| Author | Message | ||
     Webethumpin |
Yea My wife didn't like the 2010 Blast either.She had an accident 2yrs ago got minor injuries and hadn't rode since,so we decided to sell ours and now it looks like it was a bad move.Might be hard to find one now. Guess we may buy a new one left around or buy a used one somewhere.It actually ruined the great evening we were having. I'm trying to remain optimistic and maybe Eric Has something in mind to replace the Blast or will something like the Blast will come from the MV Agusta side of Harley. Buell Marketing seems to be "Jumping The Shark". Webe  | ||
| Rex |
Maybe we will see a new Blast single, like the KTM Duke...Super on the sides of the seat Blast! REX | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
The look of a slightly ( fully ) unhinged old person just before they start drawing pictures with their own poo.  | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
If you haven't seen it already, and you're curious, here's a link to the "Book of Buell" for Australia/NZ/UK: http://www.buell.com/_media/flash/book-of-buell/en _UK/buell_my10.pdf. Quite different to the U.S. version, I like it a lot more. | ||
| Mpolans |
I agree, the Aussie/NZ/UK version is MUCH better. The XB12SX sounds like something the U.S. should get too. Then again, it looks like they don't get the Firebolts. | ||
| Rightpecial |
Yes, the Aus/NZ/UK Book of Buell is much better...in fact that version sums up many of the reasons that I like the company and will by another Buell. The US thing is insulting, however; if it helps them sell more and stay in business I'll put up with it, at least until they start to claim that all Air Cooled bikes are for Grannies. | ||
| Fuzzy |
i don't know guys, it looked to me like eric was damn near crying in the video and the blast really needed more power. as for the seat thing, i'm a knees_in rider and don't hang off much but don't put much weight on the seat either. carry most of my weight on the pegs, 'specially in the twisties!  so i'll take a bike designed for performance over comfort any day (but my firebolt just feels RIGHT), and friends just want to borrow tools  | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
7hp more was available to the Blast right of the parts shelf from stock XB parts. "bolts right on"! FWIW. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
Hey Court! Any chance of talking you into coming out of retirement and running the Buell ad agency? I think you could certainly do a lot better job of it! | ||
| Hotredjohn |
Yes edgy is an appropriate word to describe the ad. Trying to identify the "run with a different crowd" by riding a Buell. I like the 1125R, but it is not for me as a rider. I don't "hang off". Clearly they are trying to bring in the young rider demographic who is focused on the jap sportbikes. | ||
| Crusty |
Hey Court! Any chance of talking you into coming out of retirement and running the Buell ad agency? I think you could certainly do a lot better job of it! +1 | ||
| Court |
>>>Hey Court! Any chance of talking you into coming out of retirement and running the Buell ad agency? I think you could certainly do a lot better job of it! Nope . . there are three things I'd PERSONALLY attack if it were me . . . I'm too old and have, with a bit of help, come to realize that I am a "Buell-o-saur". | ||
| Cyclonedon |
OK Court, now I've got to ask: what's a "Buell-o-saur"? | ||
| Oddball |
He's being compunded/compressed by the earth and in a million years might fuel future buells as high test.  | ||
| Bcmike |
It's probably been said already but I gotta wonder... if Eric cubed the Blast because it has no connection to racing, how long before he makes a stool outa the XB1203? WTF does it have to do with current racing technology? About as much as the Blast... Nothing! I'd be really pissed.. it might be based on a dinosaur harley design but modern engineering has made it one of the sweetest street/sport motors I've ever owned. IMHO | ||
| Court |
>>>>I'd be really pissed.. You may relax. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
 Shush, please dont tell Erik, but we've been racing them... (Message edited by Gearheaderiko on September 21, 2009) | ||
| Ezblast |
Yes - since 2001 - lol - the Mighty Blast! Was nic-name of the first street track racing bike - records at Willows. EZ | ||
| Ezblast |
 The First Blast Racer with the Mighty Blast! EZ | ||
| Ezblast |
lol  EZ | ||
| Froggy |
Hahah epic | ||
| Cyclonedon |
Ezblast, that is great! "FREE AT (B)LAST" | ||
| M2nc |
