| Author | Message | ||
     Ray Monasmith (Bluebuellfool) |
I also want to be the first to post here, so -- I want to (road)race a Buell next year. Anyone willing to donate to charity? I'd gladly tattoo your name on my arse... ...pics in the "R" section, of course... BBF | ||
| Mike Hahne (Mike) |
 | ||
| Mike Moriarty (Shooter) |
hey Mike,track day or racing? | ||
| Ray Monasmith (Bluebuellfool) |
I guess the answer is no... OK, so we'll just have to settle for another year on the EX-250, unless my son decides to will his Blast back to me...  BBF | ||
| Jim Holmen (Jimh) |
Were are all the racers? I know your out there, I've seen you at the track! I started racing a Honda Hawk in the lightweight classes at Blackhawk this past season mostly cause I didn't want to risk my streetbike (S1W). Well now that cabin fever has set in and I'm not thinking real clearly I've decided to race my Buell. I'd be interested in hearing how other racers have set up their Buells ( suspension, tires, brakes,motor mods). I like the pics to! I'd post some but I got a crappy camera and a girlfriend that can't aim it! Jim | ||
| Mike Moriarty (Shooter) |
Hey Jim, I will be club racing my M2 next year.I ran the Donner Hill Climb event this year with my racing buddy Toyracer.We were the only 2 bikes out of 110 with licence plates! worthwhile mods IMHO : EBC rotor (s)- plan on warping one or 2 rear sets- I put crossroads on mine and plan to post pics soon. oil cooler-( this is a debated item) it will have to be safety wired. I use a spurgin, mounts on the frame tube aft , might survive a get off, and leaves room for a steering dampner, wich is next on my list of must haves. steering dampner 207 gp's (my choice) penske shock if ya got the $$$$ basic motor mods - Heavily built Buell motors tend to break, and are still slower than Ducati's, so look for longevity and reliability. 95 rwhp is competitive anyone else??? | ||
| Stephen J Heimers (Sparkster632) |
Fellow Buell racers, Howdy!I raced CCS/LRRS on a 96 S1.First move contact Henry Duga(Buell Race Support)@ BMC. He knows better than anyone what works motor -wise,he'll fax you sketches of the recomended frame mods etc.He is the nicest guy you'll ever meet,or talk to about racing a Buell. The only opinion I have is set your bike up to be "Buell Lightning Series" legal..this way you can run with the national dudes if they have a race near you.I did Pocono,got to ride with Higbee and the Speedvision boys..even though I finished 14th it was the "highlight"of my season.I'll post my set-up/mods as soon as I have more time..the only thing I do slower then race a Buell,is type! later, Sparky CCS/FUSA # 632 | ||
| Marty Hunt (Martyh) |
Glad to see some action here!!!! I'm also setting my '00 X1 up for racing CCS Supertwins in 2001, with a possible moonlight apearance at the Road America Buell Lightning race! I'm excited as hell! I think I'm sticking to suspension mods for this year and leaving the motor stock (except for a race kit). I'm not really sure what oil wght/ spring rate to run? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Yeah, like Jim said, any pics would be cool! See you later, Marty | ||
| Stephen J Heimers (Sparkster632) |
Marty, Absolutely do up the suspension first. I do all my own work,to save money. Having said that,I had Race Tech do my forks..at the races I see GMD and Traxxion Dynamics..Over the winter I'll have Peter Kates(GMD BOSTON)redo my forks. He'll be at at least 8 races(he races)Im at next season...thats important.I bought my Penske from Peter,if I lived/raced down south maybe Id use Max (from T.D.)I've learned to spend my money close to home.I'll never know what these guys have forgotten about suspension.. Marty what I know about suspension is Peter Kates.I started with.85 springs(180 suited up)5w oil, Race tech valving. I ride a little to hard for that set-up now,Supertwins is a high bar class for a Buell there's some serious hardware out there..I could run up front on the S1 this year at Loudon NH, which is a tight track .Next season I'm going Jr/Ex I cant see me leading one lap if I dont get my suspension seriously dailed,Im talking a $1,400 clamp/fork job by GMD. The X-1 motor stock is real fast,your smart to leave it alone...for now. Sparkster#632 | ||
