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Drummer
| Posted on Sunday, April 13, 2008 - 10:30 am: |
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I'm beginning my search for an S2 and I'm wondering if there is anyplace I can go to find the different colors offered in different years for the S2? I've seen red, orange, several shades of blue, white, black, silver (grey?), yellow and have heard that you could have the factory mix custom colors as well? Wow..guess those days are over. Thanks, Steve |
Court
| Posted on Sunday, April 13, 2008 - 11:23 am: |
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There were 4 colors for 1995.
- Yellow Jacket Pearl (like the first media bike)
- Ice White Pearl (like my first S2)
- Caribbean Candy Blue (an offshoot of the old blue - long story - see the book)
- Black Sapphire Pearl
- Red Snap (Like Erik's "Big Red"
For 1996 , for the S2, it was:
- Ice White Pearl
- Black Sapphire Pearl
- Canyon Red
- Parkway Blue
For the S2T (produced only in 1996) it was:
- Parkway Blue
- Quicksilver Metallic
- NOTE: Both the S2T's came with a gray frame - the S2 had a white frame
You could not have factory custom colors. My green S2 and my carbon fiber and Parkway Blue S1 were purpose built to test different things. In the case of the green, we were curious to see how it would look as a 1997 color. A set of bodywork was done, complete with luggage and I rode it from Topeka to the BMWMOA annual gathering in the Carolinas. I parked in smack dab in the middle. .. sat back a distance away and watched to see how folks reacted. There were a host of other interesting bikes and one of the chapters that ended up on the cutting room floor included 33 "Special Buells". These included not only new models that never saw the light of day but special built bikes, like the turbo X-1, police bike,s drag bikes and show bikes, that were done at the factory. I'm thinking another book is warranted. In the "good old days" there were a number of custom paint jobs . . .perhaps the most famous is "Janice". If you are at Homecoming let me know and I'll show her to you and tell you the story. The "several shades of blue" is Buell history. The original RS-1200 came first in Curraco Blue to celebrate the USA color in world race circuits. Then again . . . I could be wrong. |
Skntpig
| Posted on Sunday, April 13, 2008 - 03:07 pm: |
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Court, Barney hit the cutting room floor huh? I got the original bodywork. Kinda wish it was in the book. Got any other stories to share?
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Court
| Posted on Sunday, April 13, 2008 - 03:42 pm: |
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Which bodywork do you have the solid Parkway Blue or the carbon fiber? There were 3 sets. . . two solids and one in carbon fiber that was made to look like it got hit with a purple water balloon. I still have the helmet that was painted with the solid bodywork to get the colors just right. The helmet got the same coats of paint, clear and has the gray BUELL decals and the AMERICAN MOTORCYCLES down under several layers of clear. Fun thing is that the same guy is still painting stuff . . . . I'll bet that paint still looks great, huh? |
Drummer
| Posted on Sunday, April 13, 2008 - 08:03 pm: |
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Court, Thanks for the info..very helpful. Two additional questions if you don't mind. Were there one or two colors in either year that are far more rare than others? And, regarding the custom color question, what is the color that is referenced in this thread as "custom"? http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/disc us.cgi?pg=next&topic=47623&page=155977 Thanks much, I am planning on going to Homecoming this year, so if I don't already have my bike by then I guess I'll probably seem all colors in the flesh. Steve PS: Can't wait to get a copy of your book. |
Court
| Posted on Sunday, April 13, 2008 - 09:07 pm: |
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Well that may be a tough question. I'll tell you what I think and I often suffer from Courtsheimers. The green that the S@ is shown in WAS a factory custom color but NOT on that S2. It was painted on a special RS-1200 (yes, we have many photos) and was painted by (Brankin, help me out) Rich Moos or MAYBE (depending on the time) the folks at Excalibur Kit Car before they took the big dive. Actually, both statements could be true as Rich came to Buell when Excalibur went under. It was a stunning RS-1200. Other "custom" Buells, in the green-arena are the SeaFoam (I shot two rolls of Kodachrome) S-1 show bike that mades the rounds of the show circuit in 1998. When Amy told me she was painting it green, I thought she'd totally lost it. When I was the bike it was absolutely stunning. My Amazon green S2 was more R&D. I actually had a test mule (#0001) in Amazon Green that was hidden in Topeka (some of you recall the tales of all the winter riding and the diesel fuel fiasco) and a green S2 that I rode to events. The Green S2 is the one I rode the opening (St. Joe, MO) and closing legs (South Fork Ranch - Dallas, TX) legs of the first Pony Express Tour on and then rode all night to take a group of BMW and Honda riders to the top of Mt. Evans, the highest paved road in the USA. Green's been good to me. . .
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Drummer
| Posted on Sunday, April 13, 2008 - 09:43 pm: |
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Thanks Court..sheesh you ought to write a book! Steve |
Wardan123
| Posted on Sunday, April 13, 2008 - 10:09 pm: |
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Skntpig
| Posted on Sunday, April 13, 2008 - 11:31 pm: |
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Court, I have the solid Parkway blue. I got it from a fellow who said it was off the bike Erik rode on the sighting lap of the first Lightning Series race at Daytona. I saw that race, and that "historic" ride in person. 2 years later I raced my F2 at Daytona. Never thought I would ride on Daytona and never thought I would have that bodywork on my S1. The body work was shipped to me wrapped in pillow cases and it must have been in there for a long time in storage. It kinda peeled off. You can see some fabric imprints in the tank. The clear on the tail is pealing just a little. I'm not touching it. It didn't come with a bikini. }Looks great from 5 feet. PM sent. |
Court
| Posted on Monday, April 14, 2008 - 07:00 am: |
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>>>>I have the solid Parkway blue. I got it from a fellow who said it was off the bike Erik rode on the sighting lap of the first Lightning Series race at Daytona. Then you have the "Right Stuff". That is the original Barny bodywork as featured in Battle 2Win and Motorcyclist magazine. That was the first lap of a Buell around Daytona. I took tons of photos if I could ever find them. It was funny as Erik, unrestrained by the 90HP limit on the rest of the field, walked away from the pack on the sighting lap. Then he comes down pit road and does a mondo stoppie . . . all I could think about was a $25,000+ S-1 tumbling down the tarmac. He did just fine. I've also got all the photos of Barny being built when it still had some of the High Voltage Yellow on mixed with the Parkway Blue. We also, when the cases of parts arrived . . .. laid EVERYTHING from the polished calipers and engine mounts to the Hem-Design heads out on the floor and photographed it. The guy who shot the bodywork is still painting at Buell. The helmet, that matches the bodywork, is still on my rack of famous Buell helmets. It was painted at the same time the bodywork was. Very cool. |
Aaomy
| Posted on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 08:56 am: |
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court,, on the cover of my s2 parts manual is pictured a light blue s2,, kinda a powder or baby blue bike? what color is that??? many thanks aaron |
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