Friday before last, I rode Webe's, wife's, new to her Blast from Ray Price in Raleigh, back to my house. I did not take the most direct route because after 20 miles on the interstate running 75mph and getting past left and right, I decided the little range bike that had never seen fifth gear before that day really should not be pushed on its maiden voyage, especially since I was not its owner. I did envision the little Blast screaming "I'm Free!!" I pulled off the freeway to take two-lane back way home. I gained confidence that the speedometer was accurate. I was really starting to question its accuracy coming out of Raleigh at 5pm on a Friday. Usually 75mph is enough to keep pace, but not this day as the state trooper pull out of the median behind me to pull over one the many white pickup trucks that flew past me. At 60mph, the Blast was just purring along. It really is comfortable at that speed. I was catching traffic and actually passing some slower cars. The little traffic around me was giving me room and I was enjoying the ride at last. To tell the truth, I hate super-slab on a bike anyway. Not being about to squirt away from traffic just made me hate it all that much more. About halfway home, I stopped for gas and a bathroom. The law was in the parking lot as I pulled in and they were talking inter-department gripes. After filling up I calculated in my head gas mileage, 'hum about 53mpg, how does Ulywife get 75mpg out of these things,' I thought to myself. I walked the bike from the pumps to a parking spot by the police cars. I did my business inside and walked back out to the bike. One of the police officers asked me, "Hey what size is that bike? Is it a 250?" I said, "no a 500." He said "I thought it looked pretty small." After a call to Ulywife I jumped back on the bike and head for home. The total ride was about 100 miles. The little bike did fine, an on-coming cold was dampening the ride for me, but the bike did great. This Friday I rode Ulywife's Blast. We just added the Ventura rack to it and I rode it to work. On the way home I decided to take the bike on some of the back-roads I like to ride. The bike is under sprung for my weight but I am sure it is perfect for the size rider the bike was intended for. On the twisty section I did not want to push it. I learned on US421 the hard way that the pegs are very low and easy to find. I did find them on one corner this ride, but it was gentle contact, not the hard jolt with ding...ding, ding, ding...ding, ding, sound off the side of the bike. I also found out that with my very large mass on this very small bike, that if I get up on the tank and hang off the bike that it will go through corners very fast with hardly any lean at all. I guess relative mass; 360# bike and 240# rider does not take much lean when fluffy rider is hanging off. I took a corner at normal speed for me on the Uly and I instantly liked the fact that I was close to the ground. On the Uly the bike is so tall that I have learned to swing wide in the corner to leave me room to lean. The shorter arc length was nice. At the end of the ride I pulled the bike into the barn realizing I had as much fun thrashing the little Blast as I do on the Uly, just at lower speeds which is good thing for the street and my license. Ulywife has about 1000 miles under her belt and she is like a kid at Christmas when we ride. The last Sunday ride Webe, Ulywife and I rode, we stopped to eat at one of our favorite eateries and she ate quickly then asked if we were ready to go. Like a kid she was ready to go ride again since we were next to one of our few twisty roads on this part of state. After the fourth pass on the road, she had the smooth line on the decreasing radius curves. She did better than the group of sport bikes pulled over in the corner where one of the sport bikes had just met with the large ditch on the outside of the corner. A common occurrence since this road is well known by bikers and troopers alike. This particular corner has claimed enough bikes that we could easily do a tree of shame there with the motorcycle parts in the outside ditch. Ulywife has the corners down better than most I have seen on cruisers that is for sure. So I parked the Blast and have some thoughts about the bike. Should it be Cubed?? For all its faults the Blast fits into a category that you can not find many in this country to replace it with. Go try to find a standard motorcycle that weighs less than 400# wet with a seat height under 28”. The list is very short and most you will find have smaller displacement motors. At its core the Blast is a fine little motorcycle, but it is obvious it is a price point bike. Well, when I sit on the bike and look it over, it is on the cheap. Everything about the bike screams cheap. Starting the bike after it sits for a while is a pain. It reminds me of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. More accurately it’s Weedy-Weedy-Putt-Putt-Cough. Where is the choke?? Is it too much to ask for a choke?? If you ride the bike daily its fine, but if you let it sit, be prepared to work at starting it. At idle the bike shakes. It does not bother me since I am a Bueller anyway and am use to the bike vibrating at idle, but the little Blast looks like it wants to hop the front wheel at idle. The single cylinder engine and lighter weight of the Blast really makes it subjective to vibration. There is one part of the riding experience that really shines about the Blast, easy handling. It has to be about the easiest bike in the world to ride and makes a great trainer no doubt. The bike is light on its feet and easy to direct. It does nothing to