| Stuart Mungomery (Wet4uracing) |
I unlike you yanks dont have ready access to bolt on go fast gear,but the best $60 AUS (about $4.50 US now)was race kit fork springs.Not sure if you can , but I run twin disc front (ZX-9 calipers & master cyc.)Steering damper a must. Ride height adjustment would be sweet.All the fast (ie. over 90 hp) buells @#$% themselves sooner or later.Custom machined rear sets and oil cooler (unproven)+clip ons round it out.Obviously 520 chain conversion a must.Dont forget to tighten sprocket bolts EVERYTIME you thow a leg over.Double lockwire oil filter.Replace primary drive tensioner 3 times a season.Some kind of fork brace would help.Mine is a S1 WL. | ||
| Jasonl (Jasonl) |
Wet4uracing - How'd you fit the ZX9 braking gear? Is it a bolt on to the stock or PM wheel? | ||
| Marty Hunt (Martyh) |
Stuart, What is with replacing the tensioner? What breaks or wears out? Did you notice a big difference when you went to the 520 chain? Sorry about all the questions, it's just not very often we get to talk to somebady actually racing a Buell. Seems they don't get on the net much. Can't wait to race mine!!! I will be leaving the thing pretty much stock except for Raceteching the suspension and a Buell Pro Series Race kit, I want longivity out of the motor and I still will be riding this bike on the street. I more than likely rebuild the motor next winter. Thanks for the help, Marty '00 X1 | ||
| Mike Moriarty (Shooter) |
tensioner shoes (the plastic part) have been known to break and throw chunks in to your primary chain. not fun. | ||
| Stuart Mungomery (Wet4uracing) |
Jasonl, The calipers are off a 98 ZX-9 C1 as is the master cyclinder,std Kawasaki pads (expensive but worth it)std Buell 340mm disc x2.I had a set of adaptors machined up to suit.If you are really interested I can make some measurements when I get my bike back from the shop this weekend.Std painted wheels.I also run an R1 rear wheel with a cush drive 6in 190 tyres. | ||
| Stuart Mungomery (Wet4uracing) |
marty I can only assume you are still running a belt drive.If so,the ride is similar to a belt,but as I said It wrecks havic on the sprocket bolts and wheel hub face.Much better with a cush drive.Also take note that the chin tension (final drive)has to be almost ridiculosly loose,due to the location of the swingarm pivot in relation to the countershaft sprocket.23&24 tooth fronts and 45 to 52 rears are needed to almost clear the casing behind the countershaft sprocket,still a nylon guide needs to be installed to stop the chain cutting the casing.The primary drive tensioners cost about $30 here,so thats very cheap insurance.The guys here have all had them fail at one time or another and it can cause too much damage to overlook.good luck.stu. | ||
| Jasonl (Jasonl) |
Thanks for the info Stuart. We've had one guy here have his primary tensioner fail on the street. Nasty damage there. I think it was Jim Armstrong's X1. Excuse the ignorance but what does the cush drive do for you? Also does the adapters on the brakes align the calipers to the rotor? | ||
| Jose Quinones (José_Quiñones) |
Daytona Weapon II | ||
| Stuart Mungomery (Wet4uracing) |
Jasonl, The cush drive is a series of rubber blocks that isolate the sprocket carrier from the wheel hub.Its purpose is to absorb sudden changes in accelaration(backlash)normally carried out by the belt drive on a Buell.The adaptors position the calipers in the correct allignment to give full pad contact with the discs.The mounting holes dont line up on the calipers with the forks therefore adaptors are used. | ||
| BigHairyRalph (Ralph) |
Stu, I'd really appreciate a photo(s) of the brake set up you're using. | ||
| Jasonl (Jasonl) |
Thanks for the edu-ma-cation there Stuart. Those 600cc pistons do put some strain on a drive system. BTW - maybe you could talk BHR into talking about his planned S3 proj. | ||
| Marty Hunt (Martyh) |
