To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Buells.

[Ocean1]

This discussion of alternative technical solutions is a sad reminder of what a stunning disappointment Moto2 has been. The formula was for a control engine and pretty much unlimited anything else. Presumably though the teams didn't want to scare the sponsors away so there was zero innovation. The result being what is technically the least interesting class.

Aye, but even if the purpose of bike racing in general isn't overtly to sell bikes there's still a huge marketing influence on race bike design, there's just no way engineers get free reign to make shit that doesn't look very similar to what's on the shop floor. Buells weren't even race bikes, and they suffered from the same effect: if it ain't what major producers are putting on their top end bikes it can't possibly be any good.

I'd go so far as to say that ALL production bike design is purely market driven, which is all about apparent performance and fuck all about progressing actual design improvement. It's far easier to convince buyers your bike's cutting edge than to actually make it so. Fucking sight less risky too.

[Stylo]

Aye, but even if the purpose of bike racing in general isn't overtly to sell bikes there's still a huge marketing influence on race bike design, there's just no way engineers get free reign to make shit that doesn't look very similar to what's on the shop floor. Buells weren't even race bikes, and they suffered from the same effect: if it ain't what major producers are putting on their top end bikes it can't possibly be any good.

I'd go so far as to say that ALL production bike design is purely market driven, which is all about apparent performance and fuck all about progressing actual design improvement. It's far easier to convince buyers your bike's cutting edge than to actually make it so. Fucking sight less risky too.

Suzuki knew that when they bought out the Hayabusa.

Ugliest bike I'd ever seen when I first saw the gold model in the late '90's. Not a beauty contest winner but, who cares. I'm on my third 'Busa now. They seem to go Ok...

[AllanB]

Ugliest bike I'd ever seen when I first saw the gold model in the late '90's. Not a beauty contest winner but, who cares. I'm on my third 'Busa now. They seem to go Ok...

Still fuggly though! And ironically that fugglyness has become iconic. See a Busa - immediate respect to the rider. Probably undeserved now days with the current crowd of ultra-hyper bikes.

Pretty sure I've read a new Busa is due next year - 20th anniversary and all. I kind of hope for a significant but radical styling change.

[Ocean1]

Suzuki knew that when they bought out the Hayabusa.

Ugliest bike I'd ever seen when I first saw the gold model in the late '90's. Not a beauty contest winner but, who cares. I'm on my third 'Busa now. They seem to go Ok...

They obviously didn't have if fully sussed, the Hayabusa is aerodynamically bloody good, the fact that it's considered ugly is a great indication that when it comes to design, functional merit isn't necessarily innately attractive to yer average punter.

Yer later, stylistically popular and aerodynamically tragic machines are far more financially successful.

And don't get me started on the two wheeled version of "how much we can spend on blue teethed cup holder design" that is the 'venture bike market...

[Fresh Oats]

I'm not sure about the looks of Buells, not really my thing but some of these custom Buells... damn.
This thing for example is sexy as fuuuuuuuck.

[pritch]

A perfect example of the old adage, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

Having seen that I now have to find the Optrex.

[jellywrestler]

Suzuki knew that when they bought out the Hayabusa.

Ugliest bike I'd ever seen when I first saw the gold model in the late '90's..

they look like an anus that's just retired from the porn industry to me.

[Laava]

I'm not sure about the looks of Buells, not really my thing but some of these custom Buells... damn.
This thing for example is sexy as fuuuuuuuck.

[img]httpbuell-blast-custom-1.jpg[/img]

[img]http:/buell-blast-custom.jpg[/img]

Wouldn't want to hit a pothole with that front end!

[OddDuck]

Wouldn't want to hit a pothole with that front end!

+1.

Isn't the Blast the one which Eric was so pissed off with that he had them cubed and you could purchase them as coffee tables?

[AllanB]

+1.

Isn't the Blast the one which Eric was so pissed off with that he had them cubed and you could purchase them as coffee tables?

I'm pretty sure he was doing a buy back scheme in the USA and destroying them.

[Laava]

I have heard that they are fun to ride, but honestly, people say that about anything quirky. The Blast is half a sporty motor, what were they thinking?

[Ocean1]

I have heard that they are fun to ride, but honestly, people say that about anything quirky. The Blast is half a sporty motor, what were they thinking?

HD were thinking "We need an entry level model, for wimmen and poofs, and we're far too busy "refocusing on core business" like the govt said we had to in that post-GFC bail-out, let's throw that clever cunt EB under that bus, eh?

[pritch]

The Blast wasn't the first product to feature half of a better known V twin. Vincent did 500 singles on a similar theme: Comet, Grey Flash etc . One such launched a certain John Surtees on a successful racing career, although it's not easy to envisage a Blast launching anything much.

[pete376403]

The Blast wasn't the first product to feature half of a better known V twin. Vincent did 500 singles on a similar theme: Comet, Grey Flash etc . One such launched a certain John Surtees on a successful racing career, although it's not easy to envisage a Blast launching anything much.

I read that the Vincent went the other way, ie started as a single and Phil Irving overlapped a couple of engine schematics and noticed the cam timing gears would work equally well for two cylinders.

[pritch]

I read that the Vincent went the other way, ie started as a single

Having now read it up I see you are indeed correct.