| Author | Message | ||
     Zac4mac |
I am happy with the pods on mine. This past winter, they kept my legs warm and cozy in their wind-break. I think the coldest I saw was 19 dF, had to wear my Key coveralls. After a year and a half with Loretta, XBs look odd without the pods. To each his/her own. Z | ||
| Jaimec |
Indeed. The bike looks far more awkward in photographs than it does in person. Hey, if you really want a favorable impression on looks, park next to your buddy's Multistrada... | ||
| Xl1200r |
I just KNEW someone would skip ALL of the GOOD things they said about the Buell and focus on the one or two nitpicks they had. Statistically, it had to happen. I found it a very fair article where all of the reviewers went in with a DOCUMENTED prejudice against the Buell, and every single last one of them came away IMPRESSED with Erik's creation. What could possibly be wrong with that?? Any positive comment they had was tied to the caveat that it SHOULD be better due to the engine size advantage. Yes, they were impressed with parts of the bike, but the whole article read like: "Your mom is pretty hot, but then again she should be when compared to a line of wild boars." They compared a new and impressive litre-class v-twin sportbike against another decade-old example and a 600cc supersport. They may as well have written a review comparing a brand new Corvette, a 1985 Camaro and a Mazda Miata. Yes - good things were said about the Buell, and I'm glad they acknowledged how excellent the bike really is - but the tag of it should be better because of unfair rules just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I stand by my statement. It was a 4-page cry-fest about the Daytona AMA rules. | ||
| P_squared |
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Can we move on now please? For those hoping the pods get moved for "aesthetic reasons" (because no one here has offered anything in the lines of a FUNCTIONAL reason), maybe they will get moved. Until that time comes though, I'll be enjoying mine for what it is. A REALLY fun bike that is easy to ride fast. | ||
| Jaimec |
You're entitled to your opinion. I, too, find the DMG rules for Daytona sportbike both confusing AND stupid. But FAR MORE IMPORTANT to me (and most anyone else reading the article) is how GOOD the Buell is. You started with a bunch of writers with a confessed prejudice AGAINST the bike, and they all wind up LOVING it. You can't ask for a better write-up than that. It's one thing to get a glowing review from people (like us here) who love the bike. It's another thing ENTIRELY to get a glowing review from people who started out NOT liking it. THAT speaks far more to me than anything else regarding DMG and their wildly illogical means of conducting a motorcycle racing series. (Message edited by Jaimec on May 07, 2009) | ||
| P_squared |
+1 Jaimec. Slow & steady steps = progress. | ||
| Ron_luning |
I'd like to know the real weight of a stock 1125R. I read in Motorcycle Consumer News (magazine with no advertising and no manufacturer-related agenda) that the wet weight was 466 lbs. Taking the specs provided by Buell you get a wet weight of 460 lbs. Then these guys get 434 lbs wet. Are they skewing the numbers to try and prove their point about the rules being unfair? It seems that is the entire point of this article. | ||
| Eaton_corners |
I'm still confused as to how Buell is responsible for Aprilia and Kawasaki not being up to par in engineering and technology. All I hear from the typical sportbike rider is how the Japanese and Europeans are so far advanced. I did understand their positive comments, but they tried to minimize these by saying how big the engine is. Personally, I don't think the engine size is what makes it so flickable. But, I'm not a magazine writer either. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
The Buell should stomp the Aprillia and the ZX_6R on the street and it did. The absurdity comes in when they applied that logic to the track without taking into consideration the fact that the buell is running an uncracked stock motor and the factory 600s are FAR from stock. Minor details..} | ||
| Bobby_fletcher |
I'd like to know the real weight of a stock 1125R. i can go fill up my CR in an hour or so, and weigh it on my work scales. they are bi-annually calibrated and accurate to .01 lbs. | ||
| Buellsrule |
P squared said "For those hoping the pods get moved for "aesthetic reasons" (because no one here has offered anything in the lines of a FUNCTIONAL reason), maybe they will get moved. Until that time comes though, I'll be enjoying mine for what it is. A REALLY fun bike that is easy to ride fast." What he said! BR. | ||
| Brapbrapbrap |
I think asthetic is a good enough reason. 1. More Sales 2. So your reviews don't end in just don't be seen on one in public 3. Resale Value 4. Excitement 5. Pride in your work. | ||
| Eaton_corners |
What if I actually like the way my bike looks? | ||
| Weatherman |
