| Author | Message | ||
     Josh_cox |
BMC was EXCITED that they finally got to be involved in racing! You don't think you'd have high expectations for your child at his first sporting event? I'm sure the XBRR was like Buell's baby. I'm still excited, b/c I've seen the potential on the track. This bike is FAST and handles very well. We had to play with some suspension angles to get it comfortably flicking side to side for our riders, but that was to be expected. This bike can win races. Trojan, the XBRR you were offered is actually a 2nd generation model. It has some mechanical changes and better body work than what all of us started with. The price you were quoted is too high, however. I'd tell them you will pay $30,995 and you can do the setup. We all know on a race bike you will do it yourself anyway. I would worry about proper heat cycling, etc for the setup. For the record, around 60 were made. Maybe an Anon can chime in with the exact production number. | ||
| Trojan |
Hi Josh, I appreciated the input thanks. I was as excited as the next man when the XBRR appeared too. Unfortunately even if I had the budget to run an XBRR this year, which I don't (we won't even be running our XB12 racer because of lack of support), there is no class in the UK that the XBRR is legal to run in, so I wouldn't want to buy one. After spending around US$30000 of our own money last year building and running our race bike, we decided that unless we could get a sponsor to cover the costs we would not race in 2007. Despite our best efforts we were unable to raise even a fraction of the budget required so are not going to be on the grid this year. This means there will be no Buells racing in the UK at all  | ||
| Josh_cox |
Sorry to hear that! Seems like Buell Racing is on the backburner worldwide this year. I wish you best of luck in finding sponsors for next season. | ||
| Jscott |
"It is certainly past the time to let this go, we are in the world of "coulda, woulda, shoulda" and I am ready proclaim the horse dead." I certainly agree. Myself and many others saw things one way and Blake and many others saw them the other way. End of the story. Both viewpoints can be argued with some validity. As a matter of fact it is probably time to let this thread die. I started it so that we could gather early info regarding Buell's 2007 Formula Xtreme racing effort. We quickly learned that it was not not going to happen this year. Buell's 2007 Formula Xtreme effort - not happening, let's move on. | ||
| Elvis |
Matt, Those are some good quotes, and I think that shows how it's our interpretations rather than Buell's statements that is at issue. . . .be versatile enough to race in several different classes from AMA Formula Xtreme to American Sportbike Racing Association (ASRA, formerly known as Formula USA) Thunderbike and several other club and endurance racing classes. That seems to emphasize the variety of venues they intended for the bike rather than the idea that this bike was designed for Formula X-Treme. The second quote was from a press release announcing that dealer teams would be at Daytona, so it's a little difficult not to talk about Formula X-Treme in that context, but clearly the emphasis is on privateer teams and the difficulty of the task. The entry of four indepedant teams in the Daytona 200 brings to fruition the original goal of the Buell XBRR program: To make affordable bikes for privateers who want to compete in the prestigious AMA Formula Extreme class and other pro-level road racing classes. “Although Formula Xtreme has seen some exciting and very fast motorcycles from the factories, the gap between factory riders and privateers is pretty large,” said Erik Buell, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer, Buell Motorcycle Company. “We talked with the AMA and asked them if we could modify bikes at the factory and sell them to privateers, and that we wouldn’t be running a factory team. The reception from the AMA to this was quite positive.” Where was there any dishonesty in either of those quotes? Where did Buell say that they would be supporting AMA factory racing efforts? Where does Buell say that they designed this bike primarly to run in AMA? Even in a discussion of the Daytona 200, Buell is careful to say that the bike was designed to compete in the AMA and "other pro-level road racing classes." It seems there are many people on here who believe that Buell's initial hype promised things that they didn't deliver, but the idea that we were hoping for things that didn't happen seems much more valid when you read the quotes. It's disappointing to just about everybody on this board that no dealer teams seem able to run the bike in AMA this year, but can we really find anything from Buell that would lead us to think that was promised in any way? | ||
