| Author | Message | ||
     Nevco1 |
Dang Dyna...I started that rumor years ago!!!  | ||
| Steveford |
A version of the new Buells that's large enough to accommodate two normal-sized people and with more traditional styling would be a welcome addition to the Buell line-up. An increase in displacement and more power wouldn't hurt with the younger crowd, either. I would also like to see a Blast with larger rims and more power done up as a cafe' racer. If Royal Enfield can tart up their Bullet, you'd think Buell could do the same. | ||
| Crusty |
Boy, I'll tell ya, those Royal Enfield Cafe racers are everywhere. They must be selling like hotcakes. Every time I go somewhere I'm seeing them all over the place; right beside the super retard singles. Ya know, if I'm not tripping over an Enfield, I'm falling over a KTM Duke. They sure sell a lot of them. Yup. | ||
| Jprovo |
Jeez Crusty, did ya think that this topic needed more sarcasm or what? Seriously, I like the idea of a factory hot-rod Blast, I guess it they do a XB12, it wouldn't be that tough to do half of one  James | ||
| Court |
>>>Gary Valine is THE MAN!! Gary Valine is a VERY SPECIAL person. He joins the like of Dano Lang, Jack Rinehart and others, who have given so much to Buell. Gary Valine's history with Buell (he came from a famous car racing team) is nothing short of fascinating and was the subject of the first installment of "Buell Elves", a series I wrote about various Buell employees who'd taken pay cuts and moved to WI from around the world to work 18 hour days making the Buell dream come true. Gary's story, and the way he got hired, is especially fun to write and to read. Like most Buell folks, he's dangerously smart, unbelievably dedicated and selfless and the type of person you are proud to call friend. It only gets better when you see his relationship with family (Carol and Andy) and his private life. He's always followed me during testing, but I've always sought to follow him through life. Court (P.S. - this whole thing comes together when you taste Carol's ability to produce QUALITY Mexican food in Wisconsin)  | ||
| Kevyn |
Ray, I enjoyed your idea that some 'traditional' HD riders might transition to a supermotard...MSF courses would be swamped with transitioners learning to turn left and right and lean!! And what about those beanie helmets? HOOOHAAAA!! Over all, I think it's a great idea (SuperMotard) and it could be a big plus for the lady passengers to get them out of their unnatural positions with their legs pressed up into the ribs of the drivers! Thanks for the chuckles. | ||
| Cyclone1 |
Court, Yea, everytime they send me up for training I try to catch the guy. He's about the most intelligent, passionate-about-his-job man I've ever met. You start talking motors with the guy, and his eyes light up like the christmas tree at the drag strip, accompanied by a shit eating grin. TRULY a one of a kind gearhead   | ||
| Court |
>>>TRULY a one of a kind gearhead TRULY a kind gearhead. Let me know next time you intend to be there. We'll have some fun. Court | ||
| Lake_bueller |
SV650 the best thumper on the market  I never claimed to be all that bright  } | ||
| Jscott |
So what is the date when we will find out for sure about the 2004 offerings? | ||
| Rd350 |
I keep hearing that the new Buell will make the XB's look bad. So lets think about this for a minute. The only thing that the bikes really need is more power. So, it is either water cooled or supercharged. Why not turbo you say? That is to 80's from the big 4. So I am thinking that Buell likes to be different and Eric likes aircooled and not watercooled. So can you supercharge the twin? No! 45 degrees doesn't fire correctly for good power. Can you supercharge a single. Yes! I am thinking it will be a supercharged single that fits into the XB frame the smaller engine is less weight. The weight will be around 340 pds dry with about 399 pds wet with around 105 hp at the crank. So Wet 399/105= 3.8 (XB6R) Wet 455/92=4.94 (XB9R) And it will have a 6 speed. I could be wrong and Buell could go with a watercooled engine. But it would have to run full plastic to cover all the hoses and things. And Eric likes to be different and not a follower. Either way they need to have more power to keep up with today market trend.. | ||
| Cyclone1 |
>>Let me know next time you intend to be there. We'll have some fun<< Will do  Frank | ||
| Anonymous |
july 14th | ||
| Blake |
RD, A blown thumper with that kind of performance would be a real surprise that's for sure. I don't understand the reasoning that a 45o twin "doesn't fire correctly for good power." The XB9 engine produces the highest HP/CI ratio of any production pushrod engine, ever. And who is "Eric"? To the Hall of Shame for you! July 14th, only a couple weeks away.  Blake (still thinking an XB12RR would be plenty cool if it came to pass) | ||
| Dynarider |
RD, we have a few Bigtwins with superchargers on them running around town. They appear to be running pretty damn well to me. Wicked fast off the line. | ||
| Mikej |
They must have moved it up a couple of days, or else my information was two cups of coffee short on the schedule. Yep, the supercharged twins I've seen can run pretty sweet. If it weren't for the frame getting in the way and the wallet being way too light it'd be fun to supercharge a tuber. And I ain't talking potatos. | ||
| Daves |
11 more days. Ride to the edge! Dave HD/Buell Cycle Center My ext is now 211 Waterloo Ia 1-800-342-7539 ext 211 Iowa HD/Buell (Buell Cycle Center) When it comes to Buell, WE KICK ASS! | ||
| Mikej |
Just wondering if that's press release date or open the crates date. Thinking back to the V-Rod unveiling at various dealerships who had the crate in the lobby for a week or so. | ||
| Blake |
