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21 Posts
wooo big money! yea
Buell to Support New Moto-ST Endurance Series.
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Schizuki the Great Motorcycle Swami says that kpaul is going to double-down at the gym, then put his track school skills to good use riding Chocolate Thunder to a championship. You heard it here first.
Oh, wait - I meant he's going to watch the races while Pledging the dinette set. Whatev.
Oh, wait - I meant he's going to watch the races while Pledging the dinette set. Whatev.
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11,491 Posts
Dude, he already wore-out one Buell - now he's settin' sight on an '07 CBR600RR, don't encourage his merciless flogging of machinery any more than necessary....................
(sorry KPaul, I just couldn't resist!)
(sorry KPaul, I just couldn't resist!)
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11,491 Posts
The "Flexible Flyer" of a SuperHawk is eligible, but no RC51?
Must not be "recent enough". (or the fact it would probably clean all the others clocks..........)
Must not be "recent enough". (or the fact it would probably clean all the others clocks..........)
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11,491 Posts
That was for SST.
For ST - no HawkGT (NT650) eligibility?
Bah! Pansies!
For ST - no HawkGT (NT650) eligibility?
Bah! Pansies!
Joined
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285 Posts
Not completely related to this story, but to Buell motorcycles nonetheless...
I went to a demo day this weekend and took short test ride of a XB12Ss. I've been looking to get something a little more "high end" than my SV650 which I've been enjoying for the last 5 years or so, and had been considering a CityX.
First the good: Ergos are great, very comfortable, controls fall naturally in place. Great solid feel to the bike, smooth suspension, powerful and nice feel to the brakes.
Then I started the engine. At idle the thing shakes so badly that I couldn't read the marking clearly. But hey, who cares about idle, right? Well I take off (clutch felt ok, but not that great) and the shaking starts to go away, then by 3k it's smooth as hell. Great! Unfortunately, it was only smooth in about a 500 rpm band, then shook like hell again. And on decell? It shook so bad that I thought the rear tire was skipping. I like to use engine braking to control speed around town and don't take a bike out of gear until I'm nearly stopped, but you absolutely couldn't do that on the Buell.
For an engine that I was expecting to "stick in 3rd gear and ride all day," it had the power but was so uncomfortable I wouldn't enjoy it. And the gearbox is no joy either, with a nasty clunk every time I shifted. As far as power goes, I guess it was fine - certainly didn't feel slow but I'm used to reving an engine when I want power and this required a different style of riding. I've also decided that I don't need a huge amount of power as I hardly ever use WOT even on the SV and much prefer smooth riding and corners to hard acceleration these days and want a tractable engine that pulls off idle smoothly rather than "aggresively".
I might have found more of an appreciation for what the bike offered if I was by myself rather than on a Harley parade for a test ride, but that engine simply ruined the experience for me. Really a shame as I wanted to love the bike. I was basically relieved to get off the thing, and never appreciated my SV more when I got on it to ride home.
Oddly enough, I rode a new Dyna as well and actually like it more (once I found the foot pegs...), though I have no interest in cruisers. Much smoother...
I went to a demo day this weekend and took short test ride of a XB12Ss. I've been looking to get something a little more "high end" than my SV650 which I've been enjoying for the last 5 years or so, and had been considering a CityX.
First the good: Ergos are great, very comfortable, controls fall naturally in place. Great solid feel to the bike, smooth suspension, powerful and nice feel to the brakes.
Then I started the engine. At idle the thing shakes so badly that I couldn't read the marking clearly. But hey, who cares about idle, right? Well I take off (clutch felt ok, but not that great) and the shaking starts to go away, then by 3k it's smooth as hell. Great! Unfortunately, it was only smooth in about a 500 rpm band, then shook like hell again. And on decell? It shook so bad that I thought the rear tire was skipping. I like to use engine braking to control speed around town and don't take a bike out of gear until I'm nearly stopped, but you absolutely couldn't do that on the Buell.
For an engine that I was expecting to "stick in 3rd gear and ride all day," it had the power but was so uncomfortable I wouldn't enjoy it. And the gearbox is no joy either, with a nasty clunk every time I shifted. As far as power goes, I guess it was fine - certainly didn't feel slow but I'm used to reving an engine when I want power and this required a different style of riding. I've also decided that I don't need a huge amount of power as I hardly ever use WOT even on the SV and much prefer smooth riding and corners to hard acceleration these days and want a tractable engine that pulls off idle smoothly rather than "aggresively".
