american superbike?!?

[ff36buell]

no no, im seriously curious... since i dont ride a sportbike i just want to know what category my bike is in, its ugly like a cruiser, has a belt like a cruiser, has radiators and a vtwin... maybe im riding a VROD too!

[eboos]

I don't understand why everyone is so eager to bash Buell. I guess that no one is keeping up with the race results, but the 1125R is doing extremely well in every class entered in it's debut year.

I wish Roehr, Fisher, and Czysz all the luck in the world, but do not forget that Buell is the only American Sportbike manufacturer out there, and they are pretty damn good at what they do.

[Honclfibr]

I don't understand why everyone is so eager to bash Buell. I guess that no one is keeping up with the race results, but the 1125R is doing extremely well in every class entered in it's debut year

Force of habit? The 1125R may be different, but the only other Buells I've seen on the racetrack were rolling roadblocks when compared to such modern technological marvels such as...the mighty Kawasaki EX500 "Ninja"

Not that there's anything wrong with being a streetbike...the EX500 is far from a sportbike either...

[ff36buell]

yeah... I guess the Europeans appreciate the American sportbike more than the Americans.. Hockenheim 1000K enduro Buell, see article

Buell 1125R On The Box In German Race Debut News Article // RoadracingWorld.com

[eboos]

I can say this... I am a rolling roadblock, and I am doing my bike no credit. Many, much better, riders have done these bikes justice.

Robert Johnson #802 was getting 1:17s or better as an amature in 2006 with his XB9R. I wish I could say that his bike was holding me back.

[Honclfibr]

That is impressive...stock engine?

I don't think we've ever raced together, I just remember coming across a few buells in PTWN last year and being amazed that I could actually out-drive them on the straightaways...

[eboos]

stock engine?

Probably not, his father owns Johnson Engine Technologies.

[Doc]

I love how the Buell guys get all defensive. It is cute.


Face it fellas, your riding a Sportster.

[Doc]

That is shaft drive not chain.

[Doc]

Where did I "back pedal"? It does look like a ducati rip off. Ya I said that, the headlights look like the 999/749, and lets face it all recent sportbikes by the big company's don't have single sided swing arms, except Ducati.

VFR from a few years back?

A couple of BMW bikes...

Triumph?

[OreoGaborio]

Ignorance is bliss, eh Doc?

[Doc]

Just coming into this late is all.

[eboos]

Face it fellas, your riding a Sportster.

[OreoGaborio]

Just coming into this late is all.

The least you could do is come into it educated.

[Doc]

Oh and actually the first ever SSSA was on the 1949 German Imme. :

Imme Motorcycle - Photo by Fidibus

Blue Moon Cycle

[Honclfibr]

That is shaft drive not chain.

And that is relevant how?

[schleppy]

Tons of Buell hate here in NESR. Too bad, I friggin love em...

[Honclfibr]

Tons of Buell hate here in NESR. Too bad, I friggin love em...

Personally I don't hate Buells I just think too big a deal is made of the fact that they are an "American" sportbike. As long as I can get parts for my motorcycle, I could care less where it came from, I just want the one I want.

[ff36buell]

sportster engine... made by rotax/brp? haha I'm over it now, ride your own ride, i like to be different. If different makes my bike a shitbox/ugly as sin/ belt driven boat anchor its still a Boat anchor and fresh design that has given the competition which much bigger budgets and years of racing/research a run for their money. I'm not being defensive, i'm just proud to be part of something (take a look @ badweb where factory workers routinely post) and its funny that so many people take a hard stance against what Mr. Buell is doing. I dont hate any bike, but some of the owners need to look beyond their own headlights and realize that they might just be a number amongst millions of bikes, Buell owners are ALOT smaller number. Oh yeah, my shitty 1125R is number #355 and I hope someday to have Mr. Buells signature on my frame like many others have. Try to do that with your Duc/Suz/Kaw/Hon

[gregp]

I rode my brother's XB-9 with factory competition exhaust last year. Being a dirt bike guy, and having read all of the reviews about how easy they were to wheelie, I climbed on expecting "CR500" I got "XR250". The bike handled fine, it just had no power, and all of the controls felt cobby. The transmission felt like it was filled with sheetrock mud - the lever was very dificult to move, and every gear change sounded like a train wreck.
I admire the new approaches to some of the common engineering applicable to motorcycles, but in the end, I did not come away saying that it was a "Good Bike". It lacked refinement. All of the reviews I have read about the new, Rotax powered bike say that it is plagued with problems. If EB continues to refine his products, he can get there, but he is not there yet.
I admire all of the efforts of these smaller upstart manufacturers, but they have to be able to supply a unique bike, that is as refined, reliable, and functional as what is out there already. Most have not been able to do that.

[OreoGaborio]

the 1125r is LIGHT YEARS ahead of the Hardly powered XB series... and yes, if Nick's old XB12 was a tractor, the XB9 was a fukkin lawnmower.... and not even a ride-on.

