| Author | Message | ||
     Court |
Neat view out Vick's office window.....   | ||
| Lornce |
Kreinke, I'm not qualified for an in depth discussion of chassis dynamics, but according to experiments published in an old Tony Foale text re. a test bike (bmw r75/5) modified to incorporate a 15 degree rake angle (trail dimension maintained at standard value of 3.5"  : "The initial testing was done on a bumpy, rutted country lane at speeds up to 50mph. Here the most noticeable effect was the almost total insensitivity of the steering to ruts and bumps. Not only could the bike be ridden hands-off but at the same time it could be weaved from side to side across the ruts with little effort and no detectable deflection of the steering. In corners, bumps had little effect, which was contrary to the behaviour of this particular machine before conversion, when it had a strong tendency, with no steering damper, to shake it's head (sometimes violently) on bumpy corners" Additionally: "A further advantage of the steeper head angles was increased sensitivity of the front fork to small bumps. This results from reduced stiction in the fork sliders as a consequence of the decrease in side loading." (-Motor Cycle Chassis Design: the theory and practice- p 59-61 1984 Tony Foale Vic Willoughby isbn: 0-85045-560-X) I'm guessing there may have been other factors afoot too, such as the increasingly ubiquitous mantra of "mass centralization". A Cycle Canada moto-journo who's been racing an xb9r for the past two seasons swears it's the most solidly planted front end he's ever experienced on the track. Not a single front end push or washout in two years of racing. He describes the feeling as having the front wheel "welded" to the track in front of him. He's previously campaigned R6 Yamaha and 996 Ducati and turns a respectable lap at Mosport, so am inclined to listen to the lad.  fwiw, Lornce | ||
| Geofg |
Kevyn, check out the whole post. There must be twenty-odd pictures nearly as good as that one. Those guys were nuts. -Geof | ||
| Lornce |
Oh yea.... Nearly forgot why I originally came here.... Any words of wisdom (or otherwise) from the assembled re S2's? Looked at (but didn't ride) a clean '95 today and wondered if there's anything I should be mindful of. Things I noticed: There were no engine vin #'s on the case below the barrels on the primary side like there is on my S1 and S3. Didn't appear to be anything removed, just a clean sand cast type finish. No machined flat area and no #'s. Is this "correct" for a '95 S2? Also: the front rotor wasn't held by buttons as per every other Buell I've ever seen (though this is the first S2 I've looked at closely) rather it was held directly to the carrier in a cobly overlapped sandwich arrangment.Is that "correct" for early bikes? Pluses: Loved the seating position and lower, narrower bars. More secure and "aggressive" feeling than the S3. Large grips and fat levers felt nice, fit my hands well. (How's the front brake piston ratio?) Minuses: Motor seemed lethargic and slow to respond to throttle when blipped. (heavy flywheels?) Any S2 insights welcomed. The ADV rider Panhead spread was awesome. Those guys knew how to have fun. Loved the airborne shots! Kevin appears to be the hot-shoe in the crowd. Love his expression while parking the bike in the snow. Nice tree, Court. (I <B NY) best, Lornce "What did people do before motorcycles?" | ||
| Loki |
Jst, one in the same. I miss the sound of the things. the S1 sounds alright with the V&H, but that boss on a t-stormed motor....... I appreciate you asking, dont like bidding against fellow badwebers. loki | ||
| Lornce |
My favourite:   "> Lornce edited by lornce on December 04, 2003 | ||
| Vr1203 |
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| Thunderboltloon |
Thanks Dave and Rex. I think the front mounting is he standard one for a 98 S3T but the dealer I take it to had never seen anything like the back bracket assembly before. They thought it looked more like an M2 assembly, but couldn't find anything remotely like it in the Buell parts catalogue. The dealer I bought it from has closed down (and they were rubbish anyway) so I doubt I am going to be able to get any historical explanation of it. Depending on the size of my bonus this christmas it'll be the V&H or a Supertrapp, I think. I'm only doing about 1,500 miles a year so I'm not too worried about having to repack from time to time. | ||
| Mikej |
I think I"ve asked this before, but what exactly does that extra fender/nose/protrusion above the real fender and below the headlights do on the BMW's like the one above? And a followup question, does anyone have a pic of one with that protuberance removed? Not needling, just curious. | ||
| Henrik |
Lornce: the front rotor sounds original S2 - the swept area of the rotor is layered on the outside of the spider. I don't particularly like the S2 fat grips myself - I'm still looking for a way to change to 7/8" bars. I too love the seating position - a bit more "in" the bike than on the S3. Don't worry about the motor - spins up a bit slower, but keep it above 3K and you'll have plenty of power for fun in the twisties. Not eyeball flattening acceleration but plenty for fun  Can't check my bike for engine VIN now, but I think there ought to be one stamped in the motor. Henrik | ||
| Lornce |
Mikej, Looks to me like that thing's supposed to act like an eave's trough or rain gutter. Suppose it stand to reason when a bike's as big as a house.... lh | ||
| Mikej |
I haven't quite gotten a local shop to let me take one for a test ride yet. Maybe I should shave first next time before I ask. | ||
