| Author | Message | ||
     Choptop |
(Message edited by Choptop on August 01, 2005) | ||
| Hans |
Good to see so many old tubers frequently on Badweb again. Don`t forget to update your profile, and mark the new topic "Old School Buell" as favorite. The "new message" search facility will be engaged, also for that topic. Hans  | ||
| Eeeeek |
I just got to spank the best handling bike I've ever ridden. It was my second day at Reno-Fernley Raceway and I was getting pretty comfortable with the track. The track is close to 2.5 miles long and although it has some challenging corners, it is not very technical. They label it as 15 corners, I only count 6 of them. The ones I do count are a good mix of very different corners. Turn 1 is at the end of the LONG straightaway (which doubles as the 1/4 mile drag strip). I'm not sure how long it is; but, it accommodates all but the concrete launch grid for the drag strip. It also includes the long cool drown area at the end of the strip. If it's any shorter than 1/2 of a mile, I'd be surprised. So along comes turn 1, a slight veer to the left, followed by the esses. If you do it right, you only have to take turn 1 and then a little veer to the right at the next ess. The rest can be straightened out. I count all this as one corner because you do have to back off a touch and make the turn. It really gets you going to jump from the wide straight to the normal sized esses. I would drop from 6th gear to 5th. The next turn I count is what they call 5 and 6. I call it 2. It's a decreasing radius, double apex left hander. By the end of the day, I found a way to make it a single apex corner and it was a lot of fun. I took this in both 4th and 3rd. 4th if I was lazy, 3rd if I needed a great drive. Out of here, there's a right/left combo that I think they call 7 and 8 (I call it 3). It's a sharp right followed by a less sharp left. Out of that starts the back straights. I say straights because there's a slight right hander and then a change from the old track to the new that can be taken straight if you line it up right. And off you go through this high speed section. It's on the back straight where you encounter "the bumps" If you take an inside line on the slight right, you'll pop out right into the worst of them and get the bike to shake a bit. I came in late and wide and found it to be much smoother. The problem is now I would have to do a quick left/right for the next part of the back straights. Through I'd go and I'd follow the black strip to what they call turn 12. I call it 4. It's a right hand turn that I'd take in 4th. You pop out of this into the bowl. The bowl is a trip. This is VERY banked (think NASCAR) and it's a decreasing radius turn. You set up high and wide and then come in late, almost diving across the banking. You really get sucked down and then spit out towards the last turn, 15 (what I call 6). I was in 3rd for the bowl, grabbed 4th and then come through the final turn in either 3rd or 4th, depending on traffic, and hammer it for the straight. This is a high speed course. Danny and Don from Modesto Ducati came up for day two. I was really glad to see Danny up at the track again and I've never had the opportunity to ride with Don on the track. To say Don was smooth is an understatement. Don was on his 999R and Danny borrowed the "shop" 749 Dark. Danny let me try the 749. I was immediately impressed with its handling and stopping; however, the bike was lacking in the bottom end. The top end was good; but, it didn't really excite me. All in all, I'd say the bike handled better than my SV or my 954 and it needed to be revved more than either of those bikes. It felt great when you were in the right gear and just ate up the corners. Later in the day, Don asked if I wanted to try his 999R. Ummm...HELL YES! The first thing I noticed is a almost stalled the thing. The clutch had an extremely positive feel. I did my first couple of laps while leading a student and then cut him loose so I could open the bike up a little. This bike had none of the deficiencies of the 749. The power was on demand and came on strong. Shifting gears felt like hitting the next level of afterburners. The power delivery was huge down low, in the middle and up high. Gobs of power everywhere. Then there's the brakes...OH MY GOD, those brakes. These are, bar none, the best brakes I have ever felt. Period. Nothing else even comes close. The bike flat out rocked. The only bike I've ever ridden that I'd put in the same league is the new GSXR1000, and this bike had more "feel" and much better brake. By "feel," I mean The gear changes were solid, almost like a punch in the gut (downshifts were silky smooth, though) and although I could feel the bumps, it soaked them right up. Cornering was perfect. No, it was effortless. I couldn't ride again after taking that bike out. It is, to date, the best bike I have ever ridden on the track, and that includes: Mille, Mille R, 929, 954, 1000RR, 600RR, GSXR750, GSXR600, GSXR1000 ('02, '03 and '05) race SV, Ninja 250!, TLR and probably a couple of others that I don't remember. So where's the XB is this equation? It isn't. Apples to Oranges. It would not be fair to even consider an XB versus this bike, expecially on a race track. Vik | ||
| 2bbuell |
And- The XB costs less than half as much, and is comfortable to ride on the street.(?) | ||
| Eeeeek |
The XB costs probably less than a third as much. Like I said, apples and oranges. Vik | ||