The history of Buell's new model debuts and public reactions is interesting. Buell... Here's the new X1 with DDFI, and we've put the new DDFI on the S3 too! Ooops, the DDDFI is not ready yet. We should have held off on releasing those new models until it was perfected. Sorry about that. Malcontent Public... Please do not ever release another bike that is not up to par!! But please show us something new; tell us what you are working on; we don't care if it's ready yet, we want to know! Buell... Here's the cool new XB9R, it's not ready for sale yet, but we wanted to show it to you. Malcontent Public... I can't believe you showed us a new bike 9 months before being ready to release it. What is your problem, can't get your act together? Buell... Here's another new model, a variation of the XB9R. It is ready for release. Malcontent Public... Pshaw, just another version of the same bike. I can't believe you don't have something more for us after all this time. and one possibility for this year's unveiling... Buell... The new XB12RR has been released and is waiting for you to check it out at your local dealership. The official unveiling will be in a couple of days as per usual, but you can check out the bike now at your local dealership. Malcontent Public... Buell can't even get a new product release straight. The dealerships had the new bikes before Buell even unveiled their new model. Whatever they do is fine with me. | ||
| Mikej |
You can please some of the people all the time, and all the people some of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time. Or words to that effect. | ||
| Psychobueller |
Found this Erik Buell interview from 1995 on motorcycle.com. I have snipped out one particularly interesting Q&A: MO: What are you doing about a VR1000 engined model? Erik: It's already been published that we would be the first outlet for such an engine. It's a natural fit. Harley-Davidson has a long history of racing, but those bikes don't always sell, like the XR750. That's really what the VR was built for, to carry on the racing heritage and to let their engineers stretch their minds a little. It's worked well on both counts. From Harley-Davidson's perspective some things that they've learned on that engine they're going to use some time in the future, but Harley-Davidson has a philosophy based around preservation of tradition. That shouldn't be thought of in a boring way -- when you understand it you see that it's really brilliant and it's really valuable to the motorcycle industry. So when they do it they're going to have to think about it a whole lot, to understand how to use those things, so that they don't have a short lived product. They're on a different perspective, they have different criteria. From our perspective, we're very interested in it. The race engine was built only as a race engine, it's homologated on a 50-unit basis but it's on the ragged edge of the rules. They didn't want to build a street version, they wanted to take the opportunity of the way the class rules are written to build this bike. The engine is not currently streetable at the level where we would like it. You shouldn't expect to see a bike from us next year, it's not that ready. We're looking into it, we're working on that project, we can't give a time frame for when it'll be done but there's definitely work going on. | ||
| Anonymous |
Psycob, Aaaahhh, but interested in it and working on it are not the same as commited to it. If Harley-Davidson changed their mind as to what the engine would be, then why would Buell continue? The street version became the V-Rod motor, a beautiful cruiser motor, but way too big and heavy to make a world-class sport motorcycle. So, that's why information from 1995 is now 8 year old history. | ||
| Grndskpr |
The street version became the V-Rod motor Anon Is this true, other posters here have siad otherwise, are that that similar or that different?? thanks ROger | ||
| Anonymous |
Grndskpr, I'm not totally sure I understand your question, but perhaps this will answer it. The street version as embodied in the V-Rod shares no parts and no external linear dimensions with the original VR racing motor. It is a much bigger and heavier motor, as was required for an engine with this technology going into a power-cruiser with 66" wheelbase and 550 lb weight. | ||
| Rocketman |
I'm 42 on July 14th  Rocket  | ||
| Dynarider |
It is a much bigger and heavier motor, as was required for an engine with this technology going into a power-cruiser with 66" wheelbase and 550 lb weight. I coulda swore that the program on the development of the V-rod had the motor first & then they had to design the bike around it. They could have developed that motor into a Buell if they had wanted to at the time. In other words I think the size & weight of the bike were developed around the motor, not the other way around. | ||
| Benm2 |
What if.... "Buell announces new grounbreaking model for 2004! Based on a development partnership with Renault, Buell is proud to announce the introduction of the first street motorcycle to utilize pneumatic valve return technology. The new engine, expected to produce 130hp in street trim, will be incorporated into a updated version of the XB9 chassis. The 600cc water-cooled triple is introduced simultaneously with Buell's announcement of fielding a full factory effort in AMA Supersport and Formula Extreme for 2004. The motorcycle will be available via online auction only, and only 500 copies will be produced. The expected retail price is to be near $35,000 but has not been finalized at press time. The auction is to begin 10:00AM Eastern Standard Time on September 1, 2003." I can dream can't I? How many would be left on September 2nd? | ||
| Rocketman |
Or How many would be right on September 2nd? Rocket | ||
| Jprovo |
Ben, I love the idea, but forget the partnership, Buell has enought talented minds to do it on their own. The funny thing is Supersport rules only allow for twins and fours, no triples... James | ||
| Ray_maines |
No triples? I resent that! |
