| Author | Message | ||
     Molly_hatchet |
thats cool....my best freinds brother had a kawi triple...oooh that sumbitch was insane...i was lookin for one a while back on ebay..they are goin for a pretty penny these days...that thing blew my RD away and it had some nice stuff on it the kawi was stock...one of the few bikes ive ridden that really scared me...the big KZ was another.good times goooood times....funny i never thought of it til now..but ya there was a big halabaloo way back in the day..for my crowd it was the 2 strokes against the new ninja's and interceptor...my dad had a norton and a triumph and id get laughed at when i rode one...the harley was still harley but i think it meant a little more back then to have one.if u rode a hog everybody thought u were an angel back then...IMO maybe im just gettin old  . | ||
| Aesquire |
The Mv F4.... It must look better in person, ( not the only bike like that ) the wheels & single side swing arm... tasty, the headlight mirrors the seat? I have to see in person. Saab's? A buddy in high school had a Sonett III. Loved it. ( think 4 wheel Rd400, smoke, ring ding and all ) James Bond drove a Saab in some of Gardner's version books. Nuff said. IL4's? Owned 2, also 2 triples. My built GS750 was a great bike, my GS1100E an aluminum hammer. I just got tired of the vibes. ( a Triumph Speed Triple may be in my future, that's taste for you! ) I love some style aspects of my M2, not thrilled with others. The tail looks great from some angles, not so good from others. the best view of the Manta tank is the riders. A great view, by the way. I'm reminded of a line by Craig Vetter. ( misquote from memory "Everyone wants a 5 gallon tank, they have no idea how hard that is, take a garbage bag, put 5 gallons of water in it, put that on your frame & make it look good..." ) I even like the S3 fairing, but would prefer a round light, it would be more like the classic Ducati's. AH!! the new classic Ducati's! drool, gibber. That's good looks. The Xb's? Some good some not to my taste.... 1125r's? Still waiting to climb on one. ( and will wait till the one that fits me comes out to buy one. ) | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
i very much like the new retro bikes the CB1000 the ducati's the triumphs , i wonder if anybody else is going to go that route id like to see a newer version of the old KZ's and GS's ...that would be fun . i have a soft spot for the cafe racers...i remember the first harley cafe racer i saw again one of the coolest bikes i ever saw ...i wanted one sooo bad...i cant remember the model number for it ...anybody else remember the old harley cafe racer thing...maybe thats why i liked my XB so much thats about as close as u can get these days to that old harley...i bet those cost a pretty penny now. | ||
| Rocketman |
Patrick, oh thank you very very much. I have in my possession an A4 advertising flyer for Saab Turbo as driven by James Bond. Rather than dig it out I just took a quick peep on eBay in the hope of robbing a quick pic. These flyers pop up from time to time on there. But look what I found instead, thanks to you. A sticker!  I can go one better than Bond actually, though I've never been successful in finding a picture in 15 years or more of trying. So you'll just have to take my word for it. F1 Word Champion Damon Hill started his four wheel racing career racing Saab 900 Turbo's in a one make race series around 1980. Rocket | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
 thats the one. | ||
| Rocketman |
It was a 1974 Kawasaki 900 Z1. Back then, it was the "ALLMIGHTY". That brings back fond memories when we all rode around on 50cc FS1E's, AP50's etc and dreamed of owning the big Kwak. Honda had took on the Brit's and succeeded with their CB750 four. Kawasaki joined the fray soon after. In those days, top speed was not the overriding factor, but engine capacity was. That is why Kawasaki named their Z900 "KING OF THE ROAD". It's also why Kawasaki went to Z1000. Honda went one better with the CBX1000 six cylinder, to which Kawasaki answered back with their liquid cooled six cylinder Z1300. I remember as an 18 year old serving my apprenticeship with a Honda dealer, and going on the CBX training course. We watched a bloke strip the entire engine in a morning, and rebuild it in the afternoon. Ok, it had never run, so no oil, and no piston rings, but never the less amazing. I still have the CBX booklet they gave us that day. Sadly the certificate remained on the dealers wall after I left, and I never got it back. Great days. Thanks for the memories. Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
