| Author | Message | ||
     Buellzebub |
Is anyone in the great pacific northwest hitting the sport bike west bike rally this year? [aug,. 16-18, kelowna BC], lotsa twisties and a good time for all! camping and some meals included for $45 cdn. there should be a few of us heading out from cowgary, speak up if you are wanting to do a group ride out, prolly leaving early on the friday morning http://www.sportbikewest.com/ | ||
| Awprior |
Breather lines... Just added a catch can, do they have to be routed down, or can I take them up over the head to the can on the left side. Thanks, Alex | ||
| Totway |
Just as a follow up: my broken drive belt was ruled materials failure and will be covered as a "goodwill" and I'll only have to pay $100 "handling" fee. Thanks Court for the offer! Tim | ||
| Admin |
Please Note... The BadWeB Server will be down for maintenance for a few hours starting at 1PM EDT today. See you on the road then.  | ||
| Blake |
Tricklidz, Thanks. CW did a good job of cutting some of my better points though. You can read my letter in it's entirety below. The blathering that follows, less the text shown in blue, appeared in the September '02 issue of Cycle World. The CW editor apparently found good reason to cull half of the content of my letter. Yeah, it was a lengthy rant, but they seemed to delete only the most scathing points. In addition, no retraction/correction of the bogus HD rake/handling test-criteria issue was published. It seems we may have struck a nerve. The CW editor's reply was to simply point out the favorable statements made by test riders. Seems like bias to me. The old addage of "Don't whiz down my back and tell me it's raining" comes to mind. Very disappointing. Kudos to Steve A. for having an objective view of things two wheeled. Here it is again... From: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To: CW_editorial@hfnm.com Subject: Bad Handling Buell, but scorches street course? Date: Fri, 07 Jun 2002 07:20:24 +0000 Dear CW, I enjoyed your coverage of the Buell XB9R in your July 2002 "The World's Best Street Bike" and "Ten Best Bikes 2002" articles. I found the opinions informative and mostly unbiased... except for a few cases. Firstly, I don't understand how Mr. Canet was able to find so much fault in the Buell Firebolt XB9R. According to Mr. Canet in reporting the results of his "How's She Handle" timed street course, the new Buell "requires constant input", is "like wrestling a pit bull through the slalom", has "ultra-heavy" clutch pull, and insists "on standing up while braking." Reading his description one would think the bike virtually unridable through the twisties in any aggressive manner. Funny how such a supposedly poor handling and difficult bike was able to match (within 0.07 seconds) the time of the 1st place bike, CW's pick for the world's best middleweight streetbike of 2002, the CBR600F4i - a 20 pound lighter bike with ten more HP, and according to Mr. Canet posessing "light neutral handling", and a "perfectly balanced suspension and brakes." Funny too how the F4i was added to an otherwise one bike per manufacturer competition, giving Honda two bikes to the other manufacturers single entries. Funny how Canet himself even admits that "Going a tick quicker than the Buell required revving the pee out of the Honda", and that he "had to get a bit aggro with it." Then in an apparent apology to American Honda, Canet comments "I could have used the extra horsepower our '01 testbike put out." Sounds to me like Canet just couldn't bear to have the Buell win the contest. When it came to the distant 3rd place (by 2.3 seconds!) Honda Interceptor, Mr. Canet has nothing but praise, touting its "solid" half second advantage over the 4th place FZ1. The XB9R trounces the Interceptor and FZ1 by well over 2 seconds, but that fact get's absolutely no comment. Even the 4th place FZ1 gets all positive comments. I appreciate objective comments and a fair evaluation. I wonder if I'm getting them from Mr. Canet. Secondly, I question the contrived list of "Downs" for the XB9R. "The front brake needs better feel" For a racebike, maybe. For a streetbike that can match the world's best middleweight on a handling course, why? "Not for the one bike owner" Why not? Does CW have any clue how many American motorcyclists put less than 3,000 miles on their bike every year? Not every biker wants to ride two up and/or for miles on end. "Useless mirrors" That statement is outright exaggeration. When the bike is parked, you can use them to check for helmet hair. "Drop swingarm replace drivebelt at 15,000 miles" Does the swing arm really need "dropped" to replace the belt? I think not. It has a removable joint to facilitate