I might have found more of an appreciation for what the bike offered if I was by myself rather than on a Harley parade for a test ride, but that engine simply ruined the experience for me. Really a shame as I wanted to love the bike. I was basically relieved to get off the thing, and never appreciated my SV more when I got on it to ride home.
Oddly enough, I rode a new Dyna as well and actually like it more (once I found the foot pegs...), though I have no interest in cruisers. Much smoother...
Thats what youd call different strokes no?
The first time I rode a big twin I was convinced the back wheel was oval, though I cannot remember thinking that it was shaking too much.
Now I kind of like the vibes coming from the engine. On a long rides I find the vibes somehow reassuring and comforting. I am sure the low frequency pulses that go through the bike has a massaging effect that relieves "numb butt syndrome" because I spend more hours (with less fatigue) in the saddle on my Harleys than with any other bike I had owned.
The first time I rode a big twin I was convinced the back wheel was oval, though I cannot remember thinking that it was shaking too much.
Now I kind of like the vibes coming from the engine. On a long rides I find the vibes somehow reassuring and comforting. I am sure the low frequency pulses that go through the bike has a massaging effect that relieves "numb butt syndrome" because I spend more hours (with less fatigue) in the saddle on my Harleys than with any other bike I had owned.
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285 Posts
Different strokes indeed.
The vibes that prevent numb-butt for you did the opposite for me in well under a 1/2 hour. Maybe I needed more time to get comfortable with its character. Maybe I needed to ride it differently. Maybe I need to not buy an American big twin. Like I said, I was hoping to love the bike. I didn't. Oh well.
The vibes that prevent numb-butt for you did the opposite for me in well under a 1/2 hour. Maybe I needed more time to get comfortable with its character. Maybe I needed to ride it differently. Maybe I need to not buy an American big twin. Like I said, I was hoping to love the bike. I didn't. Oh well.
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17,461 Posts
Having ridden a number of old Brit offerings over the years plus a Gilera202, and some of the early 70s I-4s I've thought that the people who complain about HD vibration sort of pu$$ies. I-4s can set up a vibration that recalls a dental drill.... far worse than almost any V-twin. Parallel twins can rattle your filings out.
If you've never ridden a pre-isolatistic Norton Atlas you haven't experienced vibration. Sportsters are nothin by comparison.
I've put 700 mile days on a Shovelhead without much trouble while my 76 CB750F would have my wife and I screaming for mercy within minutes if I rode at certain dental drill speeds.
If you've never ridden a pre-isolatistic Norton Atlas you haven't experienced vibration. Sportsters are nothin by comparison.
I've put 700 mile days on a Shovelhead without much trouble while my 76 CB750F would have my wife and I screaming for mercy within minutes if I rode at certain dental drill speeds.
If Harley had bought Aprilia instead of the motorscooter morons at Piaggio then Buell would be the top naked sport bike now with an Aprilia motor.....you would be happy with your new Buell and I would be alot more happy taking my Aprilia to Buell dealers that might just have parts for it.
That is the way it is ...the price Eric Buell has to pay each day for hooking up with Harley because he did not have the funds to grow the company and engineer a real motor for his bikes.....and the price will all pay for not having that Buell with the Aprilia motor.
Ofcourse now all the Aprilia owners have to be happy seeing the USA Director of Piaggio operations providing interviews to the motorcycle press on Vespa without a word on Aprilia or Guzzi....so I say we are not better of if any on those that want to buy a Buell but are waiting for it to have a new/real motor.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh what could have been
Mike
That is the way it is ...the price Eric Buell has to pay each day for hooking up with Harley because he did not have the funds to grow the company and engineer a real motor for his bikes.....and the price will all pay for not having that Buell with the Aprilia motor.
Ofcourse now all the Aprilia owners have to be happy seeing the USA Director of Piaggio operations providing interviews to the motorcycle press on Vespa without a word on Aprilia or Guzzi....so I say we are not better of if any on those that want to buy a Buell but are waiting for it to have a new/real motor.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh what could have been
Mike
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285 Posts
Resonance happens. The difference that I noticed between what I'm used to and the Buell is that my bikes have always vibrated at a certain speed and were smooth(ish) every else while the Buell was smooth a certain speed and vibrated everywhere else. I guess that's the difference between configurations with natural balance and those without.
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