| Author | Message | ||
     Two_buells |
Kahuna, Frame is the same on the Twintail,just a little bolt on piece on the frame from what I've seen. | ||
| Vr1203 |
Is there a list of cams used in the Bue11's?I found a list for Sportsters. | ||
| Choptop |
Reepicheep, dude, yer high. The AMA irrelevant? Uh, hate to tell you this, but like the AMA or not, they are in charge of the largest, most popular road racing series in the country. Like them or not, if you want to play, you play by the AMA's rules. Dont like the rules? Well, its not like the AMA hasnt written the rules to favor HD before, if they wanted to, they could again. BUT, I got an even better idea. Instead of changing the rules to favor the current Buell powerplant, BUILD A FREAKING ENGINE TO WOULD COMPETITVE AS THE RULES STAND NOW !!!!! The air-cooled pushrod twin is a neat engine. I like them. But if yer gonna WIN races with it, you need a favorable rule book, or your own class. IF Buell wants to race and win, thats what its going to take. Buell may not want to do that, and thats fine. Dont put soooo much wieght on magazine reviews. Honda rarely advertises that the magazine editors liked thier bikes. What they do advertise are little things like AMA Championships. So the consumer wants more bike then they can handle? Well if thats the case, you had better give it to him if you want to sell bikes. Like Vik said when the Firebolt first came out, "erik gave us all the bike we need, just not al lthe bike we'd want." Most people buy the motorcycle they want, not the motorcycle they need. Hell, no onw really NEEEEEEEDS a motorcycle. Its all about emotion, feel, and has little to do with logic.The Firebolt will apeal to a certain crowd no matter what. It will sell, but its a niche bike. you keep comparing the Bolt to other bikes with different powerplants (ohv i4's). Dont. They are different beasts. The Bolt can hold its own with a 600 on the track or on the backroads? That has little to do with the bike, and more to do with the rider. The fact that some sanctioning bodies let the bolt race in the same class as 600's means that they seem to think they are somewhat evenly matched power wise, but after that, its up to the rider. And just because someone was able to pass me and my R6 on a canyon rode, isnt going to give the Firebolt instant street cred. Hell, I've been passed by RS125's while i was riding my Mille. It means nothing about the bike, and more about rider skill. If Buell does come out with a 1200 version, it wouldnt suprise me. its the next logical step. I can tell you this though, a 1200 version of the Bolt will get the same shrug of the shoulders that the original Firebolt got from me. And thats the likely reaction from the rest of the motorcycling world. I personally like the Bolt, hell, i'm trying to find one to race. | ||
| Ezblast |
Heres something funny I just heard from one of my union buddies and chapter member of the Hell's Angels - lol - their prefered in city bike is now the Buell! I guess it makes get aways a little easier - lol. I was told that most of the SF chapter have a Buell as well as a HD. Now theres a fun loving BRAG group! Who'd of thought! Got Thump?! Just Blasting on the Dark side! EZ  | ||
| Cjmblast |
I hope everyone has a great three day Memorial Day weekend, and can get in LOTS of riding !!! CJM  | ||
| Tat |
Your weekly update from American Sport Bike: Firebolt & Lightning Owners: Available now-Billet Aluminum Oil Cap/Dipstick, comes pre-drilled for a safety wire (Also available not pre-drilled). These caps come with a swiveling dipstick that makes reading the correct oil level 200% easier than the stock dipstick. Check out “Extreme Machines” on Discovery Channel, June 3rd. From the previews, it looks as if the Firebolt is going to make an appearance. For those of you looking to spruce up your motors, the Harley-Davidson Sportster/Buell Engine Hop-Up Guide is now available for your reading pleasure. For the low price of $24.95, you can find out how to get the most out of your engine for street, strip or track riding. Just a reminder that we carry parts from companies like Kuryakyn, Motion-Pro, Supertrapp, Vance & Hines and more. If you are looking for something we don’t stock, let us know and we can most likely get it for you. Exhaust Blow-Out Sale!!! Get an Aluminum Vance & Hines exhaust for a 98 S-1W, S-3 or S-3T for the low price of $150.00 (Suggested retail is ($295.) Limited to stock on hand. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Chop... Your right, irrelevant was the wrong choice of words. What I meant to convey was that what AMAPR *could* be is *far* short of what it was, and far short of what it currently is. How many people, much less motorcyclists, can name 5 top name racers? How many of them have ever been to a live race? Heck, how many of them have seen one on TV? I'm a cheap bastard, so I only get the medium tier from Dish Network.. no speedvision for me... I have been trying to find roadracing on the 100 or so channels I get for going on 4 years now, and I have yet to find it once. Daytona, which I understood to at one time be the center of the world motorcycling universe, is still significant, but now more because of what it was then what it is. People want to win there because they grew up when it was the place to be. The Supercross dirt races are a good counter example.... they have not quite broken into the baseball / football / basketball level, but they are getting close, and they sell out arenas across the country, and you can see them on cable without special "race fan" subscription tiers. Granted, they have an easier medium to set up, but they did not when they started, they got creative. And road racing would fit in my 27" television just as well as the supercross does. I guess it's a perception problem. I have beat this horse to death, but I have no problem at all with four strokes getting "favorable rules" relative to two strokes. I have no problem with overhead cam engines getting "favorable rules" relative to desmos. These rules are set up to allow valid sporting street bikes a chance to compete head to head in an equitable fashion. I don't understand why they stop there though, and refuse to consider the effects of aircooled pushrod engines in addition to the list of factors they already consider. That was bad enough. But then all of a sudden they come out with rules that don't make any allowances for a twin versus a four. That simply defies logic... The only way a rule like that could happen is staggering stupidity, staggering sloth, or corruption. And as they call themselves "professional", I have to believe it aint stupidity or sloth. You race, right? Do you seriously think it's a fair race when twins and fours are limited to the exact same displacement? And if "only good race bikes should race" (good being apparently measured as producing the most power from a given displacement... errrr... well... being measured as the producing the most power for a given displacement but not being a two stroke, and not having desmodromic valving), then why have any classes but the F1 / GP to begin with? Why have classes that place limits on the bikes racing at all? Why insist that they have limited modifications from stock? The answer to that question is the answer to the question of why I think the XB's should have a chance to mix it up with the 600's. Measure the XB's and 600's by *any* criteria *except* displacement, and they sure seem to fit right into the class. As to what I want.... Buell is building it, they have me pegged and I am at their mercy. I would (God help me) gladly sacrifice and go from a 110 hp OHC watercooled four engine that "sounds wrong" and "looks wrong" to a 90hp aircooled pushrod twin that "sounds right". That's what I want in a motorcycle. I would like to see that motorcycle race, and I think it could be a good racebike. I just want the rules to not mathematically eliminate them before the season even starts, especially with clearly bogus rules. But I don't race, and can't even be much of a racing fan as I never get any news of it except a monthly issue of road racing world, so take my opinion as what it is... just an opinion... | ||
| Jscott |
Reep, Drop Dish and get DirecTV, you don't know what your missing on TwoWheeledTuesdays - hell you live in Cincy you can come to my house and watch. | ||
| Ray_maines |
I think Reepicheep has a good thought about the magazine reviews. Not because you could or would advertise that you won some sort of a shoot out, but because every prospective customer in the world would know that you did. I completely agree that you don't have to win on Sunday to sell your sport bikes on Monday, but you have to win on the 20th of every month when the new issue of the sport bike magazines hit the news stands. | ||
| Cyclone8u |
Looks like Despain hit the nail on the head on his Wind Tunnel show last week. Wish I coulda caught it, oh well. Check out his rant for the week. It's always been my contention that 85% of the drivers on U.S. roads don't belong there.... -John, dodging the clueless majority in Maine...being overrun with tourists as we speek. | ||
| Admin |
Li8ning, Moved your tech question here along with the ensuing discussion. In the future, please post tech questions to the applicable topic in the Knowledge Vault. | ||
| Vjb77 |