surprise you or shake your confidence. I have no problem hitting 60mph on the two-lanes around here and shooting through the corners with little effort. I have ridden several Sportsters and have to say the Blast is far easier to handle, and hate to say it, is more comfortable. The other factor of the ride that really stands out about the Blast, it’s a great bike for a small person who stands 5'2" tall. The easy of handling, low seat height and light weight really makes this bike a good chick bike. If it just wasn't so cheap looking. To answer the question, should it have been Cubed?? Well... yes and no. I think if I had a motorcycle company and these bikes had my name on it, I would want the bikes to represent what I stood for. The Blast does not stand for what Buell stands for. The bike is not an affordable top shelf sport bike. It is a price point trainer. So for that reason I can understand the advertisement. But once the damage is done, to separate in such a manner is a mistake. There are many here that love their Blast, like Ulywife. I like the bike myself enough to ride it just because I want to. I like the look of the bike at a distance and Ulywife looks good on it. The bike is well proportioned for her. As a commuter now with side bags and the Ventura rack, the bike will be great. I think coming out with an upgraded model first then pulling the Buell name off the Blast quietly would have been the better course of action. If someone would develop a chassis with a modern 450, you could have a family of bikes that would appeal to many riders. One version could be the Blast upgrade. I really think there is a market out there for a more dedicated top shelf bike for shorter riders. A low standard motorcycle with all the good features of the Blast but more power, less weight and more upscale components would be well received in the market. At street speeds a 50rwhp bike in the 300# range would out accelerate most Cruiser to the any speed limit. Another model can be a full on sport bike version. This would be a shoe in for the AMA 450 class and would be a fun sport bike if you can keep the weight down to say 300#. Another model can be a tall super-moto for the bigger riders who like that venue of a smaller bike. Then a dirt bike/dual sport for the adventure riders. I really think it would be a winner for a small company. (Message edited by m2nc on September 27, 2009) | ||
| Froggy |
Carlos, I agree with you 100% on your thoughts about the Blast. I love mine to death, I use it mainly for commuting due to the 85mpg I get along with the cheaper maintenance and tires. | ||
| Court |
I think the Blast is elegant and would buy one. | ||
| M2nc |
I like the bike, no doubt about it. Webe and I are now talking about taking the Blasts to BTF3 and chasing each other around the loop. Would'nt that be a hoot? A group of Blasts nose to tale on the loop. I can not get that kind of gas mileage though. Ulywife gets anywhere from 73 to 78mpg, but I usually get somewhere in low 60mpg range. I like to get the bike up in the power range. Hehe! How does the first annual... Cube Loop sound. | ||
| Froggy |
Sounds great! How do I tow mine behind the CR? | ||
| Ezblast |
lol | ||
| Cyclonedon |
Carlos, that was a nice write-up on the Blast and I pretty much agree with everything you said. I feel one problem that the motorcycle industry is having is that younger people are purchasing large motorcycles and have never ridden before. Then they go out and have accidents, get hurt and never ride again! Back when I was 16 years old, a 500cc motorcycle was a large motorcycle and nobody started out on a bike that big. Now people look at them as starter bikes. I first owned a Bridgestone 60cc and rode it a couple of years before getting a Suzuki 250cc. I've never owned a Blast before but I rode one at Buell's homecoming three years ago and it was a great bike. I feel it would run the speed limit all day long without any problems. That's all anyone needs while they are learning to ride a motorcycle. This last year at homecoming, we did some riding after we left Gus's and a girl was riding a Blast and she stayed right with all the bikes riding the Kettel Morane scenic route with all the fun curves. a example of someone purchasing a motorcycle they shouldn't have was the kid the Chicago Bulls drafted from Duke and signed to a large contract, I don't remember his name right now but he bought a Busa and had a bad wreck on it. He is still under going therapy to learn how to walk again and will never play basketball again! Such a loss of talent. If he had only started out to learn to ride a smaller motorcycle, maybe this would have never happened. I've always talked to people who want to buy a motorcycle and tell them to start out on a smaller bike, something like a Blast. | ||
| Gsilvernale |
You should not be allowed to ride a bike greater than 500cc until you have had a motorcycle license for 1 year. We need a graduated license system. It's gotten worse with this new generation since they grow up on Video games where pushing it, and crashing, is part of the game. |