belt changes. Lastly, while honoring the XB9R as an honorable mention in the "Ten Best Bikes of 2002" article, CW says "If there was an award for the Best Air Cooled, Belt-Driven, Pushrod Twin Cylinder Sportbike, the cool new Buell would be a Ten Best shoo-in." If that isn't a slam I don't know what is. Other than Buell models, there are NO other bikes fitting CW's silly overly specific contrived Buell-only category. Makes me wonder if CW truly understands the meaning of "honorable." CW is an American publication right? Buell is the ONLY American sportbike manufacturer, right? I agree that the Firebolt is not the best all around streetbike, but how about showing Buell some respect? Blake ~~~~ Kilgore, Texas ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PS: Re. page 43, next to last paragraph: Steve Anderson mentioned to me that you took his joking/sarcastic comment about the XB9R rake being altered to meet the HD high speed stability standard as fact, when it was meant only as a joke. Please set that straight. I'm sure someone at Buell has already pointed out to you the mistake. | ||
| Bradgross |
just one more reason why the internet is a beautiful thing. Editors have complete control of a print mag. Try doing that on the Internet, zap your site will be /.'ed. (check out www.slashdot.com for an understanding of it. Basically it means that the site gets swarmed to the point that it becomes unusable. Geeks UNITE!!!!) I always read a print mag review with a grain of salt. Mr. Canet's is a definete in-line four Japanese man. The ONLY difference is his supermotard. I'm a bit bummed. If Buell were to release the ultimate superbike, he would probably still hate it. The difference between the comman man and the magazine man is that they get their bikes paid for by the manufacturers. We have to "live" with them both good and bad. The question to ask them is, "What bike do you OWN?" Besides a rare few, most don't own a bike. Same holds true for some car salespeople. They don't own a car because the dealership usually always has a demo car around for their use. Okay rant over, BradG | ||
| Snail |
Court, if I wasn't so shy I'd tell a story about bringing a tuna boat back from Guadalupe Isl, inside the Coronados, low on fuel, a hysterical woman, the Mexican coast gurard, and a quarter lb. of bad weed. Interesting trip. Paul | ||
| Choptop |
Who had the info on SpeedVision/Dave Despane coming out to Bonneville? And do you have any contact info? I'd like to send them a few press releases. | ||
| Loki |
The plot thickens.... Just talked to a detective in the now ongoing saga of Loki wants his bike back. Seems this guys partner just worked a case of another missing Buell in the county. Hmmmmmm, something about frames and thier intrinsic value. Maybe I will get it back in the near future or some parts of it..... Loki | ||
| Mikej |
Loki, Intrinsic value of frames? As in: somebody bent their frame and needs a new one? Buells being the relatively small community they are, that would be a rather foolish thing to do. There are, however, many interchangable parts between Sportsters and Buells, as well as somewhat interchangable parts between Buells and other H-D models, and between other brands all together. The current criminal value of our bikes is in the parts market for soft-ethics buyers looking for performance parts. I think I'd be putting a few feelers out that you're looking for a set of Buell wheels for a Sportster project, and see what surfaces. At $700/pair, they're easier to sell and easier to take off than engine parts. Just be carefull, but I don't think I need to tell you that. | ||
| Steve_A |
Hi Blake, The CW "best streetbike comparison" was one thing, a slightly inappropriate crowd for the Firebolt to be compared with, and perhaps less on an important new motorcycle than it deserved because of the large comparison. However, the recent coverage in Motorcyclist and Sport Rider has simply left me befuddled -- the Firebolt they've tested bears no resemblance to the machines I've ridden. And to quote a guy at a frame-straightening shop on chassis design with no objective handling testing to back up his assertions -- that's so far beyond the pale of reasonable journalism that I begin to agree with some at Buell that American journalists -- at least the ones at Motorcyclist -- are gunning for them. The Sport Rider article had more stupid assertions in it than that, such as the section on brake feel and its cause, which was a classic case of writing about what you don't know. Personally, I found myself liking the Firebolt more the more I rode it, and found it an exceptionally fun sport bike with an emphasis on rideability and good-handling rather than ultimate power -- perhaps the spiritual successor to Ducati's 900SS. The Lighting is even better, because the riding position is more to my liking. One thing is certain about the XB bikes -- they've generated extreme opinions like no other motorcycle before them. The world-wide reviews range from extreme praise to extreme disdain. Accordingly, I would suggest to anyone thinking of buying either one take a test ride and talk to actual owners -- in general, the write-ups in too many of the magazines are misleading. And on that note, does anyone have a translation of the Motorrad comparison article where the Firebolt was judged best Twin? | ||