Greetings everyone, I'm looking for some input. I bought my 2000 Blast last year to learn how to be a good rider. I already have a craving for more power. I'm looking to hear from folks with Lightnings, Firebolts or Cyclones. I'm trying to get a better idea of what I might want in the not to distant future. Thanks, Vince vjbifano@sbcglobal.net | ||
| Blake |
Test ride them all.  | ||
| Rick_a |
I interact with a lot of young sportbike riders (like myself) from day to day. Almost ALL base most of their "opinions" on what the mags and spec sheet say...and on what bike(s) are winning AMA races. Go around and ask any sportbike enthusiast what they'd rather have given the choice...an R1, GSXR, Hyabusa, CBR, etc, or a Buell. Most would laugh in your face and call you crazy. VjB...the Tubers and Fuel frames feel like completely different animals despite sharing similar characteristics. Take Blake's advice...ride 'em before you decide. | ||
| Iamike |
John- 10-4 on the brain-dead drivers. Yesterday coming home from work we have a section of road that narrows from 4-2 lanes. I was in line going into the 2 lane, a lady driving a mini-van (need I say more?)came up on my right. Now I have a blue bike, a blue/silver/black jacket and helmet so I feel that my visibility is fairly good plus my Trapp is somewhat loud. Anyway this dimwit drives up on my right then decides to move into the left lane right where I was. Amazingly she did use her signal which I saw but my intuition had already told me she was going to come over. I hit my horn since the choice was try to jump a median or shoot up on the left of the car in front of me. She jumped in her seat like she had no idea I was there. Than to really P. me off, she tailgated me for 6 blocks until she finally turned. I noticed that she lives a few blocks from me so if this ever happens again I'm going to pay her a personal visit and discuss her driving. | ||
| Snowdave |
If a bored engineer (yours truly) wanted to start a custom sportbike project and new he wanted either a v-twin or v-four, what would be the ideal engine? It must already be in production. Factors to consider are physical dimension for a sportbike chassis, weight, power, cost, etc. I wouldn't mind the Ducati desmosedici, but I don't have several $100k lying around to buy one! Keep in mind that I am both a HP and torque freak...that is why it MUST be a V engine. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Snowdave... I would think the sportster type kit engines would serve you well and give you a LOT of flexibility... build it up with an old sportster motor, then just add money until you get whatever power you want. It would be a way to do chassis development on the cheap and then easily scale later, and all the wiring etc would be super adapatable, and the existing aftermarket has likely solved any problem you might dream up. Also no radiator to hide, lots of packaging options, and it sounds right Another perhaps equally valid choice would be a TL-1000 / SV-1000 motor. That thing is (IMHO) the most under-rated sportbike motor on the market. The whole sportbike crowd seems pretty ho-hum about the TL, but look at a dyno chart from one, especially one with a power commander, and it is to die for. And there is probably no shortage of wadded TL's with good engines. It's water cooled though, so you gotta hide a radiator somewhere. The Honda VFR V four interceptor would be interesting as well... talk to Ferris about "normal" maintenance though. Would give you a taste of the exotic though, and be smooth as silk if you are looking for something that feels like an electric motor. For light and powerful, I don't know if it is possible to get that Rotax twin... I think they use them in flat track racing, so you could probably scare one up through that route. Killer power at a very low weight, but I bet you pay through the nose for it. Fun to think about! | ||
| Court |
>>>I wouldn't mind the Ducati desmosedici And, you are of course, taking TIMING into consideration by remembering that 5 years ago Ducati's vendors had cut them off and ALL parts deliveries had ceased as Zell, the Italian Tax Revenue authorities and a host of other tangled for the pieces of a decimated, for the 19th time in the company's history, of Ducati. I love the bikes, admire what they have done, am intrigued by the passion of the Italians for anything with two wheels and totally dig my Ducati library and collection of goodies they've sent. But....if you were Erik Buell and you had 4 kids with tummy's and college ahead, taking that gamble would be out of the question when America's largest debt free (at the time) corp with earnings that have grown for a record number of quarters and with whom you are already under contract for some pretty nifty engineering (even if kept well out of public view) and you have a cordial relationship with is sitting 27 miles away. Court | ||