| Jscott |
"It's disappointing to just about everybody on this board that no dealer teams seem able to run the bike in AMA this year, but can we really find anything from Buell that would lead us to think that was promised in any way?" I understand that priorities have since changed, but to have your question answered... http://www.buell.com/en_us/mania/racing/racingnews detail.asp?news_id=1065 “The AMA’s FX class is really getting fast and exciting and was a battle for the championship until this last race. It's been quite a learning year for the Buell teams, and when Jeremy's team finally got the set up right for him on Sunday morning, it was looking like we would close out the season with our best finish yet. But that's racing, and that's why we'll be back next year; it's the challenge,” said Buell Motorcycle Company Chairman and Chief Technical Officer Erik Buell. Again, though... "It is certainly past the time to let this go, we are in the world of "coulda, woulda, shoulda" and I am ready proclaim the horse dead." I certainly agree. Myself and many others saw things one way and Blake and many others saw them the other way. End of the story. Both viewpoints can be argued with some validity. As a matter of fact it is probably time to let this thread die. I started it so that we could gather early info regarding Buell's 2007 Formula Xtreme racing effort. We quickly learned that it was not not going to happen this year. Buell's 2007 Formula Xtreme effort - not happening, let's move on. | ||
| Davegess |
"Despite our best efforts we were unable to raise even a fraction of the budget required so are not going to be on the grid this year." Matt you are in good company. Rumor has it that Yamaha has been unable to secure a sponser for Rossi and Edwards and will run the bikes with Yamaha as the primary sponser. They do have a buck or two more than you do I imagine  | ||
| Elvis |
Good find Jscott. Yep, based on previous comments on this thread, it sounds like that's not going to happen now. So maybe it was the later hype, not the initial hype that was wrong. | ||
| Anonymous |
XBRR production numbers: 56 production bikes, three of which are still in factory hands, though probably not for long. There are a couple of engineering mules still around East Troy as well, including a small-tank bike (standard XB-R size at 3.7 gallons) that McWilliams rode at Mid-Ohio. Some of the 56 are ending up in museums and private collections already, never to be raced. Others are being prepped for AMA and other race series. | ||
| Elvis |
"Others are being prepped for AMA and other race series." Does that mean there still is some hope we will se an XBRR in the AMA in 2007? | ||
| Rocketman |
No. It means they will be displayed in museums where future generations will be lead to believe Buell raced in AMA Superbike  Frankly, whether this thread be dead and buried or not, are we expected to believe Buell is shortsighted enough not to have seen these XBRR's ending up in museums or private collections? Whatever the hype I believed every damn one of them would fall into the hands of private racers no matter the race series. More smoke and mirrors. Rocket | ||
| Buellshyter |
With the exchange rate being nearly two to one in favor of the British pound, the RR is a steal for you Brits. | ||
| Jimidan |
"”The AMA’s FX class is really getting fast and exciting and was a battle for the championship until this last race. It's been quite a learning year for the Buell teams, and when Jeremy's team finally got the set up right for him on Sunday morning, it was looking like we would close out the season with our best finish yet. But that's racing, and that's why we'll be back next year; it's the challenge,” said Buell Motorcycle Company Chairman and Chief Technical Officer Erik Buell." From his statements, it appears to me that Erik was really in the dark about the future of the XBRR racing right up to the end. Apparently, the rug was jerked out from under him by corporate in such a manner that even he did not see it coming. I am sure his personal disappointment exceeds the sum of all others combined, as he was directly involved on an emotional level that we can only imagine. I feel sorry for him. I am not sure how anyone can still say that they are excited about the XBRR racing in the AMA, when folks are already storing them away in private collections and museums. They are soon to become so valuable as relics, that nobody will want to race them. How many VR1000's are out there racing in privateers hands? Time to let this chapter go. Next... jimidan (Message edited by jimidan on January 08, 2007) | ||
