| Author | Message | ||
     Blake |
Available power for race kitted Firestorm engine... Consider that the Blast dirt-tracker is reportedly making over 50RWHP. Can I get a "YEEEEEEE- HAAAAAAW!!!"? | ||
| Ralph |
Blake, a bike I see as a direct parallel to the XB9R (why always the stupid number/letter stuff?) is the TL1000R or S (see, it never ends). The dealer I spoke to quoted me a price of $8300 out the door on an R. An S version would have been even less. By the way, that'd be 120 rwhp and more torque by over ten pounds. So, not necessarily less than 8k but pretty darn close. Also, lets face it, the TL's are not super popular, that's the territory of the 600's. Which are directly in the 8k range. So how about compare the SB9R (see?, sounds silly) to a SV650 (just plain duffus-like, all these unconnected digits and letters). Oh, that just doesn't look good either. I understand all the cool stuff Erik has done here. It is truely fantastic. Just don't loose sight of the fact it is nothing more than a motorcycle. I don't think anyone is going to buy this bike simply because of the engineering feats displayed but because it handles the real world we all live in with agility and finesse. By the way, Voxan is out of business. bighairyralph | ||
| Chuck |
Ralph, don't buy a TL1000R for the street...it's horribly uncomfortable...plus the engine heats the frame and bakes your thighs...they're cool to race, though. | ||
| Davet |
Compare the XB9R to SV650? It's a bit heavier, but more power, and alot better suspension components. Of course this is all on paper, specs don't tell the whole story. Let's wait until someone has actually ridden the thing, before we count the chickens. | ||
| Buellman |
Good evening/morning all. I have posted some more photos on Sport Twin of the air intake, oil cooler, accessories and few more. My conversations with the Buell engineers indicates that this engine is capable of spinning 8200rpm's, so my initial assumption of 8k is realistic, the key will be not losing torque as this powerplant is VERY linear. I have arranged to get my hands on an XB by mid October, if all goes well I will have a system from D&D shortly thereafter. Heads may take a bit longer, I will call Nallin next week to discuss this more. On another note, I talked to Erik tonight about a live chat in a few weeks on Sport Twin, I will keep everyone updated on an exact date and time. It would probably be a good idea to be on the email list for prompt notification. A few of you may have seen the Honda prototype featured at Laguna, can you say XB ripoff? The Firebolt is here now, everything else is second, and quite frankly my sources say the chances of the Honda being produced are slim and none. Have a good one. Brad Sport Twin http://www.sporttwin.com | ||
| Tap |
voxan is not out of business, just avoiding a takeover.. | ||
| S2carl |
One more site w/ info. Way to go Brad!!!! Motorcycle Daily | ||
| Mitchelob |
Buellman...Thanx for all your hardwork and efforts in keeping us informed about the XB9R. Personally, I'm wild about this latest creation from Buell. So much so that I'm laying out a deposit at my local dealer for the first one in. Only 92hp? I don't see this as a problem. I expect the engine performance to be a perfect match for it's weight and chassis geometry. Besides, isn't spirited street riding about control. Perhaps after a few months of ownership I'll do what we all do and tweak a few more ponies out of it, but for now...life is good! | ||
| Choptop |
Uhh, I'll dig up the numbers later today, but the claimed dry weight of the Firebolt is the same, if not lower than most of the 600's on the market. | ||
| Lurker E |
Source, Motorcycle Consumer News March 2001 600cc sportbike comparison. Hindooo CBR600F4I - 436 lbs wet 96.6 hp 4306 lbs torque Yamahehe YZF-R6 426 lbs wet 97.5 hp 44.4 lbs torque Sucksukeee GSX-R600 423 lbs wet 100.6hp 45.5 lbs torque Kawasuckme ZX-6R 435lbs wet 96.2hp 44.2lbs torque Turnup TT600 452lbs wet 88.9ph 39.2 lbs torque All are rear wheel HP. Dy weight not published here. For the Buell figure 4 gallons of fuel @ 8lbs per = 32 lbs for about 412 give or take for wet weight. Most manufacturers include oil in dry figures. | ||
| Davet |
Actually most manufacturers initial "claimed" dry weights are typically dry of anything and are usually very optimistic. The Buell will have an advantage without coolant though. | ||
| Tripper |
And we'll have to see what the dyno says about RWHP, but who is going to be the first to match 52 inch WB w/ 21 degrees? I just can't get over that. This thing is like the Miata of bikes x10. Or maybe a Miata w/ an LT1 motor. | ||