| Court |
>>>>>>The Sport Rider article had more stupid assertions in it than that Ahhhhh...Sport Rider continues to retain thier only redeeming quality as "consistency". It is largely the mental venue, based on things I'd read, of the Ameri-Para-Squid. Me thinks you have them pegged. If the translation does not pop up here quick, let me know. We have plenty of Elves in Germany and who speak fluent German. My, having not ridden it yet, take on the XB series is based on opinions of half dozen Buell engineers and Dave Gess. Many skill levels represented and all, including yourself, have high praise for the Firebolt for a host of reasons. That pleases and interests me. Court | ||
| Madduck |
Choptop, The Bikeweek thing was us. Broadcast was July 23. Somebody here has a cell phone number to which he responds only when it interests him. My suggestion would be to talk with them at bonneville as they are likely to be a captive audience and much more receptive. Press clippings are probably of no interest as they have to come up with 50 new shows a week and video is all they work with, tv quality at that. Dave is a real nice guy and he did a helluva good job on our story. Word has it that the show was extremely well received and the follow-up at bonneville is going to be done. My guess is that they will do plenty on everyone out there racing. Paul | ||
| Aaron |
I thought it was a GREAT show. It made me want to go to Bonneville even if I wasn't already going, just to see the "do it for Davey" effort. Very cool what you guys are doing. | ||
| Madduck |
Aaron, Thanks for the kind words. We've got two of the motorcycle running and with a .040 overbore we are going to run at some 1000 cc class records also. The "Team Exceleration" crew are wildly optimistic of our chances and want 10 or 12 records this year assuming we can get the s2 into the 160's. The actual racing will bring us down to earth real quick. Really starting to get pumped about the salt again. Take care, its interesting being one of two people capable of running a computer and a vcr. I think real racers are different!! Paul | ||
| Aaron |
Hey, careful which of those 1000cc records you target! | ||
| Madduck |
We're just country boys, we ain't figgered out farings and sech yet. Looking at M-PG and M-PF. 146 is about topped out on a xr, but we are about to find out fer sure. Skip Eaken figgers a mite over 150. Scotty should be good for acuple jest on gods gift for racing. | ||
| Tricklidz |
Blake, That explains it then... notice how all references to the Honda were omitted?... Can you say "In their back pocket?" | ||
| Blake |
Steve, Surprisingly, I actually found the majority of MCyclist's sidebar on the chassis geometry VERY informative and interesting. I do agree though that Morris's personal opinions on the sensitivity of such a radical chassis geometry don't mean much if he hasn't ridden the bike. Still, even Buell has emphasized that proper suspension setup is crucial. Overall the articel by Carrithers was very good I thought. He got a bit snidish at the end with his personal (biased? ) opinions, but overall I thought it was a good and fair review. The "off the record" comments by Cook and Boehm however were unfortunate. However, I expected little more from them, so I guess I was not so dissappointed as I was with Don Canet's comments. I have a LOT of respect for Don and so was very disheartened to see what appeared to be a niggling bias creep into his personal, supposedly objective test report. I'd sure like to hear Don's comments on his experience riding the FUSA XB9R at Loudon earlier this summer. (hint) Bummer he fell victim to the agressive racing action so early on. I haven't seen the Sport Rider article yet (not a subscriber), but I certainly believe your review. Those guys are just silly sometimes. I am a CMRA/CCS member here in East Texas. So far I've only spent a few track days getting to know my capabilities and those of my '97 M2. Surprisingly, I, at 210 LBs, am running lap times quicker than half of the guys who are actually racing the superbike and supersport classes. Anyway, I digress; I took a carful look at the FUSA rules to which the CCS/CMRA adhere. It looks to me like a race prepped XB9R with one of Nallin Racing's 1050 kits, their performance headwork, and such should be able to dominate the follwing classes: Lightweight Superbike Lightweight GP Middleweight Sportsman GT Lights while also being able to pose a serious threat in the Middleweight Supersport class. I think the XB9R may unseat the SV650 as the dominant bike in most of those classes. The price point is the big hurdle for it to gain wide use on the club racing scene. | ||
