I left the Bruce Mathie / Darryl Smith Memorial Trackday at Taupo to head back to Auckland with BlackBuell and OldMan. Both owned XB12Rs.
It may sound strange but I hadnt really noticed the Buells until BlackBuell poped some lazy monos and started spitting loose chip out the arse end. Reminded me of a TL the way it showed disrespect to riders behind it.
I followed the guys into Te Awamutu and was impressed with how balanced the bike looked around corners. The road out of Taupo up the west side is fun with some nice twisty bits that can bite if you don’t know them. But the bikes seemed to flow around nicely…600 like…
They also showed some go-go. John opened his bike up on occassion and I had to work hard to keep up with him. Mmmmmmmmm….I made a mental note of the questions I was going to ask at the next stop.
I asked the guys about their bikes when we got into Te Awamutu. I thought to myself - 'why I would want to look at a Yank made bike let alone ask questions about it?' They're usually the pages that I skip when reading a bike mag. Mike smiled as if he knew someting I didn’t. Try it he said. This should be a laugh I thought.
So I did.
My first impression when I jumped on the bike was…where the fark is the front wheel? Id jumped on a Ducati Hypermotard and the feel of the bike was similar - motard-like, higher than Red and very light. I wondered whether I was on a mountain bike. Suddenly I had visions of popsicles.
The bike sounded like a whole lot of small short farts when I started it up and let it idle. I revved it to make sure it was still alive. Ok - That’s was a nice sound through the mid range.
The clutch was a little soft as we set off so ample revs were given. Once we got rolling my immediate thought was that the pegs were set up for a grasshopper - which is my term for types like Enigma 51 who have their knee down when they're rolling down a straight piece of road. Mike and John arent small guys either so I wondered what was up with that. My visions of popsicles changed to riding my daughters old tri-cycle. A quick glance at a Mitre 10 shop window as we rode past helped to confirm the mental images.
First gear came and went very quickly. Shit…this is different. The bike redlined at 6 and a half so the limiter hit much earlier than I expected. The motor was lazy at town speeds and I felt like I wanted to give it a good wack and tell it to wake up… But as soon as we went out of Finn country and through the gears - I found that it pulled with some force and smoothly.
And it rumbled.
I likened it to a V8 on two wheels. I could feel the vibrations from the Harley push-rod twin through my hands and up through my lower arm. I didn’t mind that it did that…in fact, it reminded me of my first ride in my mates Faker Shaker Phase III. OK - maybe this bike has some personality after all.
Mike led the way on Red and the pace picked up. Im probably 20kgs heavier than Mike but the rear Showa felt solid under acceleration and around the corners. No shake, rattle or roll. I also found that the Buell was more at home on corners. It rode like it was glued to the ground…and like the weight was lower than other bikes I'd ridden… I couldnt put my finger on it....but I didn’t have to work to get the Buell around a corner. On top of that the rush of rumbling torque when exiting made cornering fun. It was awesome through anything with a bend in it.
There was plenty of go as well. It wasn’t evident to me when I first got on the bike and rode through town, but I started to understand how to get the best out of the bike. Id reckon I'd need a few more months on it to sort it out…because it was totally different to what I was used to.
The brakes were fantastic. Smooth, fantastic feel and incredibly powerful. I rate the 14 picks as the best I have experienced but found the Buell brakes up there if not better.
Mike pulled over when we got to Ngaruwhahia. Bugger I thought…I actually didn’t want to get off.
I havent ridden as many bikes as some people and Im sure I will ride more. But, one of the most pleasurable riding experiences I have had was last year on a GSXR750K6. IMHO that bike reached the summit in terms of combining useable power with brilliant handling. My experience with the Buell last Sunday just surpassed it. And largely because it added one more key factor to an already brilliant power/handling combination…that factor being...fun. The bike put a smile on my face that has been there ever since.
There have been a couple of other posts on Buells so what Ive written may sound like old hat to those of you who ride them or have experienced their magic
But for someone who'd never even considered looking at a Buell let alone ride one...man... I was blown away.
I understand the 08 will be even better.
jrandom - Add a Buell to your test rides list.
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Originally Posted by enigma51
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