| Author | Message | ||
     F_skinner |
Just wondering. I actually started this in the Old School section. I need to focus on more positive things. What are your most memorable events involving Buell or Buell people? Here are some of mine: - The joy of my first Buell (1997 S1) and ticket I got 5 miles from the dealer. - Being a part of the first S2 Gathering and meeting everyone that shares my passion - MBV (I do not know if Spiderman remembers this but I did not know who Fick was and I did not make a good first impression) - Riding side by side with Ratbuell to the factory on our S2s - Talking to Court at any time - The Court coffee delivery at the campsite - Having dinner with S1Wmike in VA - Having dinner with 1313, Webe, M2NC, Smilee, Uly wife and my brother in NC - Meeting and staying the night with Buellhusker in NE, then riding to Homecoming with him - Picking up my 95 S2 in AZ with Bart - Telling Erik Buell there is not enough heat coming off the Uly (after riding in rain at 38 degrees) - Watching Bullerthanyou pull up at Homecoming in a torrential downpour looking like a drowned rat - Hanging out with Zac in the parking lot at the 25th like a couple of kids the night before christmas - Having my saddle bag pop open on the way to Homecoming 2 miles from the Hotel during rush hour and John Law helping me get back to the bike after picking up my belongs. He said "Don't you know it is dangerous to walk on the Interstate" I replied "that is why I was running" Many more.... Frank | ||
| Brinnutz |
This was one. Along with all the people I met at the 07 Homecoming as well. 25th Anniversary:  (Message edited by brinnutz on October 16, 2009) | ||
| Swampy |
Looking at a used S-1 at a dealership, and while I was blocking the salesman, having Spiderman start it up out back and bring it around to the front of the dealership so I could test drive it.(It was a few days before Christmas and it was sleeting) That machine howled like it was from hell. | ||
| Brinnutz |
Oh, and if anyone that was at the 25th wants the Full size pic to download let me know. | ||
| Indy_bueller |
My best Buell Memory: Elation and Heartbreak at Daytona By Pete Johnson Saturday October 18, 2008 dawned a bright, sunny, very promising day for the #70 James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing Team. Having placed on the podium in the Grand Sport Twins class at every Moto-ST event so far in the 2008 season, we were only two points behind the defending champion #77 Ducati team heading into the last race of the year. If we won the race, or at least beat the #77 by two positions, we would win the Moto-ST GST championship. But this wasn’t just any race. It was the 8-hour long endurance race at Daytona Beach Florida. We had every reason to be optimistic. Three great riders would be piloting the #70 XB12R for the race; Paul James, Dr. Jeff Johnson (aka “Fireball” no relation to the author) and Walt Sipp. Paul and Jeff had landed the team on the podium in the last nine Moto-ST races, going back to the Road America round in the 2007 season. Walt had stepped in to help out at New Jersey and Topeka in 2008, and had proven to be a valuable asset to the team. We had two consummate professionals heading up the pit crew; Mike Kirkpatrick, whose amazing level of attention to detail had been a huge part of the teams’ success, and John Dahmer of Hoban Brothers, whose skill at building and tuning V-Twin engines is well-known. Rounding out the crew were Ben Pickarski, Jim Hesketh, Alex Oppermann, Zach Erb, Rocco Scola, Jim Magistro, Jeff Johnson’s wife Rita, and myself. In addition to all that, earlier in the week the team had clinched the ASRA Team Challenge GT Lights national championship on the same track. We were an experienced team, familiar with Daytona and supplied with everything we needed. The bike, “Hobo”, was ready. All that remained was to crack the throttle and go for the win. If you have never been to a Moto-ST event, I strongly recommend it. They have all the excitement of a sprint race, but are timed events that last anywhere from three to eight hours. It is a true endurance test of man and machine. This year, the overall winner of the eight hour race completed 219 laps. At three and a half miles per lap, that’s 766.5 miles! The field is split into three classes; Super Sport Twins, Grand Sport Twins, and Sport Twins. The rules are balanced to make the playing field as level as possible, specifying items like maximum fuel capacity, maximum horsepower, and minimum weight, among other things. Taken together, it makes for a very competitive racing environment. The race started out well for us. Jeff took the first stint and was running great lap times. He was right up there competing for the lead in our class when the first mishap of the day occurred. The #77 Ducati was mixing it