| Subject: Re: BUELLS |
Author:
Phil
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Date Posted: 23:55:23 10/16/02 Wed
In reply to:
CLAWSON
's message, "BUELLS" on 20:27:19 10/16/02 Wed
I don't know about everyone else, but I personally wouldn't own a buell because the Buell company is trying to fool me.
First, they have the ability (manpower, financial resources, tools and materials) to build a motorcycle that is built on 90's or turn-of-the-century technology. However, they chose to use outdated technology in the hopes that people would purchase the bike to relish over the fact that they are riding an updated style of bike with a 'traditional Harley-Davidson' powerplant. They built a motorcycle that should be marketed towards people in the 25-40 age group with intentions of riding the bike casually. Sportbike, or at least, 'traditional' sportbike riders (the people on this forum) are mostly looking for a bike that they can ride aggressively.
Second, Buell built their first bikes to cover as many markets as possible, because they didn't have the ability to build a different make for every market (Super-sport, Sport-tour, Street-sport, Naked-bike). But now, as they are moving into the second generation of Buells, they are still attempting to sell this one bike to everyone who walks through a dealership door that isn't looking for a Sportster or a Dyna Wide-Glide. Buell should make a street version of their VR-1000 Road-Race bike (like all the other manufacturers do). They should start aiming for 110 reliable horsepower, not 92 (The 98 Honda Valkerie makes more horsepower and lots more torque).
Third, Harley needs to become committed to sportbikes, instead of merely half-assed involved. You want to know the difference? It's like a Ham-and-Eggs breakfast. The Chicken was involved, the Pig was committed. Suzuki is COMMITTED to sportbikes. They have 15 models in the Supersport/Streetsport/Naked classes. Suzuki isn't just keeping their AMA Supersport Road Race team together so they can skim off the technologies to build a street-cruiser (Harley killed their VR1000 race team after whoring it for the fuel injection and engine cooling technologies at the end of the 2001 racing season. They then used the whored information to build a new bike...NOT a sportbike, or a Naked bike, or to build a better Buell....but to build the V-Rod). Suzuki has used their techonologies from their race program to first build the current GSXR-600, then to expand to the GSXR-750, they Hayabusa, and the GSXR-1000. And they went into each of these programs intending to build the BEST street-legal race-replica. They didn't build the GSXR-1000 to cover all the 'bases' of streetbike, superstreet, nakedbike, and sport-tour. Honda has used their race information to build the first large-numbers production fuel injected 600 race replica (F4i), and Yamaha used their race information to build a better 5-valve-system in the R-1. It gives me a warm and fuzzy to know that a company is committed to building the bike I own for the next few years at least.
The whole time that Buell is trying to fool me into thinking that their bikes are the best technology, focused on sport-riding, and that they are committed, they are charging me more for their bikes than a comparable Japanese bike. The GSXR-600, CBR600F4I and the ZX6R are all about $2000 less than the XB9R, which makes comparable horsepower to the three.
As far as Horsepower is concerned, whoever at Harley told you that everyone needs to be educated on what 'real world' horsepower is, and what we are going to use the power for needs to ride one of his Buell's with the group sometime. There have been a few guys who have had Buells and ridden in the sporbike group. All of the ones that I have seen have purchased another literbike or bigger as a 'fun'-bike and used the Buell as a 'backup-bike' to put around on when their primary bike was down.
Bottom line, if I wanted a bike that I could burn more gas in on the way to work, pull slower 1/4 mile times on Test-and-Tune nights, work on more often, pay more for, and be able to park outside the Kickstart without getting my ass kicked, I'd buy a Buell.
Phil
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