| Hotrodsportster |
Vik: Glad you had a good weekend at the track. How far are you located from Fontana? We (NASCAR) will be in Fontana Labor Day weekend, and possibly we could get a couple of Bad Webber's into the Garage for a pre-race tour? Interested? | ||
| Chauly |
[/quote Based on activity at the annual dealer meeting I would suggest that dealers, formerly lacking in terms of Buell, have renewed interest in this bike. /endquote] I just had a pleasant conversation with a salesperson named Terry at Shenandoah HD in Staunton, VA. She knew nothing about Buells, but I led her along through the web site over the phone. It sounded as though her interest was piqued, but time will tell. I also told her about Badweb, so just in case "Hi, Terry!"  Contrast that with a visit to Lakeland HD-Buell in FL, and Jim not only knew what I was talking about, her knew what color bike was being delivered in the next two weeks! (Baracade Orange, if you're curious...) It doesn't hurt that Donnie Huffman (owner) rides an S-3 as his personal bike. Yes, all of those other H-D's to choose from, and he rides a TUBER!  | ||
| Eeeeek |
Interested? That would be an increadible opportunity! As it sits, though, I have scheduled track time that weekend. Thank you very much for the invite, though. Vik | ||
| Smokedaddy |
Got an update from the sales manager at Chandler HD here in Arizona and they "should" have a Ulysses in stock tomorrow. Wonder if its' sold yet. <grin> -SD:  | ||
| Eeeeek |
SD, Isn't there already a thread devoted to that? Vik | ||
| Blake |
Vik, Not surprised as the big Duc actually put down the fastest lap time in the annual "Master-Bike" shootout in Europe where all the prominent moto-journos get to put laps down on all the current repli-racers. CW reported on that an issue or two ago. The 999 (not even sure if it was an "R" or "S" beat all of 'em including the Japan Inc. IL4 literbikes. Cool stuff. (Message edited by blake on August 02, 2005) | ||
| Eeeeek |
Thanks, Blake.  | ||
| Iamike |
It amazes me to continue to read about HD/Buell salesment that don't know about their own products. When I was shopping around for a new bike this summer my Honda salesman was reading up on other bikes just so that he could intelligently talk about them when pushing his own bikes. I have had a couple of HD/Buell sales people tell me that they don't know s__t about Buells. No wonder that they can't sell them. | ||
| Eeeeek |
Mike, I have found that problem is not exclusive to H/D. I've come across a number of Metric salesmen who didn't know jack about the bikes they were selling. Vik | ||
| Whodom |
You know, I can just about conclusively say I've never bought ANY vehicle that I didn't know more about than the salesman I was buying it from. I guess that's mainly because I'm a gearhead/engineer (and I research the heck out of things before I buy them) rather than an overt fault of theirs, but it's been my experience that vehicle sales people mainly know about pricing, rebates, colors, etc. and next-to-nothing about technical details. I once had a salesman explain to me how the front wheel drive on an Audi was 40% more efficient than rear wheel drive because it eliminated the driveshaft (20%) and rear axle gears (20%).  There is still no excuse for a "Buell salesman" to not even know there are new 06 models or what they are. (Message edited by whodom on August 02, 2005) | ||
| Reepicheep |
Let me tell my track story. Turn one is a nasty right out of the parking lot. There is typically gravel strewn at the apex, unless you run a little wide on your entry point, which is a headache as there is no stoplight here and it's a 50mph road. You gotta make a hard turn and gain speed fast. Turn two is another hard right, but it is straight road to curb to grass, and has great sightlines for traffic in all directions, so as long as you don't get stopped by a redlight you can crank it over and make the hard turn. It is nice and smooth as well. Turn three (some people call this "clear creek franklin road" ) is a sweeping left hander, followed by a hard righthander, terminating in a stopsign. You could take a short apex on the left, but doing so would get you killed by an oncoming truck 5 times out of 10. It's tricky, as the final stop after the hard zig to the right is on rippled pavement with probably 8 inches of vertical variation. You have to set your corner entry between the left hand sweeper and the hard right carefully, as once you are cranked for the right you are coming right up on a stop sign and a guard rail, and traffic coming across has no stop. It's also a little off camber. Turn four is a dull right hander, but you have to watch for cops, as they patrol this area regularly. It is also a heavy residential zone, so anything above 35 mph or so risks killing someones child. Most racers keep it at about 35 and in second gear through here. Once you clear the bridge and are over I-75 though, you can open it up, as you are into a 55 mph zone. Watch the next right though, tons of cars cut the corner short, drop a wheel off the tarmac and into a muddy rut, and will trail silt through the blind part of the apex. This is also farm country, so you have to be ready to zig zag around dead possom and the occasional cow pattie. ... ========================================= Not trying to bust Vic's chops... no shots intended, I enjoyed his description. Just making a point about where and how I need absolutely top level performance out of my bike relative to where and what he is looking for. And not to imply that my requirements for my XB9SX are any less "extreme" then Vic's. I would bet that that hard bumpy off camber right approaching a busy stop sign (a real intersection, I can post pictures) will "test a bike to it's limits" just as effectively as a 110mph sweeper on a track. Perhaps even MORE effectively. And I also want to make the point that "good street performance" is not just a subset of "good track performance" like some here are implying. Good street performance could translate to a really crappy track bike, and a really good track bike could be just about unusable on the street. | ||