up with another bike, came into the west horseshoe behind Jeff too hot, and ran off the track. When he re-entered the course, he ran into Jeff and they both went down. Jeff was able to get the bike back up and running and brought it around to the pit for repairs. We quickly taped up the damaged fairing, replaced the footpeg, and bent the shifter back into place. Fortunately, Jeff only suffered some minor injuries, and was able to continue as soon as the bike was ready. Now we had a hill to climb. Our Buell Firebolt was still in pretty good shape considering what had happened, and Jeff started to claw his way back up through the field. But we discovered that whenever Jeff tried to talk to us on the radio, all we could hear was the engine. We thought that the cable for his headset had probably been damaged in the crash. When Paul went out for his first stint, we found out that this was not the case. Communication problems would continue to plague us for the rest of the race. By the halfway point we had fought back to third place in our class, and from twenty-fifth to twelfth overall. The #77 Ducati team had repaired their bike and were back on the track as well, but they had lost a lot of time in the pit and were sixteen laps behind us. We were in great shape. All we needed to do was maintain our position and we would win the championship. Now a series of events took place that would dash our hopes for the championship, but not break our spirit. The weather forecast had called for a twenty percent chance of rain. As the clouds rolled in, we anxiously watched to see what they would deliver. We borrowed a sprocket from Richie Morris Racing so we could have both the Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa DOT’s and the Pirelli rain tires ready at the same time. Light rain started to fall sporadically, ratcheting up our fears of a mixed dry/wet condition. This is the worst possible track condition, especially for the GST and ST classes, because those two classes are not allowed to use intermediate tires. Crewmembers huddled over their cellphones, trying to look at weather radar and determine what the extent of the rain would be. It looked as though it would pass quickly, and the consensus was that we should stick to dry tires, because the rain tires rely on the cooling effect of water. If you run them in dry track conditions, they wear out quickly and become very slippery. It didn’t seem that there was enough water on the track to justify rain tires. We had experienced this problem at Road America earlier in the year under similar weather conditions. A full-course yellow appeared, because of debris on the track. Owing to our communications problems, Paul took advantage of the yellow to come in and talk to Mike and John about switching to rain tires. After a brief discussion, it was decided to stick with the dry tires. We fuelled the bike and Walt headed out onto the course. The green flag came out and Walt was running well. As he went into the west horseshoe he hit something on the track and fell hard on his right side. Walt said later that the surface there was dry, so it wasn’t water, but possibly some oil. Again because of our communication problems we didn’t know the full extent of the damage until Walt brought the bike back to the pit. The fairing was badly smashed, but that wasn’t the worst of it. The Buell XB series motorcycle uses an ingenious design that combines the frame with the fuel tank. In an effort to prevent damage to the bike in a crash, we had welded frame sliders to the bike. Ironically, when the bike hit the ground the frame slider was wrenched hard and tore open the fuel tank. As Walt coasted into our pit box, the bike was spraying fuel everywhere. Fortunately the tank was opened up in such a way that the fuel was spraying away from the engine, preventing a catastrophic fire that would have ended the race for us right there. The Moto-ST officials called in the fire crew from the Speedway. They began cleanup efforts, while Mike and Ben opened up the drain on the fuel pump and brought the level down below the point to the damage. At this point, no one would have blamed us for throwing in the towel. But none of us even discussed that as a possibility. The Moto-ST officials would not allow us to replace the leaking frame, but Dr. Jeff Johnson came up with an idea. He had been in situations in the past where he had used epoxy to repair a leaking engine case on a dirt bike when no other means of repair was available. He reasoned that if we could find some epoxy that was resistant to gasoline, we could repair the breach in the fuel tank and get back out on the track. We quickly borrowed some epoxy from Richie Morris Racing that would serve our purpose, and brought the bike back around the wall behind the pit. The next few minutes were