Hello guys, Great to see even more action here, and glad to talk more about racing instead of how some sissy wants to put a bigger windshield on so he doesn't get "blown off" at a hundred MPH. hahaha Still, haven't made a final decision on the fork spring rate? Guess I'll just stick to the recommended 1.0 My first race is in the middle of March at Gateway International Raceway. I will be putting the bike somewhat together this weekend (Numberplates and removing useless items) Can you just cut the wires to the side stand switch or is there a bigger trick to it? I'll also be removing the gigantic trunk! That thing belongs in the back of some cotton tops caddy! hahaha Hope everyone is having fun out in Buell "racing" world. Does anyone have any interest in posting their race reports next season? Maybe we could start a different thread to post just race reports? Take Care, Marty '00 X1 CCS#979 | ||
| BigHairyRalph (Ralph) |
Okay Stu, where does a guy get this here "cush drive"? And thirdly, I took a look at yer profile, .060 of the heads?! Wow. Don't worry Jason, as soon as there is something to say you'll hear it. | ||
| Stuart Mungomery (Wet4uracing) |
I run two sets of wheels on my bike(wet & dry).The wets are on the std Buell rim 5inch 180/60/17 and slicks on an a Yammaha R1 rim 6inch 190/55/17.The R1 wheel has the cush drive on it std.Typo should read 40 thou.I will post a photo of the front wheel when I get the photos scanned this weekend.Where do I post it and how? Im not a poindexter,this is a new thing for me.It took me 2hrs to post the profile photo because of the dpi? and the space was only 50k photo was something meg?I also mucked around with offsetting the rear wheel so it is in line with the front wheel.You all have X1 swingarms in your old Buells dont you?I put one in mine and it doesnt wobble as much in fast corners.If I scan a photo in at a high resolution can you blow up sections to view separately? | ||
| Jasonl (Jasonl) |
Stu - some guys on here are masters are posting excellent pics. On the pics page is a program (infraview I think) which is great at reducing the size of the pics without sacrificing quality. You might want to talk to some successful posters of pics for the help. I'm sure we'd all like to see your brake and cush drive setup. | ||
| Peter Moltmann (Peter) |
Stu, If you get stuck with the pictures, you can e'mail them to me and I'll get them on here for you. You can click on my name for my e'mail address. PPiA | ||
| Mike Moriarty (Shooter) |
Marty, the sidestand switch is normally open, meaning after you cut it out , join the two wires back together to complete the safety circut.there are a few ways to do it, a butt connector will work fine. | ||
| Marty Hunt (Martyh) |
Thanks Mike, It is always nice to get a clear idea of what the heck you should do when going into the unknown. I appreciate your help. Thanks again, Marty | ||
| Stephen J Heimers (Sparkster632) |
Stu, Interesting the R1 rear wheel thing.Ive never had any problems with the solid mounted sprocket (chainwheel)in two seasons of racing..your set-up has to be kinder to the gearbox at the very least Over here you gotta safetywire everything,I do the rear sprocket bolts..you got to remove the rear sprocket everytime you get a new tire,the trackside tire guys wont touch your rim if there's a sprocket on it,might get their hands dirty.With tire and gear changes constantly I like seeing the wire run through the bolt heads,if I see wire I know I tightened them last wheel/gear change.These bolts loosen up fast on a solid mount set-up your right telling the boys to check them often. I also ran a dual disc set-up on one of my race Buells, Isn't it fun trying to check your front tire air pressure with 2 -340mm discs..I used Tokico(4piston) calipers off a gsxr 750..machined alum. brackets,EBC HH pads,fastline lines,97 master etc.EBC pro-lite rotors...1 finger up by the pivot point of the brakelever will stand it on the front end at 145 lap after lap..almost to much.Im running classes now that dont allow the added disc so Im running 1 EBC rotor,nissan caliper(6 piston) goodrich line,ferodo cp911 pads...thats what all the "lightning series" boys run..its a 2 finger deal at 130+ about mid-lever. I also got to post some pics here one day,have to buy a scanner one day