It isn’t about the brands for me either – it’s about some racing challenges at the hardware level, something that has been grossly absent in the AMA since the BOTT class of almost 20 years ago (probably before you were born?). FX won’t bring that back, but it does make the hardware interesting again.

If I want to see a bunch of disposable 600s, I’ll go to the local showroom. Or junkyard.

That’s not the point. Rule E2h1 requires the engine be one that was originally produced for street use and the Buell XBRR features an engine that was originally manufactured for racing. They are allowed to modify the engine before the race, but they must start with a street-based engine. The XBRR was the only bike in the race that was not BASED ON a street bike. Hence it was illegal.

bobio said: “If the Buell is bad…”; “is Daytona the only race that matters?”; “Or should everything be nice and boring”; “Did any other bikes DNF over the course of the year?”; “You have a lot to learn about high performance engines.”; “Boring motorcycles make for boring racing.”

First, I never said Buell is bad. I said the XBRR didn’t legally qualify, and their poor performance made me laugh.

2nd, obviously Daytona is not the only race that matters. In fact, I don’t think it mattered much at all. However, it made me laugh to see 2 of the 4 (as I recall) Buells DNF, and the other 2 do so poorly, after all the hype before the race.

3rd, I never said I wanted boring. However, what’s interesting to me may be boring to you, and vice versa.

4th, I don’t think any other manufacturer had 50% of their bikes DNF in a single race this year– this could be a first!

5th, you have no idea what I do or do not know. The point I made is that generated power should be proportional to combustion chamber size– i.e., for any given bike, if you increase the size of the combustion chamber, you should get more power, and the more you increase it, the more power you should get. (Yes, I know that other factors come into play, but I’m just saying it’s proportional.) If the Buell machine is so incredibly inefficient that it takes 1339cc of exploding gas to get the same amount of power to the wheel that a typical 599cc bike can get to the wheel, then there is, in fact, something seriously flawed with their design. However, please note that I originally refrained from saying this– I merely said it made me laugh.

Finally, I don’t find the current motorcycle races the least bit boring. If you do, maybe you should watch some other sport because, after they have adjusted the requirements for each class of bike, they intend to make their performance nearly the same. Then, the only difference between what we have now and the new Formula Extreme will be that Formula Extreme may have bikes from more different manufacturers. However, since I don’t derive my sense of self from identifying with a particular motorcycle brand, that will make no difference to me.

If the Buell is bad, what does that make the bikes that finished behind it as the year has progressed? Or is Daytona the only race that matters? Or should everything be nice and boring, just like the disposable Japanese showroom bikes?. Did any other bikes DNF over the course of the year?

“In any engine based on combustion, the amount of power generated should be proportional to the size of the combustion chamber.”

You have a lot to learn about high performance engines.

Power is power – who cares about combustion chamber measurements. I know which one I’d rather work on. And there’s no such thing as a RACING engine that doesn’t get worked on.

“To be a sport, the primary determinant of winning should be the sportsman, not the machine he uses.”

Then get into bicycle racing. The UCI rules make innovation near impossible. Boring motorcycles make for boring racing.

Pick up a July issue of Cycle World, and you’ll see something interesting. In a 600 cc shootout, they rate the Honda CBR600rr’s HP at 101. In the same issue, they ride the Formula Xtreme Honda and say that its horsepower is “140 plus”.

So both Honda and Buell have 100 horsepower streetbikes that have been modified to produce 140-150 HP in race trim racing in the Formula Xtreme class. That seems fair to me and makes for one of the most interesting racing classes around. The addition of other configurations should make Formula Xtreme something to see.

Much more interesting than seeing grid after grid of nearly identical bikes.