Careful Molly, all this talk of Saab Turbos, then you posting a pic of an XLCR will have Court joining this thread in earnest. He likes his Saab's, and that is one of his favourite bikes! Not sure why though  when the XR1000 was drop dead stunning............  Rocket | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
well i was never a big saab fan...but that was the first harley i ever thought was dead sexy...back then my dad and all his cronies rode hogs and was allways the kid on the rice rocket...i had just finished my RD400 for the third time and had it all cafe'd out the front fairing looked just like that one...i saw that harley and heard the roar of the twin and was like oooh damn thats a harley...but it looks cool...see looks are part of it...i remember the big six cyl honda...kinda made fun of it for a while cause she was a little ugly..then got smoked by one like i was standin still on the freeway...big heavy and fast they were...man this just makes me wanna go get an old bike and start restoring it. | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
my cafe racer harley pic is waaaay cooler than urs . | ||
| Court |
>>Not sure why though when the XR1000 was drop dead stunning............ I couldn't decide either. . . so I bought my 1977 XLCR and my 1983 XR-1000 on the same day. Tow of the most fun bikes I have ever owned. My wife has has had 3 Saab Turbos and made the leap to Mercedes-Benz last year. The Saabs were lots of fun. | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
i guess there is a common thread that runs through most of us...motorcycles are cool... | ||
| Slaughter |
This is a pic from Laguna - the last time I was there for almost 25 years. Hurley Wilvert on the Kawi H2R raced for Team Hansen (Kawi USA) along with Gary Nixon and Yvon DuHamel. We stay in touch to this day. Pic is of him passing Steve McLaughlin in 1974 Laguna Seca. I bought it a couple years ago on Ebay and because it was an authorized piece of artwork (they had his approval) and because I use my own name on Ebay - he knew it was me so he shot me an email. We got together for dinner and he signed it for me (don't have a scan of the signed copy - image is from Vintage Arte catalogue) Those 2-stroke bikes were just EVIL.  (photo: Jerry Smith) (Message edited by slaughter on January 02, 2008) | ||
| Bad_karma |
Rocket No apology needed. Everyone is entitle to their own opinion. I expect no one to agree with mine, but it's still mine. I don't ask anyone to change theirs. Good thread. Joe | ||
| Molly_hatchet |
yes this turned pretty nifty..go figure..any more cool stories..this is gettin kinda fun. | ||
| Rocketman |
I couldn't decide either. . . so I bought my 1977 XLCR and my 1983 XR-1000 on the same day. That's a part of the story we've not heard before. Glad I reminded you................ I'd been in the hunt for an XR1000 for years. Test rode about 4 if memory serves. Still, they were all really over priced in the mid 90's, but I found one that was heavily modified by Warrs at money I could nearly afford. Peter Warr use to race an XR1000, and was the first and only person back then to have raced an RR1000, so it was Warrs had hands on race experience with the XR motor. So the XR I was settling for didn't have the original pipes, instead Supertrapps, and a different rear wheel, amongst other mods that made it not so cool looking as the stock XR. But it went like hot snot when I rode it through Henley, Shepperton and along the M25. I passed the old Brooklans race circuit that day too, and popped in for a quick look around the old place, until security moved me on. Fun day. But the XR never made it into my ownership. Just as I was putting the finishing touches to a pile of readies, bear in mind this was Christmas 1996, I walked into a newsagents to buy something, and something else caught my eye. I could just see poking out from behind another magazine, the rear end of a yellow flat track looking motorcycle on the front cover of Cycle World. As I pulled the mag off the shelf, something became immediately obvious to me that I had struggled with for a short while. The bloke who's XR I was saving for was buying a Buell. I