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The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

Buell Conversion Kit From Fusion Motorcycles

By Paul Crowe

Buell conversion kit from Fusion Motorcycles

Remember “The Machine” from Fusion Motorcycles? Well, Will Thibeault has been hard at work on something a lot of you may find interesting, he’s designed a conversion kit that will transform your donor Buell into a custom with killer looks.

Will’s kit uses a billet T6 aluminum bolt together frame with a built in oil tank, a 60 inch wheelbase and 33 degrees of rake. The Buell Thunderstorm motor, Buell forks, Buell six piston caliper and Buell rear caliper, all come from the donor bike.

The bike shown in these photos is for a customer with a lot of custom touches, a hard carbon fiber seat (customer request, Will prefers padded), Piaa head lights..same as he used on The Machine, Will’s own stainless pipes and Fusion Motorcycles billet 18″ wheels, 240 on the rear and 130 up front. Rear turn signals are LED.

According to Will:

The future bikes will have front and rear carbon fenders, and will be totally road legal. The Frame kits will include: frame, seat, rear shock, swing arm, oil tank, and gas tank for $4,500. For less than $10,000 a person can build their own w/ the purchase of a donor Buell. We will build the complete bike “road legal” for $19,500 and there are always the options of whatever you could think of i.e. carbon wheel, S&S motors, front ends and Ti frames

There are quite a few guys building choppers and all sorts of bikes from Buell parts and pieces but, in my opinion, this kit has just the right look. There seems to be a Confederate Hellcat influence, which is a good thing since I like the Hellcat, but overall, for the money, I don’t see how you could go wrong here. Anyone with a Buell who is thinking about getting another bike, might want to consider this kit first, you get a completely different look and you already own half of the necessary parts. I like this, a lot. I have to think a lot of guys are going to start looking for a good used Buell and making a bit of work room in their garage. Nice work, Will!

UPDATE: Will Thibeault has added a few comments below about his kit

UPDATE 2: Will just let me know that the kit will not be ready until sometime in 2009. He is redesigning some parts and he is going to thoroughly test everything before offering the kits for sale.

More photos and link below:

Buell conversion kit from Fusion Motorcycles

Buell conversion kit from Fusion Motorcycles

Buell conversion kit from Fusion Motorcycles

Buell conversion kit from Fusion Motorcycles

Link: Fusion Motorcycles

 

Posted on September 18, 2008 Filed Under: Motorcycle Builders, Motorcycle Design


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Comments

  1. Michael says

    September 18, 2008 at 9:20 am

    OK, looks cool. But why would you take a bike like the Thunderbolt that was designed to be_ridden_and spend 10K to make it into a basically useless bar-hopper (albeit cool looking)? Unless yer in the market for a bar-hopper. Then for 10K, wouldn’t an sweet ol’ skool Triumph chopper or XR-ish street tracker make more sense?

  2. Sean says

    September 18, 2008 at 9:29 am

    So ditch the perimeter brakes, ditch the fuel-in-frame, ditch the handling…

    Erik Buell must be proud.

  3. kneeslider says

    September 18, 2008 at 9:49 am

    If you want a stock Buell or a sportbike, then this is not for you, there are plenty of options in that segment. But you might want to check a few other Buell conversions and compare them with this to see what a nice bit of work Will has done. Though this will not be a sportbike, I highly doubt it’s going to be some sort of ill handling slug.

    If someone is looking for a cool custom you can have fun riding, this fills the bill quite nicely. Sportbike riders and Buell purists, move along please, there’s nothing for you to see here.

  4. Nicolas says

    September 18, 2008 at 9:52 am

    That’s what I’m talking about … love it

  5. Ry says

    September 18, 2008 at 10:01 am

    The entire frame appears to be water jet and machined aluminum plate construction, Cool.

  6. WRXr says

    September 18, 2008 at 10:04 am

    The rear shock mounted to the seat could be…shocking??

    Overall, a nice take on a modern bobber, but needs a girder fork.

  7. Derek says

    September 18, 2008 at 12:15 pm

    I have always been told to keep the pipes the same length. that rear pipe coming all the way forward doesn’t look right.

  8. ModenaWest says

    September 18, 2008 at 12:27 pm

    It reminds one of the Confederate except @40K cheaper. Glad to see someone doing something different for a frame construction methodology.

    Curious what the longevity of the frame will be with that vibrating engine in it at 30K miles plus and suspension forces input from riding on the road…

  9. B. Case says

    September 18, 2008 at 12:50 pm

    Nice job Will. A knockoff Hellcat for $19,500? Hell, you might be on to something! I saw a Chinese gen-one Hellcat knockoff at a dealer show once. Except it was 3/4 scale and had a scooter engine!

  10. lostinoz says

    September 18, 2008 at 1:14 pm

    I’m glad I’m not the only one that was worried about the vibration/bolt together frame issue. My thought is IF its put together at the shop, instead of by the customer, it SHOULD be ok. Re-torquing of the frame bolts would be a must at regular service intervals I’d think either way.
    It looks amazing, and the girder forks they offer are the icing on the cake for this machine. Picturing it with a 2 into 1 exhaust, a short sport bike rear fender and front fender and the RIGHT TSSM setup it would look great! Add a supercharger hanging off the side to complete the look and you have one NICE “radical” street fighter.
    Good job, and should I find a salvaged Buell, I think I know what I’d be building.