soon.My buddy posted some pit pictures of the Pocono national I ran over on www.sacborg.com under"Sparkys race pix" Jimh-I think the NT650 is one of the best track bikes ever built...you know how many national champs raced Hawks once upon a time..I love em Idont think America was ready for them at the time but now look how many SV650 Suzukis selling!! This is the best part of the BWB site..OK Im a little bias..its cool to see people checking in,sharing knowledge.. Stu..what do you run for fuel? Buells love the leaded Winston Cup gas 110 octane for you guys stateside..Im making 95 on the wheel after 20 minute practices on 90degree days..Ive had no engine failures in 2 seasons..got to be 3000 race miles no problems...stk.parts put together by me(Im a welder)in my shop..if your serious about racing Buells call Henry Duga at Buell. There no need to try and reinvent the wheel Henry with tell you how to make them fast and last.Hey I gotta go,I hear my pillow calling. To bad we didnt start posting our race results this year..I had a pretty good season..next year Im moving up to JR/EX(junior expert) I think me and the Buell are going to be for a tough time... Later, Steve"Sparky"Heimers | ||
| Stuart Mungomery (Wet4uracing) |
steve, I usually run avgas,because I also run it in my KTM 380 dirtbike and its easy to buy in 44 gal drums.The last time we dynoed we got 82 on a dynojet dyno.Stock except for Vance and Hines slip on,and 40 thou off the heads.I was looking into different carbies,but the 42 mikuni only gives about 4 hp Im told.One of the guys here found 7 hp in a 44 screaming eagle on a modified X1 manifold.I tried a quiksilver but wasnt happy with the feel of it.I tried the full race exhaust for a weekend but didnt think it worked any better tha the wince and wines.If you could tell me what you have done to get 95 hp it may help.I raced a fireblade and a ZX-9 two seasons ago and have done two seasons on the Buell,trying to get corner speed up has taken some time.Would have been better comming off a 250 production bike.stu. | ||
| Stephen J Heimers (Sparkster632) |
Stu, My 95hp comes from a pretty stock motor. Stock in the sense that its almost all HD parts.I run the stock CV carb(as per Buell Lightning Series rules) its got a DynoJet thunderslide kit(plastic slide)and I use the Pro Series aircleaner.Believe it or not I make the 95rwhp with a 165 main jet.I run box stock T-storm heads off a 00 X1 w/Crane roller rockers ,10r12plugs..stock S1 intake manifold.sreaming eagle coil(dual fire)8.8mm accel wires.The stator(charging sys.)has been removed.98 headpipe,V+H muffler(which has better left side clearance than the Pro Series set-up, and makes more top-end HP)My cylinders are all 5 over(theyre off hi mileage street Buells,seasoned cylinders that have been through many,many hot summer days)piston wall clearances are set at the service limits(loose)The S1 cam bushings are bored to be loose,the stock Buell crank is also loose.The stock gear box is also prepared loose.The engine is blueprinted from top to bottom.When you spin the crank with the topend off,cams still in ,primary chain(Tubashi) off the crank spins for quite a while before it stops(on a stock engine your lucky if you get 3-4 revolutions)Im not losing 10-15 hp to engine and gearbox drag.So I guess its not really the parts but the assembly that makes 95rwhp@7k .. Couple things I forgot,Buell race module,plugs are indexed,topend breathers run seperately,the VOES has been tinkered with,Golden Spectro 20/50 Synthetic motor oil and Golden Spectro Syn.gear oil. 98 oil pump..I swear by stock base and head gaskets.A lot of guys do all kinds of crazy(expensive) stuff and puke motors all season long..I tune by cylinder head temperature at the races,freshen up motors at mid-season.I dont know if I've been lucky or blessed or both.Only problem I've had so far is primary chain blocks the Tubashi chain cured that it seems..Any thing I can help you out with stateside just say the world....HAMMER DOWN, Steve"Sparky"Heimers CCS F40 class points champion ...on a BUELL!! | ||
| Stuart Mungomery (Wet4uracing) |