| Tripper |
So when is the acquisition of Ducati by HD going to happen? | ||
| Tripper |
quick, while Blake's not looking; does anyone know of good Moto Guzzi discussion boards?  | ||
| Court |
>>>So when is the acquisition of Ducati by HD going to happen? Good question...it's about that time a year again, isn't it? | ||
| Iamike |
Dave, Yes, the Harley motor is easy to work on - but have you ever heard those VFR,TL motors with a pipe? That is the sweetest sounding exhaust note out of a bike other than the v-twin. | ||
| Jim_witt |
Dave wrote: If a bored engineer (yours truly) wanted to start a custom sportbike project and new he wanted either a v-twin or v-four, what would be the ideal engine? How about a real streetfighter Turbo'd Suzuki. It'd be my choice in a heartbeat. Check that frame out.  -JW:>  | ||
| Blake |
Dave, What's a V-engine got in the way of torque or HP that a parallel or opposed design lacks? Stroke gives big torque; RPM yields big HP. The ZX12R makes torque on par with a Buell but keeps revving to 12 grand and so makes 170 HP too. I agree with Bill though. Work with something you already know well and that is simple and for which the aftermarket abounds. Your engine question brings up an interesting topic... Where's that world beating tiny KTM twin sportbike engine everyone was drooling over? Man, sure is taking them a long time to get that thing to market. Remember how so many were drooling all over that bike/engine, how some chastised Buell for not doing similarly?... Buell has released two new bikes since then and is possibly about to release another. I guess some guys are still waiting on the KTM world beater though. What is it Court says about getting a product in production? Dave, Don't you know... I'm ALWAYS watching. "What are you doing Dave." "Don't do that Dave." (From A Space Odyssey 2001) heheheh (Message edited by blake on May 24, 2003, %time) | ||
| Snowdave |
I keep thinking about the Yammie V-max motor. I don't know about it's weight, size, etc. but the specs sure kick arse! I only worry that it might be too wide. One of the things I love about a twin is how narrow and und ultra-flickable the bikes are. Seems all the twins range from 100-120 hp and about 75 ft-lbs, while the V-max could easily blow past both those numbers. I always wondered why they put such a potent engine in such a crap bike! | ||
| Court |
>>>What is it Court says about getting a product in production? Court has opined for years about the arm chair quarterback who race, in theory, to take pot shots at Erik Buell. My quotes pale in comparison to my favorite by Steve Jobs - "Real geniuses ship". If you want to understand the beauty and elegance of team work, read "Organizing Genius". Genius absent direction is fantasy (that one's mine and a genius without a team of passionately committed folks seldom becomes more than a dreamer. I've written about some of the human electrons that Erik Buell has drawn to the Buellculus. Names like Duga, Wegner, Lang, Reinhardt, Anglim, Aseknazi, Ulickli, Schaller, et al. Each, in their own right, bringing a gift. Each more passionate about "the thing" than themselves. It was my pleasure to be among the honored invitees at the Rockefeller Center Motorcycle Exhibit where the Honda and Yamaha "concept" bikes were displayed. I was with a good friend who is the driving force in Honda's R&D division in Torrence when a fellow came to taunt me about HD's refusal to provide a Buell for the show... Pointing to the NAS Honda and the Yamaha, he asked? Hey...where's that "Star Wars Buell?" Without blinking, as I took a seat on a Honda 50 Cub, I replied "out being ridden by several thousand paying customers". Fact v. Fancy? Game point, Erik Buell | ||
| Blake |
The Steve Jobs quote, "Real geniuses ship", that was it. Dave, The V-Max WAS a great engine in its day. It ain't so great compared to today's 4 cylinder liter+ class powerplants. Think GSXR1000, or ZX12R. | ||
| Rocketman |
Ho ho hum there. Credit where credit's due. The NAS Honda is a concept bike, unlike those several thousand Buells you speak of, but if it were not just a concept bike Buell would be lucky if it were several hundred Buells being ridden by paying customers. Rocket  | ||
| Kahuna |
Your help would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking for what an 98 S1WL VIN would look like. Thanks muchly, K | ||
| Danny |
4MZYS11JXV322XXXX The operative code being the 4th and 5th letters... "YS" |
