| Author | Message | ||
     Kelnmasta |
I'm thinking of getting a new to me 9R or 12R as a race bike for this coming season, but I'm having a little trouble deciphering some of the ruling on the WERA website about what's aloud and what's not. I'm also just looking for general suggestions on what I should do besides safety wire, exhaust, and tires that's legal and would make me competitive. I already own a set of Pitbull stands and I've owned a 2003 XB9R before so I'm not quite starting from scratch here. I'd also like to mention my budget is about $6K and I'm most certainly prepared to spend all of it. I've also got a line on a lightly used one-piece suit from a friend and I plan on getting anew pair of boots with better ankle support both of which will be coming out of my $6K. | ||
| Tony216 |
If you can find a used racebike, you're much better off than building one. I never rode a stock suspended Buell, but mine has 25mm cartridges and a Penske shock and it was a huge improvement over the emulators/Ohlins set up on my SV. In WERA, you have to keep a Buell in Superstock-prep and you're allowed to race it in LW Twins Superbike and Formula 2. There's probably a solo20 you can race in too. I only did one WERA weekend with a Superbike-spec Buell. Let's just say, 848's are a lot faster than my XB. So basically, in WERA, you're allowed a more or less stock motor, exhaust, suspension, clip-on's and bodywork. I think you're allowed to convert your Buell to chain drive and run slicks in WERA as well. Also, don't be afraid to email Sean at WERA. He can be a bit of a dick on the WERA board, but he's quite helpful in emails and on the phone. (Message edited by Tony216 on December 04, 2012) | ||
| Reepicheep |
Based on experience with both, I would much rather be racing a 9 motor. Stock until it had to be rebuilt, then with a big bore kit after that. Once you do the big bore, you get a shorter stroke motor with about the same displacement and can probably get more power out if it. Don't know what the WERA displacement rules are though. | ||
| Trojan |
Is your budget $6k for the bike and kit alone, or $6k for the season complete (including bike & kit). If it is the latter I think you'll probably need deeper pockets and more money, as racing is the best way to turn a pile of money to nothing in no time flat! You'll need tyres on a regular basis, very regular oil changes (we changed every meeting on our Buell), a supply of sprockets and chains (or at least spare belts if you are not going to convert to chain), plus regular spares such as pads, etc.........plus transport to/from races etc. It all adds up very quickly. My advice, for what it is worth, would be to buy a cheap Suzuki SV and race that. They end up being cheaper than racing a Buell in my experience and are pretty quick for a learner to start on. Spare parts are more plentiful than Buell parts, and you'll probably be able to get parts at the track fro an SV, which isn't the case with the XB very often (for outside the US, read never available at the track!). You can usually pick up a decent used race bike complete with spares, wheels and tyres for good money these days, and this would be far more cost effective than trying to convert a road bike (believe me I have done it!). | ||
| Dennis355 |
I have an 03 XB9R race bike that I would like to sell. Many spares, chain conversion swing arm, Programmable ECM with cable and disk ,extra wheels and many more . PM me if you are interested. I would like to get $3500.00 | ||
| Paint_shaker |
I race a 2004 XB12R in WERA. It is eligable for LWTSB, F-2, HWTSS, HWTSB, C SS and C SB and the 1000 classes. You can also run any of the SOLO classes. It is only really competitive in LWTSB, F-2 and the LWT SOLO class. My mods; Motor- bone stock. K&N air filter, Buell race muffler and ECMSpy tuned. Suspension- Front; I dropped in some racing springs and heavier weight fluid. Rear; Buell race spring. Drive train- Stock transmission. Stock belt drive. I would have made a full season on the belt but I caught an extra downshift during a race. Completed the race and noticed some teeth were missing afterwards. Brakes- Front; Buell race pads or Vesera pads. Rear; stock. Things like brake and clutch levers and foot pegs I left stock. These items are much cheaper to replace if stock. Also I have seen the peg mounts that attach to the frame bend or break because of stronger pegs. Tires- I tired both Pirelli and Bridgestone DOTs. The Pirellis stuck good, but I could never get rid of cold tearing. I had much bette luck with the Stones. Expect to replace a set of tires after 2-3 sprint races, a SOLO and the associated practices. A typical race weekend will average $1000, depending on how many classes you run and how far you travel. Your money is best spent on suspension and brakes. Good luck!! | ||
| Kelnmasta |
The $6K is mainly for the bike and kit. I'll be able to save money from working over the winter and working during the weeks in the summer (full time student at the moment) to pay for transport, tires, oil, broken shit etc. I'm not sure if WERA rules would allow one to modify the internals of a 9 engine even if it turns out to be the same displacement as a 12, but that is exactly why I started this thread so hopefully someone else can chime in here. I ran the Birdgestone BT-003rs' on my 9R when I had it and I thought they were amazing on the street, plus they're one of the cheaper hardcore tires out there so I was already leaning towards those. Also, for those of you who are offering to sell their race bikes to me I'M VERY INTERESTED! The only problem is I don't have all of my cash right now, but I should within the next few weeks. I just don't want ya'll to think I'm some deadbeat talking out of his ass. Can anyone tell me the advantages/cons of running a Buell versus say an SV in LTWTSB class non-cost related? Thank you guys very much for all the help so far! | ||
| Slaughter |
IF you want to run as a "cheater" you can punch out the motor and not worry until you start taking points away from others... but with a cheater motor, you're really only elegible for Superbike classes. Yeah, letting the 848 into the middleweight twins sucked. Shoulda put them in with the 600s like they have to in AMA. | ||
| Trojan |
Can anyone tell me the advantages/cons of running a Buell versus say an SV in LTWTSB class non-cost related? I don't know anything about WERA classes or racing in the US, however one thing that I would mention would be this: If you run an SV you will find lots of other people running the same bike that can help with advice, tools and even parts at the track. There is a huge amount of information out there on racing the little SV in various classes, much more than there is on the XB. If you are a complete novice and this is your first season then it may just be an easier journey to race the SV simply because of access to information, advice and parts when you need them. I have nothing against racing the XB and have done it myself, but it is easier to start on something that is widely used than on a bike still considered to be 'unusual' in the paddock (although far more common over there than here). Racing is a very steep learning curve and you need to make things as easy and uncomplicated as you can for the first year at least  Lastly, and I speak from experience here  The SV can be tuned to go a lot faster for less money than you will get your XB9 to go I'm afraid. 700cc big bore kits, race carbs and lots of tuning parts have developed the SV650 into a Ducati 848 beater in some classes, and tuning parts can be a lot cheaper and easier to get hold of than the equivalent Buell parts. | ||
| Xb9er |
not much to making a firebolt race ready. belly pan and safety wire the required parts. Thats it, go ride! | ||
| Paint_shaker |
If you want to go pure economy, race a Ninja 250. They have their own class and you can't modify it too much. I hear it's an absolute hoot!!! But I wanted to race an XB. I had to basically start from scratch as no one really raced an XB in my area. Took us two race weekends to figure out suspension settings. I believe we went through 11 or so ecm tweaks. The XB launches really well compared to the SVs or even stock 600s. Had a blast doing it and won a LWTSB regional championship in a true battle to the last lap of the last race of the season!! |