steve,At the moment I have a hard time getting my top end replaced,let alone spliting the cases.I must get better sponsors,or pay for the work myself.What do you suggest as the best power per dollar work to invest in? Bearing in mind that Formula Xtreme rules are very open here in aus.I have also had problems with the shift drum in the gearbox wearing excessively and causing miss shifts,is this common?Is there an aftermarket drum available?I have an endless array of equally exciting questions.stu. | ||
| Stephen J Heimers (Sparkster632) |
Stu, Best bang for the buck,removing the charging system(Stator)costs nothing,motor revs quicker..saves weight.Radius the grooves in the shifting drum(stock) you wont believe the difference this alone will make.I learned from others who took the time to answer my questions(and still do!)and help me out.We dont keep secrets,any question is a good one! Adios Amigo, 632 | ||
| Mike Moriarty (Shooter) |
Sparky, are you running total loss elec system, or have removed the battery too ? | ||
| Stuart Mungomery (Wet4uracing) |
steve,Allready removed rotor and stator running total loss.I still have the starter motor in and run a car battery to jump start the bike.Sometimes I practice without a crew and Ive seen Buells started without a starter motor and its not pretty.I dont understand what you mean by radius is it like chamfering?Next suggestion? The 42mm mikuni seems a popular choice,but,what about this screaming eagle 44 or 45mm cv?Im 5 thou over and 40 thou off the heads at the moment.Ive experimented with air ducts to the rear cyclinder to cool it down and run an oil cooler bellow the oil filter.Heat seams to be a factor on these air cooled motors.Any ideas on cooling the gearbox,as it gets really hot and transferes the heat to the engine, or the other way around?stu. | ||
| Paul Batts (Xlwp) |
All, I am a drag racer, not a knee dragger, but, I believe there are things to be learned from a lot of various places. One only needs to pay attention. You guys have got some cool tricks and I'm finding all this road race talk very interesting. Stuart Mungomery,can you please tell me, is the R1 rear wheel a bolt in or what mods it took to fit it ? Are there any other wheels (front AND rear), from other bikes, that will fit our Buells. Is the X1 aluminum swingarm lighter or heavier than the 1x2 cmoly unit? Are any of ya'll using a rear brake thumb brake? If so, how do you like it? Sorry for all the questions, but, just like ya'll, I'm just trying to go a little quicker/faster. Now, here's something ya'll might be able to use. This is my battery.  It's worth a weight savings of about ten pounds. I use an outboard battery for starting and my charging system is still intact. Don't know how or if this would work for ya'll in a "total waste" situation. Good luck to all in 2001 PB | ||
| BigHairyRalph (Ralph) |
The aluminum swingarm is heavier than the old steel unit. Some where on the order of four pounds. But, for roundy-round racers the aluminum swingarm is worth the weight. It's stiffer and the weight better distributed. Paul, what you should have is an old style swingarm and have it stretched. Not to mention, you need to get rid of the stator, you don't need it racing. It's just lost horsepower. Are you still using the shock or have you replaced it with a strut? | ||
| Stephen J Heimers (Sparkster632) |
Mike, I run off the battery,the stock battery. That litte battery Paul posted is the hot set-up,I want a couple of those for next year.Whats the make/model Paul? Stu, Im talking chamfering, or knocking the sharp edges off the shifting drum grooves.You say your trans is getting hot,what kind of track temps are you racing in? Ive seen guys run ducts back to the base of the rear cylinder,it helps.Like Ralph says the Alum .swingarm is way heavier,not many run it in the Lightning Series(that tells me something)Stu,other then milling the heads ,removing the stator ,the V+H muff and the AVgas, your stock?Where are you at with the carb jetting..thats your next cheapest HP gain...I dropped main jet sizes and gained 6 hp. What Octane is the AVgas? You dont like the CV carb? I see shitloads of guys making 90-95rwhp with them. This is good,we have guys on this board that race and wrench on Buells.We can learn alot from each other. Paul I have never used the thumb brake set-up I use alot of rear brake for some reason,I was toying withthe idea of hooking one up for next season.Street+Comp sells them I believe their about 265.00. Stu,Do you cool your motor down with fans between heats one on the underside of the crankcase one from the plug side of the cylinders? Later Sparky my colums are all f'ed up cause of the profanity checker.....looks like Stevie Wonder typed this!! | ||