| M1combat |
Maybe you should give one away Anony so someone with no chance otherwise may get a chance to own one. Damnit. | ||
| José_quiñones |
Don't you see, if they are already in museums, they are already eligible for vintage racing! They can kick ass there for sure! (Message edited by josé_quiñones on January 08, 2007) | ||
| M1combat |
Good point... Certainly broadens the target market for it doesn't it? | ||
| Steveshakeshaft |
I'd tell them you will pay $30,995 and you can do the setup. With respect, (and I haven't read all the thread yet so I maybe jumping in too early) in the UK I believe the bike would be subject to 10% importation tax and Value Added Tax at 17.5% on top of the price in dollars. | ||
| Trojan |
With the exchange rate being nearly two to one in favor of the British pound, the RR is a steal for you Brits It is still nearly GBP18,000 for the bike, then you would need a stock of spares to keep it going for a season, plus running costs, fuel, tyres etc. Then there is the small problem of finding a series to run it in over here where it would be legal. The only one that springs to mind is Sound of Thunder with New Era Club. This would pitch it against some very well sorted 999 Ducatis etc and would be at a lower level than we raced last year in Thunderbikes, so no publicity and no press coverage For around the same money I could run a Superstock R1/GSXR1000 in the British championship, or for less than a third of the budget required to buy/run an XBRR we could run a KTM Superduke in the one make televised series supporting British Superbikes in 2007. Don't get me wrong, I loved racing our Buell, but running a Buell race bike in the UK is a lot more expensive than running other bikes that are juust as competitive or better, even in the same series. By the way Steve, I think that the price I was quoted was plus 17.5% tax (Message edited by trojan on January 09, 2007) | ||
| Anonymous |
We've heard directly from one team that they will enter at least some AMA FX races next season. Also, at least one team has mentioned running Moto-ST. | ||
| Tpoppa |
We've heard directly from one team that they will enter at least some AMA FX races next season. That is great news! | ||
| Buell2001b |
I think HD needs to realize that they need a new engine for a racing Buell. I am sure Ford could build them a nice engine. maybe inline4 cylinder, 5 valves per cylinder. I am sure if they would Shelby the job, they would do a job like they did for the 500HP Cobra. and put the Cobra logo so the japps were are here to sting their jappy ass | ||
| Elvis |
We've heard directly from one team that they will enter at least some AMA FX races next season. Also, at least one team has mentioned running Moto-ST. Fantastic news! The level of competition is heating up, and it will probably be a very tough task, but it will be great to at least have some one out there to root for. | ||
| Buell2001b |
HD needs to male a committment to BUELL if they wnat to compete with the japps. The Japs are already making gains in the chopper market. Ducati looks like they have their act together with this new bikes and now the 1098, wich is the only bike o see myself buying other then a BUELL. | ||
| Ceejay |
We've heard directly from one team that they will enter at least some AMA FX races next season. Also, at least one team has mentioned running Moto-ST. Right on and a big  to the both/all of them! | ||
| Josh_cox |
As already promised, Cycle Connection will be running CMRA Endurance. We'll be racing against 1000cc fours and unlimited displacement twins. Should be fun! | ||
| Blake |
Go Cycle Connection in CMRA! Whoohooo! Go Buell racers in AMA Formula Xtreme! Woohoo! That's great news! | ||
| Rubberdown |
Good Luck Guys!!!! GO BUELL RACERS!!! | ||
| Trojan |
I'm glad to hear that someone will be running in FX for at least some of the season (Walt Sipp perhaps?), and wish all the best of luck to everyone racing a Buell, wherever it may be. in 2007  | ||
| Mutation_racer |
If every thing goes according to plans, i will have enough points with CCS/ASRA to apply for my AMA lic. and try to put this beast on the grid for VIR. liberty hd-buell will be in daytona for the opening round of ASRA see you there. pics to come of the bike | ||
| José_quiñones |
According to the folks at Buell of Frederick, MD, they have two RR's and are waiting for two more. Not sure what races they'll enter, but a safe bet will be the AMA event at VIR with Brian Bemisderfer at the controls. |
