Buell Cycles

As I have said before I see a lot of bikes pass my front door.
the buell passes by each day. Took a while to find out what bike it was, I can hear it coming, so it has sweet music to the ear. thought it was an Italian job.

Very nice… Shame they were bought out by Harley. Would like to have seen where they would have gone without the influence.

Eric Buell used to work for HD back in the 70’s as a designer. In the eighties he went out on his own and developed the Buell range of bikes using HD sportster engines under an agreement with his former employer. Buells have always gone fairly quick down low (cause there is lots of torque) but have had the HD vibration problem and up until this day, they haven’t solved the problem associated with a 45 degree twin firing out of natural harmony. The nineties range of Buells M2, X1 and S3 had a range of problems with cracking swingarms, oil tanks, seats coming loose, forks losing damping etc. The XB9R that graybags started this thread off with have fuel contained in the frame and oil contained in the swingarm, something that HD thinks is innovative and new. Well it might be for them, but the rest of the motorcycling world has been doing this for 40 years or so.

The lates Buells look ok and sound ok (for a harley engine) but they don’t have anything up top. I recently took on one while on my 20 year old ducati and the buell just ran out of steam. The gearing is hard to change too cause they run pulleys instead of cogs and kevlar belts instead of chains.

I reckon the only part of the Buells that has advanced the cause of motorcycling is the nifty front brake. It has got some awesome stopping power.

That’s about it for my two cents worth…. except that you can buy a really nice Ducati that is faster and sexier with change left over for the same price as an XB9R.

The Americans think that they can do everything better…. if so then why haven’t they won (let alone fielded a bike) in the Superbikes, GP, trials, motocross, Enduro etc ?

Just because it is made in USA doesn’t mean that it is reliable, oil tight or rideable….

I reckon they’re more trouble than they are worth….