more like playing a game of “Twister” with a motorcycle in the middle of the mat than anything else. The crew busily hovered around the bike. The epoxy was mixed and applied to the breach, sealing it. The smashed fairing was replaced with a spare. The radio and radio cables were replaced. The tires were replaced and the bike was filled with fuel. During that time a crowd had gathered in the stands behind our pit box, taking pictures and watching us scramble to fix the XB12R. When the Thunderstorm V-Twin finally roared to life, the crowd cheered! It was a great moment. We were down, but damn it we weren’t out! Walt headed back out onto the course but we had lost considerable time. The #77 Ducati was only two laps behind us, and the next closest GST bike in front of us was nine laps ahead. We knew that at this point it would be hard to win the championship because we needed at least one bike in our class between us and the #77. But we just hunkered down and fought on. Then, more bad luck. The bike started to leak oil! Walt stopped the bike, and the crash truck was summoned. Even though we had replaced the radio, we still couldn’t talk to Walt. We brought “Hobo” back behind the wall and got back to work. We quickly wiped the bike down and searched for the leak. An oil line was replaced, and the oil level was checked. It was bone dry! We poured two and a half quarts of Golden Spectro oil into the bike and fired it up. No leak was identified. The rear tire was replaced and Walt headed back out. He wasn’t on the track for very long when the red flag came out. We were leaking oil again, and had dumped it on the track! The crash truck brought us in again, and we put the bike up on stands and stared at it helplessly. The rules prevent teams from working on their motorcycles under a red flag. All we could do was look at the bike and try to see where the oil was coming from. Soon it was noticed that the lower oil cooler line had disconnected from the cooler. We raided our parts bins for oil lines and an oil cooler, but we had no oil! We borrowed a gallon from Richie Morris Racing and waited for the restart as precious time slipped away. Finally the cleanup crews finished their work and the field headed back out onto the track. As soon as the officials gave us the nod, we leapt back to work. Both tires came off. The oil cooler and lines were replaced. The bike was refilled with oil. New tires went back on. We wiped the bike down to get rid of the residual oil, and started the Buell Firebolt up to check for leaks. Then the Moto-ST officials checked for leaks. They pronounced it good, but wanted us to do a lap and come back in to check again. Paul jumped on the bike and headed back out. There were only ten minutes left on the race clock. At this point, we were simply too far behind. There wasn’t enough time left to make up the deficit. As the clock wound down, Paul was clicking off good lap times on our battered Buell when the #77 Ducati came into view. With only a few minutes left, passing the Ducati wouldn’t make a difference in our standing. But it would make a difference to the team, so he did it. When he did he put them on notice. They won this time, but we’ll be back next year, and with fresh determination. | ||
| Iamike |
Meeting BluzM2 for the 1st time as we headed out for Thunder in the Mountains My son & I riding to Newfoundland to meet Newfie and other Buellers after the 'unofficial' 20th. Watching Prior ride up on his M2 on the same trip after his cross country ride for Matt | ||
| Spiderman |
- MBV (I do not know if Spiderman remembers this but I did not know who Fick was and I did not make a good first impression) Refresh my memory... | ||
| Stalker |
Helping push Diablobrian's bike down the freeway in the dark, after watching him and his boy hold on 2up!, after a 60 mph rear blowout! That was one crazy day I will never forget! love ya guys jamie | ||
| Zac4mac |
I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed the 25th. Best week I have ever had in my life. Cant wait for the congregation at the Factory next week. I'm getting gear together already. <edit>Ya know, I thought something was very wrong at Buell with the latest ad campaign. The part about Buells not being what your friends like... Z (Message edited by zac4mac on October 16, 2009) | ||
| F_skinner |