But with that said, there was still somethin about that XB that was fun... even if it didn't show up in the bike stat's.

[gregp]

While I have never ridden an 1125R, I am sure that it is, indeed, light years ahead of the old XB9, but that does not negate that fact that evrything I have read so far about the 1125R indicates questionable reliability, and slightly "off" performance. No, I didn't perform the testing, somebody else did. They report what they find...the rotax motor sounded bad......the battery kept failing...on all three supplied test units.....poor fueling...etc.. Personally, I like the way it looks, and I would not be averse to owning one, if they got the bugs worked out of the thing. The big four Japanese manufacturers, Ducati, and Triumph, all have been able to reliably deliver to the market bikes that have been more thoroughly sorted. KTM is making improvements in leaps and bounds. Buell really needs to work on this area.
These other "Specialty" manufacturers have the same hurdles to clear, but often times do not have the resources to do it in a timely manner. The market technology keeps marching forward.
I applaud their unique efforts, and the bikes are very interesting to look at and read about, but I could never see myself owning any of them as my only bike, especially at the prices they are offered at. I, and most others, just don't have that luxury.
Concerning the bike that started this thread, most reviews of the V-Rod have raved about that engine, but, because of its size and weight, it seems an unlikely starting point for a sport bike. So, IMO, they did well, all considered, but I will still never own one. There is just so many other better "Bang for the Buck" bikes out there....

[OreoGaborio]

*sigh... I really can't say I agree w/ a lot of what you just posted, other than the bit about the bike in the original post.

[Evil_Weasel]

ok, all this buell talk, you know i had to chime in sooner or later...and it's going to be long.

first off, i thought ducatis were known for desmo valves? not the SSSA, which has been done by lots of folks for a long time. the only people that accociate ducks and SSSAs are the people that think everything with an SSSA is a duck.

the Roar thing?? i read the specs awhile back. going to be long and heavy. not a bad attempt though especially if it is really supercharged. the price kinda kills it though. i've rode a V-rod or two. fun bikes for a cruiser, nice motor.

on to the buells. i have a love\hate relashionship with buells. i like them alot but i don't blindly wave the flag either. they all seem to be somewhat flawed...or suffer from excess personality if you prefer. passed on the front straight by an EX? ...never while i was behind the bars. anywhere else on the track...yes. the front straight was the one place i felt i had an advantage in the LW classes. the only things that could lay motor on me consistantly were the ducks. my best finish would have been 4th but i over heated the front brake on the last lap...and now we are back to the hate thing. who ever thought a single front brake would consistantly stop such a large bike???

the one time i raced in MWSS the 600s murdered me on the straights and in the corners. it was ugly. still avoided last though...not by much. and Robert Johnson #802 on his XB came by me like i was stopped at the start finish line...he took 3rd in that race.

over all i think buells are a success and they are getting better by the year. if you want outright performance buy a jap bike. if you want a little soul and plenty of performance to get by...buy a buell, something italian or british. just don't complain too much if you have to buy head gaskets in bulk. it's part of the experiance.

mr. cszys or how ever you spell his name does not belong in the same catagory as buell (yet). he has produced niether a viable race bike and judging from it's price a nonviable roadbike as well. we have been waiting for an long time and he has had good funding. buell, britten and others did more with less in shorter time. i'll hold off the praise of mr.cyst for now.

[SVRACER01]

Sorry Oxx everything I have heard about that VRSC motor is that it was developed by HD and Porsche engineers similar to how the Rotax motor was built by BRP with Buells Specs... not saying your wrong b/c I, MYSELF, am not sure about the origins of the Vrods motor... all i know is it makes like 120hp and is heavy...

you hear what they want you to hear
im a certified HD tech amongst other brands (honda,kawi,yamaha), this includes my time spent taking Buell, and Vrod, along with Dynojet and screaming eagle performance class. im not bragging since i do nothing with any of it.
the 2nd day of Vrod my instructor is putting things up on the power point and a pic of the comes up. "what motor is this?" it was so obvious that it was a Vrod motor so thats what everyone said....WRONG. it was an older Jap bike motor, the manufacturer escapes me right now but im working on it. i know a little about a lot and its scary what i know about HDs

i like the Buells. not the first ones. they were death traps. but the XBs were full of great innovative stuff. the obvious: brakes, phenominal. i liked the looks, gas in the frame oil in the swinger, no spacers for the wheels (thats nice), the swingarm came apart to change the belt (most HDs require you to remove the swingarm) self tensioning belt, wheels weighed less than the tires, forks were great, id say i liked about 80% of it.
the BAD: the motor. while it pulled like a frieght train all the way to red line...red line just came too soon. part of that would be the tranny but you can only make a transmission so tall.
handling: it carved great tight stuff but i found it didnt like the sweepers as much as being thrown on its ear.

The Vrod is a nightmare to work on. anything you want to do to that bike requires the engine to be removed...it sucks. that alone should prove its a jap bike