| Author | Message | ||
     Ducbsa |
Someone did a lot of work on these. I think I'll leave my XBS stock, though. A rear ZTL brake is tempting.   | ||
| Oldog |
nice sculpture, the first looks unridable, but interesting, the second looks sorta like a confederate wraith, nicely done sculpture .... | ||
| Hybridmomentspass |
both look unridable first doesnt appear to have a seat second - wtf | ||
| Elsinore74 |
First one is an interesting use of spare parts, and a great reason to wear Nomex drawers. Second one does have that Confederate Wraith look going on with the neo-girder fork and backbone frame/tank. What's that blue 4X4 coupe in the background, I wonder? I get the "art for the sake of art" thing, but when someone uses a Buell engine for a custom, there's a certain sadness to that. Kind of wish they stuck to Sportys and Big Twins. Just my 2 cents worth. | ||
| Pwnzor |
nice sculpture That's really all those are. | ||
| Trojan |
Sorry, When i saw the headline 'custom Buells' I was expecting a thread about motorcycles  This is just a couple of pictures showing the aftermath of an explosion in a scrap yard. | ||
| Sifo |
The first has me wondering where my boys go, and what's going to happen to them. The second, I can see where my boys go, and it doesn't look good. | ||
| Jayvee |
The connecting rod motif of the first one is cool. The second one is also an amazing bike, is that a 'cowcatcher' in the place of a chin fairing? I mean somebody had to dream these up, and have the {whatever it is} to actually complete them as they are. I wish I had that kind of self-confidence. I can't even conceptualize actually owning one of these. Like being married to Sandra Bullock, just cannot even imagine what kind of world they live in. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Yes someone did do a lot of work on those... to no great purpose as far as I can see. | ||
| Teeps |
What did those Buells do to deserve that treatment? | ||
| 86129squids |
 All that's left of a "Buell" in both cases is mainly just the motor, maybe a ZTL rotor. This is no more impressive to me than those "Redneck" chops that ruined so many Buells. Blech. Looks like H.R. Giger got steampunk'd. | ||
| Ducbsa |
I just noticed, the conrods are all split type for car motors. Ugh | ||
| Sifo |
I just noticed, the conrods are all split type for car motors. Lot's of bikes use them too. I'm kind of hung up on how the front "suspension" is supposed to work. Does the fork simply rotate forward, pivoting at the steering tube? Death on wheels! I also noticed the nice comfortable hand grips. It clearly isn't made to ride across the parking lot. | ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
The suspension is similar to an F1 car except it's running fore and aft rather than across. It's operated by a series of linkages is all. I think the suspension arrangement is amazing on that bike. For me, it's a bit lost on a custom job like that, but I would like to see it on a focused for handling and performance Buell streetfighter. Would be interesting to see if it worked well or not. Rocket in England | ||
| Sifo |
So then the entire wheel, brakes, fork, steering assembly, handlebars and controls, as well as a good chunk of the frame and riders arms are designed to be unsprung weight? In fact, it it works as you think, and you might be right, about the only thing sprung by the suspension is the engine! Even the rider appears to be part of the unsprung part of the rear suspension. | ||
| Bob_thompson |
Does anyone have a link to the Cycle World article from Oct. 2007 where some of us BWB sent in our custom Buells which were then featured in that issue? | ||
| Ducbsa |
Lot's of bikes use them too. The only manly bikes that do are 1125's and 1190's.  | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Anything with con-rods & journals that big is most likely diesel. Check out the "headlight". | ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
Looks fairly straightforward if you look closely. The 'frame' despite looking unconventional actually is just a frame looping the engine. The shocks (which don't form part of the frame, being placed on top of it) are linked to the suspension levers which look like they spring all of the components forward of the triangle forming the 'headstock'. It's difficult to see the rear but there appears to be pivoting links between the swingarm and the shock where most of what's seen is sprung. That said, I'd imagine there's some real weight in this build and it's not really for riding. Those camshafts must make uncomfortable handgrips and footrests! Not only diesel, likely marine too for the big stuff! Rocket in England | ||
| Bob_thompson |
Bob Thompson: "Does anyone have a link to the Cycle World article from Oct. 2007 where some of us BWB sent in our custom Buells which were then featured in that issue?" Well I guess none of people who sent their bikes in remember that article but here is my 2002 M2 I sent in, below. Do not look at the front fender, bad mounting, later corrected. I still could not find the proper link to the whole article with the ten bike finalists. Only a passing article on it from a foreign reader. Now remember these are mild customs not full blown "works of art". These were all ridden every day. Anybody else and their entries?  | ||
| Sifo |
Looks fairly straightforward if you look closely.  From what I can tell, I think you're pretty close. The 4 link parallelogram set up is pretty obvious. Both front and rear appear to have a pretty simple pivot attaching that setup to the "frame". The "frame" appears to consist of separate front and rear sections. The front section has a pretty obvious link attached to the bottom of the engine. The link for the rear section is less obvious, but I think I have it circled. If I've got it right, the engine, exhaust and fuel tank are sprung. Everything else, including the rider is unsprung. On the connecting rod thing, my experience with connecting rods being exposed, has been less than satisfying. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Still fugly tho! | ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
Sifo. I'm not seeing how you have the engine and fuel tank sprung? It looks to me like the fuel tank is bolted directly to the top engine mount in between the V, the engine supported by the top mount, the swing arm area, and in front of the crankcases. Thus the whole mass centralised lump is rigid within the 'frame' and anything sprung is at the lower end of the shocks. But then I look again and I can't work out if the whole thing is sprung either side of the shocks. If so I would assume the triangulated brackets at the lower end of the four rods would pivot in some way, or the whole rod bracket assembly move. Rather confused myself now! Rocket in England | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Come on Sean, it's a Jag back-end set-up. Bloke must have been locked in a scrapyard & told "Don't come ou til you've built something." | ||
| Sifo |
Rocket, I think you got sprung and unsprung backwards on this. Easy to do looking at that mess. Wheels are unsprung on anything. Weight supported by the springs is sprung. The engine/fuel tank are about the only thing that would be where the chassis would be if that were an F1 car. That is the weight supported by the springs, i.e. sprung weight. Everything on the other end of the springs, wheels, frame, rider, is the unsprung weight. | ||
| Sifo |
Bloke must have been locked in a scrapyard & told "Don't come ou til you've built something." Ever see the TV series "Junkyard Wars"? | ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
Yes apologies my heads up my arse from trying to work out an alternative looking at that set up. I know what I mean but it's silly to try explain it. So I wont, lol. Simply I was trying to look at the whole bike being unsprung through the way it's suspended from both ends of the shocks as if the opposite forces counteract one another. Like I said. Silly. Don't bother..... Rocket in England | ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
My Jags never looked that good underneath Grumps! Rocket in England | ||
| Beugs |
Here ya go elsinore74. One of the top gears (I believe u.s.) did a test with one. I really want one, and would buy one if I had the funds, because it is made in America. Looks like a ton of fun. http://localmotors.com/rallyfighter/ |