| Tripper |
Would somebody offer up a HOO-YAA to Harley-Friggin-Davidson for: 1) giving Erik Buell the resources and 2) getting out of his way and not watering down what is a visionary piece of chassis engineering 3) hiding this bike from the legal hounds in MI until after the announcement date | ||
| Rocketman |
It's nice to see, after my post the other night with regards to the Firestorm, that the S1 gang is in favour of THE S1  As for the rest of you, I can't quite work out your attitudes. Please take no offence, but whatever drove you to buy any Buell so far, then make you want to buy a Firestorm, I can't figure. The Firestorm appears to be a shift away from Buell's current styling. Put it this way, the Cyclone's, Lightning's and Thunderbolt's haven't that much in common with the looks of the Firestorm which appears in pics, at least, to look more like the current fashion of sports bikes on sale. I can only conclude that your liking of the Firestorm is based primarily upon its looks and thus, I can't understand why you would have bought a Buell in the first place. Maybe you bought Buell's because you liked the looks, and heard great things about them too, and you possibly rode a demo and got hooked. After making your purchase, I bet some of you have been regreting that purchase ever since the "problems" set in. So I guess you might not have bought the Buell if your heart had not over ruled your head, and now with the Firestorm on the horizon, I'll bet a lot of you see it as a more conventional looking motorcycle and a return to "normality", all be it, with a new Buell steeped with rather cool inovations. Now, about those inovations................... Fuel in frame : Ascot Pullin 500 as long a go as 1925 featured a pressed steel frame with the fuel carried inside it. Much closer to Buell's design though, the early 70's Norton Commando Formula 750 racers that featured a monocoque frame, designed developed and ridden by Peter Williams, carried fuel inside the steel monocoque chassis and featured a fuel pump operated by the movement of the swing arm (thanks MiI). Rim brake : as long a go as the 80's. Downdraught intake (V twin): since the turn of the century. all done by the British, which is where Erik Buell always seems to look when he needs inspiration But look, the point is this, surely for all its superb attributes, the Firestorm represents Buell's shift towards a more popular market and thus, the Streetfighter is no longer a Buell niche where they see themselves selling many more bikes and thus I fear Buell will never bring us that Super Lightning that I think the company could well do with as a flag ship. So sports riders are where it's at, or so it seems, and in this category the opposition is fierce so the Firestorm, with its great torque and handling will have to be a real performer to survive but I don't buy that real world speed stuff. To me real world speed, where Buell's are concerned, has come to mean unreliable and underpowered pushrod, read, cheap to manufacture, and that's why weight and size are important to Buell. Anyways, I can here the cries now across the pub car park. "there's one of them Buell Fire thingies. Best handling bike on earth, apparently. Shame it isn't fast enough". After all, who gives a stuff if it breaks 100mph faster than anything else. Most superbikes don't even break in to a sweat at those speeds. Let's face it, it takes only a handful of seconds to reach that 80 to 100 target, then what you going to do ? Sit and watch the opposition go by at 150 + !!!! As far as I'm concerned, when you build a world beating motorcycle, TOP SPEED is world beating. Shifting goal posts towards supreme handling and power delivery from an inovative designed bike is not going to be enough in the real world, or is that the REST of the world. Only in America eh ? No I'm afraid Rocket is still waiting for the 150 mph Super Lightning and it better look like one too  . Rocket in England | ||
| Freyke |
ANTI-CLIMATIC, ain't it? It's all good brothers... All things said; I'm impressed but not dazzled... The XB9R seems more to be starting point for things to come and not necessarily the end all answer that will make Buell one of the dominant manufacturers of SPORT machines... I assume market domination is the ultimate goal... (Play to win, not just play)... I look for the W/C HD-Porsche motor to end up as the primary mover behind the next Buell effort.... That will be the showstopper we've all been looking/waiting for.... It's at that point I may consider setting my 98 S3 out to pasture for the new philli on the ranch... kk//kef |