couldn't figure why anyone would (back then) choose a sort of race style bike over an XR style Sporty. I could now though. On the front cover of Cycle World was a yellow S1 and I was struck by Lightning. "Buell builds a Streetfighter" was the caption. It became clear to me this was the Buell the XR owner was buying. I just had to have, and right there, that instant, I knew I'd probably never own an XR1000. Buell had instantly killed a 12 year dream. Two weeks later I was flying through north London up the A1 on a spark red S1, a demo model from a spurious importer, but it was way past what I could afford. Still, I got one in the end, and a black S1W at that, so I guess it was worth waiting for. Rocket | ||
| Court |
Both the XLCR and the XR-1000 were hugely important in HD history. The XR-1000 was, perhaps, one of the great marketing flubs of all time. Two price increases between the announcement and actual availability . . . and then in never really performed up to expectations. I'm still looking for one of the six rumored XLCRs that were made with the leftover parts. The XR-1000 was also a pain to maintain. Basically you'd ride it and at the end of the season you dropped the bike and a $2500 check off at the dealer and picked the bike up in the spring. It was the first bike I've ever grenaded a motor in. Good news is I got a gift of a "same serial numbered motor" from HD President Jim Patterson. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
"Is it entirely possible, just like Ducati have in the past, Buell too could build a shit bike?" Everybody lays a turd sometimes, but this bike is too new to determine if it is. With all the engineering involved in this process, I think it'll be a winner. And I don't like the 1125r either. | ||
| Blake |
The first Buell I ever rode was also a Spark Red S1. It was lightly tuned in the stock carburetor, had a race module and sported a KT exhaust system (straight pipe with megaphone). I darn near didn't return the beast to its captors. It begged to be ridden. When first sitting on an air-cooled Buell at idle, it seems that folks experience one of two reactions, either they feel revulsion at the raucous almost rabid shaking, or they feel kindred appreciation even affection, like that of a tough old cowboy for an unbroken stallion yearning to run free. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Just to answer some questions that were asked by Molly... I test rode a Kawi ZX10R this past spring. Fast as all hell, turned pretty good, tons of fun. But it was noticeable slower to transision than my Firebolt. The bike felt 100 lbs heavier to me. Power on the VFR is good. I didn't really feel the pop at 7 grand that most people mention. The bike is quick, but not enough to make you cry about it. I'd only consider it for the factory hard bags to be honest as I'd want something with a little more umph. | ||
| Scott_in_nh |
I passed the old Brooklans race circuit that day too, I visited Brooklands a few years ago - Fascinating place and museum! It is a shame that it was lost as a raceway during WWII. If it weren't for the Hulman's Indy would have suffered the same fate.....  | ||
| Igneroid |
When first sitting on an air-cooled Buell at idle, it seems that folks experience one of two reactions, either they feel revulsion at the raucous almost rabid shaking, or they feel kindred appreciation even affection, like that of a tough old cowboy for an unbroken stallion yearning to run free. You should be a writer! Mebey you are, I dunno, but you nailed it perfectly. When I went to look at this M2 that I now own, the ownwer fires it up and the thing is shakin like a dog shitting razor blades. I thought to my self, "I dunno". I only went around a fairly large block but in those few minutes, I changed, or more accuratley, the bike changed me, and my opinion of these matters. Im 53 and I actually got "wood" during that short ride, more than you wanna know Im sure, but regardless..... I let a Ninja rider take it for a burn before the snow came. When he got back, he was wearin a grin that no one coulda removed with an axe, and said "WTF??? " | ||
| Rocketman |
I was with you all the way Blake, until you mentioned the bloody horse! Court, had the XR1000 not been such a flop, I wonder if the RR1000 and therefore Buell, ever have existed today. I suppose the reality is, Erik would have found another way, but it's an interesting thought how history might have changed things had those 50 XR motors not been available. Rocket | ||