| Road_thing |
Lornce: What Henrik said... r-t | ||
| Lornce |
Henrik ~ Road Thing (nice hat ), Thanks for the info. What do you guys know about the engine numbers? I'm sure there were no marks below the barrels like other Buells I've seen. Also, the heads and barrels of this bike were black: is that original? I tried looking at S2 pics in the "cool pics" section, but couldn't really make out engine colour on anyone's machine. The bike really was sweet. I'd prolly be willing to part with my '98 S3T to make room in the garage. Anyone wanna buy a nice low mile '98 S3T.... with a '95 S2 motor? L | ||
| Mikej |
Click my link, cylinder barrels are black on my '95 S2, cases are metal color (unpainted). Can check for engine number location later tonight if nobody else chimes in. Do a search on "Hoser" and "S2" for his list of basic performance upgrades. He works in a shop and at home up in Calgary Alberta Canada and has a basic functional good formula that utilizes the stock heavier S2 flywheels. Will mostly be the path I take with mine (if I get that far and keep it that long). Also, Ron at Axtell had a well setup S2 with more than enough power a few years ago (at least he did when I saw it in Colorado back then) which he was talking about selling. Was ready to roll and your S3 could then keep it's engine. Also get in touch with DonCasto for his S2 Archives and Files. I believe he posted a link recently and had also sent out some CD's to folks (thanks again Don, I'll have to get out that way again to stop in for another visit and will plan to stay more than 30 minutes next time). Okay, I'm tapped, hope this helps some. | ||
| Firemanjim |
I seem to remember the engine # is to the rear??but am at work without bike.Lornce,spins a little slower but with a few mods will run quite nicely.Original front rotor was on a very sturdy aluminum carrier all sandwiched together,front brake is a 6 piston Performance Machine caliper and works very nicely. And Henrik,from a guy that came off of H/D's the 1" bars should be very familiar,just put on some nice foam grips and go.Just take an old set of bars and weld 7/8 ends on them and use S-1 controls.(Must be those delicate Doctor's hands---) | ||
| Madduck |
Mikej, The "Beak" on the GS series performs two critical functions. first it adds stability when traveling at high speeds, I have taken mine off and run it, and it definitely works. Second it ducts air into the oil cooler for improved heat dissipation. Small children seem to believe they should ride there and have been know to sit on them when the bike is left unattended, which is how I rode mine without while waiting for a replacement beak. Paul | ||
| Bigj |
You can also set sodas on the beak, or your wax bottle, etc. Very useful platform.  | ||
| Mikej |
How are the beaked beasts in crosswinds? I can see the potential problem with kids thinking it's a basket seat though. Might have to add little spikes if I get one someday. It doesn't sound like it's a good idea to remove it, no matter how cosmetically I'd like to. | ||
| Vr1203 |
Mikej ,there are kits to remove the beak,look at the Advriders website. It really changed the character, not sure I liked it. | ||
| Ferris |
The bright pearl paint glistens with the burning hot sun. The deafening roar of the motor destroys your ears. You can feel the ground shake while it rumbles down the road. Those are only some of the features that make my dad's Buell so cool!!! Riding in to town is fun because you have the wind in your face and so many people must be thinking WOW what a lucky kid! was going thru some stuff and found this, written by my son Wade in August of '96, at the age of 11. FB edited by Ferris on December 04, 2003 | ||
| Ferris |
B -- Brand new Buell U -- User friendly E -- Extraordinary new look L -- Leathery feel of the seat L -- Loving when you get used to it S -- Shiny chrome and this from my daughter Brynn (along with colorful artwork), November '97, age 10. FB | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Too Cool Ferris! They belong in picture frames on the wall.... | ||
| Ferris |
i agree | ||
| Fullpower |
cool kids... | ||
| Ferris |
thank you! (and i agree again ) | ||
| Kreinke |
That upper fender on the R1150GS is both cosmetic and functional. First, try to picture the bike without it. Second, during heavy off-roading it keeps alot of the mud splash off of the rider. The Adventure and Dakar models don't have the lower for-mounted fender and only have the high stationary one. | ||
| Jima4media |
Tonight's History Channel Boys Toys show on motorcycling was excellent! If you didn't see it, be sure you do. The ending is great! It airs again in a couple of hours, so set up your Tivo or VCR. Jim edited by jima4media on December 05, 2003 | ||
| Bartimus |
Lornce, My '95 S2 has black barrels also. My engine has numbers on it, you may have an after market motor, but than again maybe not. The S2 has basically a stock sportster motor in it so you won't feel too much get up and go. I have lived with this for 8 years now, regularly getting dogged by my buds on their thunderstorm buells. That will change soon when I get the Nallin kit on my newly returned, stolen S2. click on my link to see a pic of my bike. I love the seating position, the bars and everything else. I want to add an S1 to my collection. But i'll never get rid of my S2. Unless it gets stolen again. Now to get the broken parts the thieves tore up replaced and my baby will be as good as new again! | ||
| Ferris |
Art, this is the first i've heard about the recovery of your bike. this is excellent news! what can you tell us? FB |