| Blake |
To further clarify, the master bike contest this year was conducted on a rather tight track the the superior handling of the Ducati 999 gave it the better lap time over the more powerful IL4 entries against which it was not even pitted. This year master bike made a special class just for literbike twin cylinder sportbikes. But as providence would have it the big Duc even beat the liter sized IL4's. If you read the article you'll read about the Duc's winning pace. Stinkin old antiquated Desmo trellis framed Italian bikes.  | ||
| Eeeeek |
Reep, Good stuff and all true. I would add that in my track experience, I had to make several line adjustments to get around slower riders, often putting me on undesireable lines. The bike had quite an ability to adapt and take whatever I threw at it. Would I ever ride like that on the street? Nope. Vik | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
ALL RIDERS WELCOME Sat 9/3/05 Get together at Appleton H-D/Buell, Appleton, WI - ALL DAY Sun 9/4/05 RIDE LAUNCH: Appleton, WI to Waterloo, IA - FIELD OF DREAMS Mon 9/5/05 Waterloo, IA to Kansas City, MO - BEST BBQ ON THE PLANET Tue 9/6/05 Kansas City, MO to Cripple Creek, CO MANITOU SPRINGS Wed 9/7/05 Cripple Creek, CO to Grand Junction, CO PIKES PEAK Thu 9/8/05 Grand Junction, CO to Las Vegas, NV COLORADO NAT'L MONUMENT, LAS VEGAS STRIP Fri 9/9/05 Las Vegas, NV to Lake Isabella, CA DEATH VALLEY, MT. WHITNEY Sat 9/10/05 Lake Isabella, CA to Ocotillo Wells, CA ANGELES CREST HWY/MT. PALOMAR/BUELLING MAN CELEBRATION Sun 9/11/05 Ocotillo Wells, CA to Santa Barbara, CA VENICE BEACH, ROCK STORE Mon 9/12/05 Santa Barbara, CA to Monterey, CA BUELLTON, HWY 1, BIG SUR Tue 9/13/05 Monterey, CA to Lake Isabella, CA SEQUOIA/KINGS CANYON NAT'L PARK, GENERAL (ULYSSES S.) GRANT TREE, RIDE END (Message edited by jerry_haughton on August 02, 2005) | ||
| Iamike |
Jerry, I'll try to get up to Appleton to meet with you. I'd like to see Dave's digs anyway. If not, I'll run over to Dyersville to say hi. Mike | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
cool Mike, it'll be great to see you again. FB | ||
| Smokedaddy |
S&S Jeff, Got the S&S jet today! You'da man!  Appreciate it, -SD: | ||
| Chauly |
Why did you send me this web page? Karin asks. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/17/129190.html?1122144696 No particular reason, I just thought it was a nice piece of prose from Court. You know, finely crafted, well-written, descriptive, full of imagery with a touch of metaphor, I replied. Oh, I thought you might have had an ulterior motive in mind. Me? Oh no, not at all | ||
| CJXB |
Ferris Bueller rides again, very, very cool !! I'll for sure have to make it to Appleton !! CJ | ||
| Bomber |
hmmmm -- Ferris and company vs early start to the Mile at SPringfiled (High Holy Day) if I hoof it, I can do BOTH! | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Chauly: CJ: Bomber: | ||
| Court |
Chauly (I call him "Chuck" . . . . it's a fair obviousity that a fellow skewed with your motomaladies is powerless to the lure of this baitology. Ignore the hook all you want...even your wifeoligist knows when it comes to a adventure-tourer....you, Chuck, can run, but you can't slide. | ||
| Buellgler |
had 1 outstanding recall for the X1 I recently bought (#0827, throttle control return spring), had my hardley-buell dealership (where the previous owner had all the other recall items done) order the part. Got a call yesterday that the part was in now, BUT, they no longer service buells and I'd have to buy it from them...worse yet is that I have a credit there that will likely never get used. schitty. thoughts? | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Star/G2 Truck and Trailer Stolen! This is the NHRA S&S powered Buell. Keep your eyes open for it or its parts! We need your help!! Chip Ellis parked the Star/G2 rig last night in Omaha Neb. about 10:30 pm, when he came out this morning it was GONE! Please help us find it! Any suggestions would be appreciated. 229-924-0031 or 800-841-7827 It is the whole rig: truck, trailer, race bike, engines, pit bikes, 2 street bikes, tools, EVERYTHING!! Call everybody you know that may be able to help! Thanks, Jackie and George Bryce George Smith 1997 T2000 Kenworth Truck Competition Trailer White and Blue with Orange Star and Yellow Flames | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
i copied the above from the Quick Board, thanks to Jeffb for posting it. COME ON BADWEB! fellow Buellers (who happen to be BadWeatherBikers fans) need our help. we have LOTS of eyes and ears here, keep 'em open and let's get this stuff back to the rightful owners!  |