| Aesquire |
Vibes. I got my Cyclone, Buttercup, inspected at a chopper shop last year. I looked at the smooth new pavement in the lot, judged the slope & angles, & started the bike. I then walked over to a spot about 5 feet from some other customers, who were admiring a hog, put my helmet down, said hello, and started to gear up & set my mp3 player. I could hear Buttercup approaching, behind me. The Buell dance was on. I finished strapping the helmet, put on the gloves, and as they watched open mouthed, turned around, climbed on, said bye! & purred away. I can't make this stuff up. When I took a friend of mine for her first passenger ride on my Cyclone, I turned around at the first stop light to see how she was doing. I saw a silly grin, and heard, "we can stay right here as long as you like..." "Sorry" I told her, "the cars behind us want us to get out of the way". 1/2 hour later, after briefly touching the ton & sweeping a few turns, She Wants One. Not a XB, or a Blast, a Cyclone. When she finishes school, it's in her budget. I've had to modify my standard new passenger lecture to include, "when I touch the brakes, it will feel like we are going straight down & you are laying on my back. Don't worry, that's normal. On this bike." ( still mad for not buying that Xr1000 ) | ||
| Cityxslicker |
I have always liked that Cafe racer, it is the first bike that brought me to harley as a kid, then I got on the 57 Sportster as the basic run-a-bout bike. The clean lines, the basic, nothin on there that didnt need to be styling. I was really hoping that they were going to go forward with the XR1200... I guess I will have to build a cafe replica out of the 2003 xl883r in the garage. | ||
| Frankfast |
Sorry, but the XLCR and XR-1000 don't look right to me. There's a big difference between a true race bike and a replica. These replicas don't look proportional. They seem to have just assembled pieces without stepping back to take a look. Now the XR flat track bike is beautiful. I've always wanted to buy one and put lights on it. Saw a guy who did that. | ||
| Blake |
Thank you for your kind review Igneroid (Percy). When you have a decade to think about them, sometime the words work out okay. ![: ]](http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/clipart/proud.gif) Sean, You got lost at the horse? You can't muster a sense for what it means to be a grizzled old cowboy, or powerful and free like a wild stallion? That's it bro, raw unbridled power and freedom. That's the imagery that an air-cooled Buell dancing at idle evokes for me. What imagery does it evoke for you? | ||
| Doerman |
That imagery is lost on me Blake. I had this brilliant idea on one of my motorcycle jaunts through the country that since I was in Jackson WY at the time I ought to get a taste of the cowboy life. So I signed on for a trail ride in the foothills of the Tetons. After four hours of horseback riding I had blisters on my butt. That seriously ruined riding my S3 the next couple of days and taught me never to mix horses and bikes.  It sure was peaceful and nice up amongst all the aspens though. Asbjorn (Message edited by doerman on January 03, 2008) | ||
| Ducxl |
Rocket! THey tell me you're my long lost brother! Are we like minded? Every time i meet a Badwebber in person they tell me......."Oh yeah,you're the $hit Stirrer". But really,we ALL get along so much better in person.Even the FiremanJim related it that way to me a few weeks ago. Can i be Gomez..and you're Fester?  | ||
| Thumper74 |
This is the greatest thing I've read all day, "When first sitting on an air-cooled Buell at idle, it seems that folks experience one of two reactions, either they feel revulsion at the raucous almost rabid shaking, or they feel kindred appreciation even affection, like that of a tough old cowboy for an unbroken stallion yearning to run free." I'm in the second group. The first one I ever fired up was an XB12s that I bought an hour later. My heart was going a mile a minute and was in my throat and still does everytime I fire it up. No other bike does it for me. One of my buddies related it to dating a pornstar... Sure there are more refined bikes out there that would be just fine to take home, but they aren't as fun as my Buell. | ||
| Court |
50 XR motors not been available. 50? :-) |