When Buells weren't competitive and blew themselves up before the end of the race they all said "nice try erik but you're just not in our league"!!! Now they just want to cry and moan over the rules all being so unfair. All the bikes are close in time and other bikes have come in ahead of the Buells in some races so how unfair can the advantage be???? Erik had the bike designed with what feel and performance he wanted in mind, not any particular engine size or even horsepower and torque specs. If a different engine configuration would have delivered the desired result , you'd better believe that's what we'd be looking at now. | ||
| Edgydrifter |
+1 Eaton_C. No fooling--some folks actually think the 1125R looks better than anything currently made by Yamaha or Suzuki, and I'm one of them. To be fair, Honda's CBR and Ducati's 1098 are quite stunning so hats off to them, but still... The 1125R is a truly beautiful bike made more so because it works so well, and even MORE so because some people seem so offended by it. | ||
| Socoken |
You wont like how it looks for long. Some fart sucking douche conoes cant help but beat your brain in with posts about how it looks. They are on a mission to see to it that you dislike how your bike looks just as much as they dislike looking in a mirror. | ||
| Madav8tr |
"What if I actually like the way my bike looks?" No, that isn't possible. You HAVE to think the same as everyone else and your motorcycle HAS to look the same as every other bike on the road. Different is bad  . "1. More Sales 2. So your reviews don't end in just don't be seen on one in public 3. Resale Value 4. Excitement 5. Pride in your work. 1. More sales? Are Buells sales numbers down since the introduction of the 1125? What about Honda or Suzuki? I know they are selling fewer bikes. 2. Again, the aesthetics of the bike are polarizing no doubt but some of us actually like the way the 1125 looks. You don't we get it. 3. See number 2 4. Excitement? Really? You ride a XB and want to criticize the 1125r for lack of excitement? Too funny. 5. Pride in your work? WTF is that supposed to mean? Do you know the people that are building these bikes? Are they ashamed of them? Erik seems to be very proud of what he has done with the 1125. The last motorcycle you designed, was it widely regarded as both beautiful and functional? 6. Why are you trolling the 1125 forum again? Each thread that comes up here you are in it criticizing the 1125. Like I said before, we get it, you don't like it, let it go. We, in general, LOVE it or we would have bought a cookie cutter sportbike like 99% of the population. Buell has never been about trying to do anything other than build motorcycles that put function 1st. That's the beauty of the 1125. If you don't like the pods, try riding one, they can't be seen when you are in motion. Same goes for the large upper fairing. Too bad it works so well, otherwise you would actually have something else to whine about there. If looking at your motorcyle is what you want to do, buy something else. I will be riding mine. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Many people didn't like the way the Cadillac CTS looked when it first came out. They have grown to like the angular looks. LOOKS are subjective. What is sad is that there is so little difference between the looks of any of the Big 4. During a race, you can't even tell which bike is which. BMW's bike looks just like a GSXR. You couldn't tell them apart at 25 yards if you tried. I don't want cookie cutter. I think the Tuono looks like a bag of hot mess. I think the RC8 looks like ass even at twice the price. The 1098 looks beautiful, like most Ducati's. At twice the price, it should. The Naked 1098 looks horrific. My opinions are the only ones that matter, because they are mine. I like the looks of the R and CR. They're are distinct and different. Different in every sense even. The great thing is that as consumers we each get to vote with our dollars. If you don't like it, don't buy it. The rest of us who DO like it don't give a shit. | ||
| Jaimec |
Ft_Bstrd: When you say "BMW" I assume you DON'T mean the HP2 Sport, which really DOESN'T look like anything else on the grid. If you're talking about the S1000RR then I agree (until you see the street version head-on with those cockeyed lights BMW is so enamored of). | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
The S1000RR is correct. If you can't beat 'em, replicate 'em. | ||
| Jaimec |
Just thinking how odd it is that the Daytona Sportbike rules allow BMW to run the HP2 Sport, yet they elected to remain out of the series this year. They did pretty well last year in Moto-ST, didn't they? | ||
| Redbuelljunkie |
The HP2 Sport is highly competitive racing against XB12R's. BMW knew it would have no chance against factory 600's and the 1125R in DSB. I do wish they were in Moto-GT, though. | ||
| Brapbrapbrap |
FYI, the guys that jumped me for for saying "don't be seen on one in public...." Those words were not mine read the text article linked on the video page it has more detail than the video and that is how they summed up the review in the last sentence. I'm not a troll, just an impatient eager Buell owner that wants a Rotax powered Buell handling bike. Yes I'm waiting for the next iteration in design but I'm glad people are buying the current model and glad you enjoy your babies. I'll just wait over here in the corner for mine. I find no joy of a Buell review that ends in "don't be seen on one in public...." | ||