| Stuart Mungomery (Wet4uracing) |
steve,In our season the temps range from 15 celcius to high 30s(pretty hot).The intervals between races is usually an hour at least and I hadnt thought of fan cooling,should I?The battery that paul is using is about the same size that Im using (4 amp hour).Works fine for at least 45 mins.Ive mucked about with different needles from std harleys with small washers to richen them up.185 main was a little lean so we drilled it to a 190 ,still better than what I was told by a competitor(200-210).Std slide different emulsion tube,race filter with no cf surround.Avgas is supposed to be above 110 octane here but I havent had it tested.Ignition is as advanced as the fuel and temp will allow.I actually dont mind the cv,I just thought I was missing out on something.There are ony a hand full of modified Buells here and they all reckon they have about 100 hp with a 42mm Mikuni.Who knows,its like lap times ,dont belive it till you see it................................................The R1 wheel runs a 28mm axle and a Buell runs a 25mm axle so new bearings and seals are required,also the R1 disc needs 2mm machined off it,and a longer allen key bolted to the caliper to offset the wheel to line up with the front.A spacer was also machined up (cant remember size offhand)Its a bit of dicking about but it is very light and almost matches the lines of the std rim.Ihad a go at drag racing at Eastern Creek last year and the best I could manage was 12.3 consistently over 4 runs with std belt drive. I liken riding a Buell to driving a 70s model hotted up V8(gearbox and all)Do you know the modification for strengthening the front engine mount so it doesnt break the head?see ya ,stu. | ||
| Paul Batts (Xlwp) |
BigHairyRalph, Thanks for the numbers on the swingarm, I thought so. You are correct in that, the cmoly arm extended is a good alternative. I will, however, be building a completely new swingarm/suspension this winter. I use a strut, no shock. As for the charging system, after listening to you guys, I will probably lose it. Does it really make that much difference? I mean, can you FEEL it? Sparky, The battery is a YT4L-BS (industry standard #) four amp hour, maint. free, totally sealed unit. Don't get anything but totally sealed. You can get one at Walmart, K-Mart, Autoparts or anywhere they sell car and motorcycle batteries. It'll be the smallest one they have (hehe). This is also the battery I run in my '77 kick only Sporty. There is also a thumb brake at http://www.gptechllc.com/products/thumbrake/main.html Their price is $285. Now, I see, they have a setup that will let you keep the foot brake also. Stuart, Thanks for the info on the R1 wheel. And, for what it's worth, I have seen much debate about the use of avgas and it seems to be the majority opinion that this is not the best choice. I'm not sure what kind of fuel choices ya'll have, but, for us, Sunoco of VP racing fuels are the best choice. Did I miss something on the front head problem Stuart is talking about? The only time I've heard of this being a problem is when this area was stressed from following the factory procedure (which totally sucks) for a swingarm/isolator change. PB | ||
| Paul Batts (Xlwp) |
This is how we handle the starting chores.  | ||
| Marty Hunt (Martyh) |
Hello guys, Got the X1 mainly ready to go for the March 18th race at Gateway IR. Putting the rear numberplates, bellypan, and safety wire a couple more things and that is it! What would you guys recommend for a clip-on? Who has the best value/product? Thanks, Marty CCS#979 | ||
| Paul Batts (Xlwp) |
Let's try that again   |