Spidy, we were standing in line to get chow at MBV, Flick, who I did not know, was going through the crowd talking to people. I should point out that we may had been drinking  He asked me if I was there for the rally and I said yes, standing there in my Buell Hat, Buell shirt and jacket he then asked me if I rode a Buell. I said yes, a S1W, he then asked what year it was and I said something like "the only year it was made" in a very sarcastic tone... You asked me if I knew who that was and clued me in. I felt so bad that at Homecoming I apologized and asked him to sign my book. I should have known he was a Uly rider. That explains a lot. One more; When Lynn and I arrived at the 25th Homecoming there was Spiderman and MJ in the parking lot. I told Lynn "hey I know that guy" and starting walking that way. Lynn asked me what your name was. I said Spiderman and she said "what is his real name" I said I am not sure but it must be Peter Parker.... I do not think she got the reference. Good times Tony. More good times to come. | ||
| Crusty |
I remember Bill Bailey saying, "You'll be at Homecoming if I have to drive out to Massachusetts and bring you back myself" when the front isolator broke on my S3-T a few days before Homecoming '99. Last spring at Hal's during Homecoming, Ourdees bike had bad wheel bearings, and they were having trouble getting replacement bearings. Erik heard about it, and I overheard him say, "Pull the wheel off my bike, so we can get him going". It turned out not to be necessary, but I'll never forget it. | ||
| F_skinner |
Another Flick story, Last summer at Homecoming when I pulled up in the parking lot Flick came over, not remembering my name but most likely my apology, he started talking to me. A few minutes later Crusty came walking up and I totally blew off Flick and said hey, aren't you Crusty and shook Crusty's hand and Flick just walked away most likely because I just turned away when he was talking to me. Lynn is the nice political correct person in the family. The cats have more manners than I do at times. Sorry Flick. | ||
| F_skinner |
Ourdee is the best prepared camper I have ever seen. As long as there is an electrical outlet. RD told us campers that story after the fact. It is a great one Crusty and really shows the Buell is about people as much as bikes. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
I'll try to keep this short.. My first encounter with a Buell wasn't the greatest. In 1998? the Buell demo fleet was at the inagural Minnesota Mile Grand National race. We tried to get on the demo ride list but it was too late.. The next opportunity was a in 2000 at at dealer after receiving a demo ride post card from Buell (not sure how I got on that list.) I went to Delano HD/Buell and took a test ride on a 2K M2, halfway through the ride the oil light came on. I had to stop and call them to bring a trailer... not a good impression. A couple or weeks later I stopped at another dealer and took another demo ride on an M2. I was hooked. It was about that time I discovered Bad Web. Many of the charactures have come an gone, many more are still here. When I got a note from IAMike regarding the Thunder In The Mountains I was a bit unsure of the trip. As it turns out, it was one of the best things I've done for myself. I met some of the neatest folks one could possibly hope for. Also created many lifetime memories. Way too many to list here. The second trip to Colorado the following year was just as good. Bonneville with Team Elves. Buell Homecomings. March Badness. Working on my Buell's and others in the Crisis Center. Meeting Fireman Jim the first and subsequent times. Ditto for Court. Ditto for Erik. Ditto for way many folks to list.. but it is a privilege to call them friend. None of it would have happened if not for the man with the vision. Frank, thanks for starting this thread, it really helps to sit down and count your blessings. After being sick most of the week and not being to think too clearly from fever (seriously!) then getting the bomb dropped yesterday (it was yesterday right? that damn fever thing..)this is a great way to calm the angry feelings for a while. More good times to come folks, you can count on it. Brad | ||
| Edgydrifter |
1) Slo-mo dumping my Uly in a parking lot on it's test ride because I wasn't expecting the steering lock to be so, er... limited. That gets the the adrenaline pumping! I was riding with a salesman from Latus (Roger, who is a class act and is enthusiastic about Buells like just about everyone I ever dealt with there), and I remember watching his eyes grow wide when he looked back at me from his bike and saw me slowly failing to prop mine up with my left leg. Good thing I'd already made up my mind to buy the bike after the first mile, and a good thing that the Uly's obligatory horizontal excursion (I've never dropped a bike more than once, but I've never had a bike that I didn't drop) did no more damage than a smudge on the frame puck. 2) Coming down the southern flank of Crater Lake last summer. The whole trip, I'd seen nothing but HDs (curse them all!), and then all of a sudden there's this guy on an orange Uly coming up the switchbacks towards me--and he's riding well. I flashed him the shocker as we passed and I could see the grin inside his helmet so wide it bridged his cheekpads. He looked just like I felt. | ||