| Pariah |
The Motorcycle-USA journalists have to put down the looks... I mean, otherwise, the 1125R would be a perfect motorcycle. It can't be... not from a small American outfit! Noooo...  Regarding the DMG rules, one has to realize that there is marked difference between racing and street riding. An IL4 is a racing machine, a V-Twin is a street machine. This is a generalization, but one that is more true in Buell's (or Aprilia's) case than in Ducati's (considering a 1098's desmo valves, higher compression, higher redline, higher cost). That is, in a nutshell, why it is conceivable that a 600cc IL4 and a 1000+cc Twin can be pitted against each other on the track. I applaud the DMG for seeing through the idiocy of simple size comparisons and looking at the overall package of a motorcycle before deciding which bikes are competitive. This notion of a package might even include the fact that Buell is a much smaller company than its competition, and is pushing innovation even harder than the large factories (taking risks in brake design, frame design and engine design). In this shootout, the quickest laptimes were not that far apart amongst these three (fractions of a second), even in stock trim, which proves DMG's point. The laptime of a 1000cc IL4 would likely be at least 2 seconds (WHOLE seconds) shorter, putting those machines in a different class. | ||
| Bott |
eye 'o the beholder? (by the way, mine's name is Raquel, too)    | ||
| Bikejunky |
I see the resemblance! Skee rumpsious! | ||
| Jaimec |
Who cares what the front of the bike looks like? All anyone is gonna see of mine is the taillight and license plate anyway...  | ||
| Ruprecht |
The fact that 1125R's handling is compared favourably to the 600s is an incredible win for Buell. The fact that the engine is even being compared to a 600cc il-4 is something of an underachievement though in my books. While I'm looking to buy one, it isn't the 600s it's stacked up against. Looks are secondary, but I like them. Reminds my of my TL1000S. I'll take character over fashion any day of the week. | ||
| Brapbrapbrap |
+1 on the handling even the old Firebolt got awarded in an english magazine for best handling bike in the world or something named similar to that. | ||
| Court |
>>>it isn't the 600s it's stacked up against. Thank goodness. The 600's are boring as are most the folks who ride them. Comparing the engines can, and for the most part has, quickly become a fools pursuit as the ill educated, as the component most lacking in the discussion usually turns out to be the intellectual firepower of one of the debaters. Power and abilities on a race track are related to MANY factors, it is the small mind the sees "cc displacement" alone. I feel bad driving a Ford F-150 pickup that has 86% per displacement than the car that won last years Indianapolis 500. If the prevailing logic of the small of mind large of mouth internet "scientist with everything but the degree" were to be adopted, I **should** be able to make my daily commute in just shy of 3 minutes. Buell did not set out to build a race bike, there was no displacement nor specific output target. Buell set out, using this nifty little program notebook with CONFIDENTIAL emblanonzed on the distribution list to build an excellent, in fact "best in category" street bike. An added benefit has emerged in that skilled owners and race teams are proving they can pretty much walk in a dealer, buy a bike, make less than $5,000 worth of "factory available" options and be quite competitive. I'm not sure where I fall in the demographic. I'm an avid, long time rider who's owned many motorcycles, had 5 different brands sitting here until I cleaned house and got rid of a couple Kawasaki, the BMW, two Honda's The TW200 and the KTM in the last 3 years and I just plain enjoy motorcycling. For the most part, unlike many of my friends, I could care less about racing or owning a race bike. What I, and it's emerged as me personal Buell stock in trade, care about is owners, the ownership experience and the excitement. Buell has sent these elements off the charts with the current offerings of product (ranging from the Blast as an entry bike, to the Uly as an Adventure bike, to the 1125R as a performance bike) and programs (Ulysses Adventure Giveaway, various race series, dealer/owner events like "Thunder & Lightning taking place today). Having been witness to Buell's advancement over the years and maintaining close personal friendships with executives at Ducati, Ducati North America, BMW of American, American Honda and Buell as well as keeping in close contact with about 25 of The Elves at Buell, I love seeing Buell carve out a spot not so much as the envied leader among this group but, at long last, a serious and deserving member of the group. It's really cool stuff and the product of a lot of hard work on the part of many folks. Court |