| Rattler |
Good Luck with the 1000 MPG Paul..I'd like to see that one fall myself...we missed it by .8 MPH last October. Dale A. | ||
| Shotgun |
Awprior: routing up and over the heads to the left side has worked great for me, following the design of Spudman posted last November I think. Show us a photo. Spudman chose the black JAZ can, I took the white one so I can see the spooge if it builds up. | ||
| Rd350 |
Well everyone, About CW and Don's commments...You have to understand that not everyone is a twin fan. Everyone has a different riding style.. As you can tell Don favors the inline 4. Don is probably the fastest guy who writes for the mags. These guys are very picky about bikes. They ride everything. The Firebolt is a great bike but it does have somethings that everyone does not like. I do agree with Don that the Firebolt has a stiff clutch pull and the front brake gives you the shimmy at full stopping power and other small things. But every bike out on the market is not perfect. That is why they keep changing them every year. To make them better and better. As for the Firebolt it is a great bike and do not believe everything you read in a magazine. Buell has come a long way with this model. If you don't think so ride it back to back to a X1, or M2. Yes the bike needs some things fixed. But this bike is so good that 99% of you will never need to do anything on this bike. Just ride it... Remember you have to be special to ride a twin and even more special when you ride a Buell. Everyone grows up loving a certain brand of bike. You will always be a Honda guy or a Yamaha guy or a Buell guy etc.. Can't change that... Just be glade that you can ride and not drive.. | ||
| Hootowl |
Many thanks to Bob Krzeszkiewicz, who kindly drove in horrible Friday afternoon traffic in Houston to come to my broken down bike, take me to a dealer to get a battery, and then back to the bike. I owe you Bob. I don't believe the battery is the problem, as my check engine light is still on, but it was cheaper than a tow truck, and much less than my guilt would have been if he would have had to take me the 60 miles to my house, and then drive home. Thanks again Bob. Hope to see you on two wheels next time. Jeff | ||
| Dave |
Trying to contact Steve M (aka Tricklidz)... drop me an e-mail Steve. DAve thunder1200@hotmail.com | ||
| Rick_A |
My momma always tol' me I wud spey-shol.  | ||
| Jim_Sb |
FMJ, Mine is an S2 in Black Sapphire with white wheels (Marchesini) and white frame (pic is shown on my profile page). I have since added S2 hard bags (both narrow and deep lids) although I need to get all the lids repainted to match. And one of the lids doesn't work. I'm still trying to figure that one out - but the shape is a bit out of kilter... Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Xgecko |
I just finished the Sport Rider review and though they hate the engine they seem to like the bike pretty much. I did find their discussion about suspension/ride height setup to be better than anyone else and rather interesting to boot. one of their reviewers described the Bolt as "no frill good riding" (or something like that). I think that has been what Buells were about from the get go. | ||
| Bartimus |
At 143,000 miles, the 'ol S2 is getting tired. Started to smoke a little so I decided to tear it down and have a look see. Circlip failed on the rear wristpin and gouged the cylinder, and bottom of the piston. I guess I got my miles out of the old dog. :o) Anybody got a set of used cylinders for sale? If so drop me a line at: buelligan@cox.net. I'll be riding the Honda 'til the Buell is back up. at least I'm still in the wind. | ||
| Aaron |
143K miles? Man, you got your money's worth! Something about S2's. They just seem to be more reliable and have better longevity. | ||
| Az_M2 |
It looks like my shock has started leaking. Is this bad? Is this easily fixed, or will I need to replace the shock? Anyone know what typically causes this? Leak looks like it is coming from the front of the shock and accumulating at the rear. Here's a pic:  |