| Brinnutz |
Oh, I'll never forget the first "Buellers" I met at Homecoming 07. Meeting Brankin and Scott (from Germany) at The Boiler Room. That was a most excellent time. | ||
| Ceejay |
I bought a used M2, had some issues, in all honesty that's why I found Badweb. Later on, Blake sent me some passes to go see the AMA races at Mid-Ohio. Took my wife and my two year old son. Sitting in the trees watching the pros come through thunder alley is something I always thought about but never had the cash for and while my boy probably won't remember it I always will. It had so much of an effect on me that I ended up gettin on the same track and hanging with a few fellow badwebbers. Hell I'm even building a track only bike as I liked it that damn much. I'm of the belief that tough things only happen to tough people, those that can't handle it, well they get left by the wayside. I'm pretty sure that the good folks that built us the motorbikes we are so entwined with are good people and will find a way to continue on, and come out of this in a better position, even though it may not feel as such currently. Here's to you guys, I hope for nothing but the best! | ||
| Thespive |
Well for me it is the people I met along the way, but the best story is when I got pulled over by the CHP for speeding and was given the warning after the cop was asking about my clear "gas tank" and strange muffler location. --Sean | ||
| Bads1 |
My best memories???? Well to be honest Erik has accomplished much more then a great motorcycle. I'm 41 years old now.I've been riding street bike's since I was 16. I've made many friends from riding a Buell. Thats what Erik and the Elves gave me more then anything else. You guys are my best memories. Its what I fear now is losing the comradery. Erik..... thank you so much. | ||
| Rick_a |
Reading a pre-production test in a 1995 Cycle World article and seeing the future bike of my dreams for the first time. Being mesmerized after seeing an S1 in the flesh for the first time in 1996. A bike that compact and narrow sounding like a Harley just looked so wrong yet seemed so cool. Being inspired by this picture in a write-up about a Ducati rally.  The first ride back in 2001. Before I finally got it I was awake for days waiting for it's delivery. Going cross country from WNY to Central FL in 2002. Watching the last AMA Pro Thunder race in 2005. Talking to Paul James at the track in 2007. Meeting Erik and band last year. The last track day where the bike was working perfectly...rider and machine melded as one...until I highsided on cold tires due to being over eager to drag knees again. Can't wait to do it again (ride on the track, that is!  ) (Message edited by Rick_A on October 17, 2009) | ||
| Pdxs3t |
Blue Groove Northwest! | ||
| Ezblast |
A dinner in his honor - road all the way there, where I got to sit directly across from Erik for a whole evening of coffee and Buell questions, probably drove him nuts, still tired from flights,the races and only 3hrs sleep, he was a beacon of friendliness, with smiles and signatures, words so positive in his belief of the Buell products he produced, and the happiness they caused. Legendary folk hovered round to just say hey to him - an awesome evening. EZ | ||
| Oldog |
1. meeting 1313 and the other C3 members 2. 1st Buelltoberfest 3. 2nd Buelltoberfest 4. 3rd Buelltoberfest 5. Meeting Ft_Bstrd, Barker, Froggy, Hughlysses, U4eah, Pete, Devious, TorqueFreak, My Partner in Crime Guell, DjKaplin [Danny please call home we are woried about you], Glitch, Not purple S2(Curtis),Sanchez, New12R, SPIDY, FERRIS, JB2, Jim Attebury, MikeBreedlove, Lou Usher, BHuff, FB2, Denisea, COURT TomBumpus, Chadd Hargus, ccryder, Buellistic, VegasBueller (Nick), The Italian buellers that showed up at the cookout, (were you there TIJ?), phone man justin, "Chauly" court calls him "chuck", Henrik, Reepicheep, SlowRide, RattBuell. and too many other names and faces to list 5. Recieving a copy of Rapid bike from down under, sending a couple of local HD shirts, and a few Buell items including a C3 patch to JoesBuell (Jodie Goodal) 6. Seeing breathtaking places like Austrialia and NZ through the lenses of Vamperis, Lemonchilli, and Danger Dave 7. Riding with, Terry, Lee, Mike, and Don at various times 8. Talking to my buddy J Ramsey for hours about things buell and Burgman 9. "Epic rides and the stories of JB2 and Ferris" 10. 11. seeing MY NEW 1125R sitting infront of Bumpus, having purchased it not ever test riding one (its a faith thing) 12. spending 3 days riding it home 14. spending 21 days riding my X1 across country, seeing my late uncle Bill, and visiting family not seen in over 20 years. 