, porting and gasket matching may seem useless cause you aint spending money except for dremel bits and a gasket kit but a motor that spins up good and stays together...Priceless The XB engine in stock form is extremely powerful and user friendly for a AC push rod engine, Hats off to Erik and his gang, I am VERY HAPPY WITH MY BUELL. I agree with Ingemar, its there SO it must be tinkered with, if we didnt no one would ever invent a better/different one..... | ||
| Jerseyguy |
Race - I'm actually not using the Garden State Parkway, the average speed there is too high...... I'm up on a quieter spot on 78 where I'm familiar with the police observation points. A couple of things that the dyno misses are the cooling and the considerable wind resistance at 125+. The other interesting things to look at are what's going on with the FI at normal highway speeds and what is the combined average of all the riding events on a 45 minute ride. You'd be shocked at how little time is spent at high throttle openings and high RPMs on a spirited ride. I'm sure the Buell guys are mapping the FI for the overall ride and mot just a myopic pull on a dyno. The more I study my on the road data, the more I realize I don't know. | ||
| Jlnance |
"Well thanks, but it's hard to beat a team of dedicated engineers that do this every day as their job" I think this is very true. However, there are a couple of exceptions. You, in your garrage, are not working with the same constraints that Buell is faced with. This may allow you to do things they can't. Someone already metioned emissions and noise regulations. Another difference is that your labor is "free" while factory labor is not. And you are better able to take risks trying new things. If you screw something up, you're out a few hundred dollars. If Buell screws something up, they have to do a recall. |