15. riding in the rain comming home from the "But seriously" run enjoying the handling of the 1125 under less than ideal conditions 16. discovering the 1125 ram air system will not ingest enough water to kill the motor after plowing into a foot of water at ~30 mph. 16 the joy of installing a dash that I designed and AAomy made for me. 17 the joy of installing parts that Jramsey made for me. 18 the satisfaction after repairing the top end of my X1 ('olblue) listening to the motor rumble back to life for the first time. 19 Riding any where on either of my bikes 20 my association with this board and the riders that "reside" with in. 21 My admiration for a man named Erik Buell whos tallent and spirit are no doubt a gift from his creator 22 My admiration and grattitude to the folks who built my bikes.. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Back to the Track Las Vegas 2006 Purchase of CityX the next week (that is the way to SELL a bike) Meeting Erik in an impromptu snowy day and getting the chance for face time with the guy that has the name on the bike. Closest I ever got to fame. Really the guy is pure energy, adrenaline and excitement. I dont see a desk at H-D being able to hold him. And of course Devils Gulch 09-01-09  Its two forest gates, one creek crossing and 62 miles of less than paved goat track  | ||
| Xb9er |
My most memorable memory of buell is the support that the badweb, Court, and Erik gave me while I was in Iraq. I was able to eat, keep clean, and get cool buell swag while serving in Iraq. I have the new buell logo sicker before anyone(with a letter that said to keep hush hush) When the dust settles and Erik has a new product or old, or whatever I'll be there to give the support that I was given. -chris | ||
| Ducbsa |
XBS test ride in '07 -I rode there on my '77 BMW, had fun on the dealer led session by lagging back, then charging the corners, then when I got back on my BMW, I thought it was broken, it was so slow. That sold me and I bought my XBS a few weeks later. (First new bike since the '77.) The handling of my Buell showed itself in the 1/2" strips on the tires without even consciously working at it. It even made me a better rider on my other lesser bikes. I am not in the market for a replacement, but I have no idea what else I would want. | ||
| Xbpete |
I moved to the mountains of New York in 2000. I sold my Sportster as part of the down payment on our land and thought that at the age of 48 I was out of motorcycling. For the next 5 years I lived without TV in a remote area and was totally unaware of any new product from Buell. I am now and have always been a unit construction kinda guy. Triumph and Sportster were my cup of tea. So in 2005 my son had taken up sport bikes and wanted to go for a ride with his Dad. He knew that I would not ride a rice-rocket so he bought a 12R and called me up, " Dad, we are going for a ride, I bought a Buell 12R for you to ride while you are visiting, it's American!" Like I said, been living in the sticks, no TV, no motorcycle, I was outa the loop. The tubers were the only Buells I had known about and my son told me the morning I was leaving to visit him 500 miles away. I didn't have time to check on the 12R. I pulled into my boy's driveway and went into the garage. There sat a Ducati 1098S, A Triumph, Yamaha R6 and.... for the first sighting.... a Buell Firebolt XB12r. I was in awe, the lines of the bike, the way the engine was engulphed by frame, the lowered stance, underslung exhaust... and it was powered by a fuel injected unit construction v-twin. I totally fell in love with the Buell even before I fired it up. SO I fired her up, the sound of the Micron pulsing, throbbing, begging to be ridden hard......WOW! So I put on the gear and we went out. After about 10 miles, I cracked her WFO and ran through the gears up to about 125 and then rolled back the throttle smiling like a chesire cat when I saw a red blur... my son passed me at 165 or so, I will never forget the ride or the moment. That same 12R sits in my shop waiting for another season of smiles. My son gave his Dad that bike.... I will never sell her.... thank you Erik for the smile I get every day looking at or riding my Firebolt, it does not get old. | ||
| Ustorque |
I have a lot of great memories over the last few years of being a Buell owner, but the best one actually happened yesterday! When i got home from work and was informed that Harley had killed Buell I "REMEMBERED" that all of us still own our Buells, and that i have a lifetime of memories to create on a world class motorcycle. Built by a world class group of people!  | ||
| Nevrenuf |
i can't remember long enough to think what my best memory is but anytime that i had anything to do with my buell, it's been a good memory. thanks to everyone that i ever met because of the bike. | ||
| Spiderman |
Sorry Flick. I had to email him that after showing him that famous video from MBV LOL |