  11. Jesse says

    September 18, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    I’ve often though about putting a Buell engine into a custom bike. The buell is the engine the Sporster should have it in if Harley wasn’t too concerned about the sound of the bike. It vibrates less, better gas mileage, and has better HP/Torque which is a win for me.

    If Harley ever offered the Buell engine in a Sporster proper I’d buy that bike in a heart beat. If I had a Buell or if I could find a beater buell cheap enough I’d consider one of these just as quickly.

  12. taxman says

    September 18, 2008 at 1:26 pm

    to Sean

    the thunderbolt engine came from a bike that did not have fuel in the frame or a perimeter brake.

    i think it looks very functional. especially when compared to other buell rebuilds i’ve seen.

  13. Brian says

    September 18, 2008 at 1:34 pm

    Guy’s & Gal’s,
    Before you get all excited about one more under engineered custom, please look at the left side exhaust pipe. Think about you inner leg close to your under pants, can you spell “HOT”. I have used exhaust rapp on more race cars than I can count, it only stops the “mega burn”.
    The rear drive belt has the tensioner on the drive side of the belt, not the slack side. There is a reason that all 10 million bicycles built each year, put the derailer on the slack side of the chain. Do yourself & your wallet a favor and purchase your next bike from a company that actually has an engineering department.

  14. Sean says

    September 18, 2008 at 1:47 pm

    taxman – I didn’t realize that, I though all Buells had those features and although I can see the draw of this kind of bike I wondered why those awesome features wouldn’t be at least carried over.

    I stand corrected 😛

  15. JR says

    September 18, 2008 at 1:55 pm

    Hell yes! Like a confederate hellcat!

    I would build this just like in the pictures except with a girder fork/penske monoshock setup.

    Really like it.

  16. Ross Munro says

    September 18, 2008 at 2:03 pm

    What a waste of a perfectly good Buell. Have fun
    getting this thing registered. Have more fun
    waiting for parts when something breaks or you
    crash it.

  17. Will says

    September 18, 2008 at 3:13 pm

    To Brian,
    You mean like cofederate had for the first 10yrs.
    Only hand sketches on scrap paper from welders and machinists. What a joke.
    As far as knock off..well the customer of this bike didn’t have the $85,000, so this is what he wanted. Overall looks good for 25% of the cost.And really you shoudn’t take things so serious, because not every one has the big dllars for the G2. The exhaust is also the customers idea, I agree that a 2 into 1 would be more functional and fitting for this bike.

  18. johnny says

    September 18, 2008 at 3:34 pm

    ouch..that looks painful!

  19. kneeslider says

    September 18, 2008 at 3:34 pm

    For everyone all worried about the exhaust, re-read the post, the exhaust is not included in the kit so you can do whatever you want. If you had this one, it would take what, 5 minutes to remove the pipes? Then you could build your perfect setup. As Will states, this one is for a customer and built to his specs.

    Ross, “waiting for parts,” a lot of what’s here is stock Buell. The rest could be repaired or if totally destroyed, you write it off. What’s the issue?

  20. todd says

    September 18, 2008 at 4:25 pm

    I was still wondering how the belt tensioner would work before I read Brians post. It looks more like a fixed idler wheel. Can you see some sort of pivot for it?

    It would be pretty cool to put an old triumph or XS650 motor in it, more authentic. I don’t find throw away Buell donors all that often. More likely is an actual worked Sportster motor for cheap.

    What’s the benefit of this kit over a modified stocker frame or other, cheaper alternatives?

    -todd

  21. Nicolas says

    September 18, 2008 at 4:27 pm

    Don’t care if this bike has been build by engineers or monkeys, or if the perimeter brakes don’t contain the oil, it still looks like a damn good looking stuff, specially for the price.
    I want one

  22. Mark says

    September 18, 2008 at 4:32 pm

    Looks like a modern ride-able bobber at a very affordable price. I see no reason why the exhaust or other items can’t be changed to suit the owners needs.

  23. Brian says

    September 18, 2008 at 5:16 pm

    Please don’t missunderstand me. Anybody can build just about any kind of a bike that they want to and get it registered in most states. Building it for sale, (for money), to the general public is a completely different matter. It then comes under state & fed. laws, even in very low numbers. There are so many things that are illegal on this bike, as to make it almost crazy to think he would sell it. The customer isn’t respondsible or liable, the builder is. There were about 100 big chopper builders 3 years ago, now there are only a handfull. S&S has let go about 33% of there workforce, with more reductions to follow. Mostly, the bikes were too expensive, they didn’t work very well, and you could not resell “your idea” of a dream bike.

  24. Will says

    September 18, 2008 at 5:52 pm

    Brian,
    This bike was built for a customer to his own specs. A production bike would be DOT legal in accordance with state and federal law. Any one can take a legal bike then modify it to the point where it is no longer a street legal machine. If you just keep looking at this one bike, your right, this does not have an epa cert muffler, or front turn signals along with other things. Then again the vertical mount plate holder on the Confederates alone will make it fail many state dot inspections, never mind the exhaust.

  25. Ross Munro says

    September 18, 2008 at 5:54 pm

    Getting this registered as anything other than
    a U-Build in Canada would be impossible. No big deal if you keep it forever. The Bluebook will
    never have a listing for a “2008 Fred Jones”.
    Damage one of those frame spars or the swingarm
    and see how long it takes to get a replacement.
    I’d be surprised if these folks have any or enough
    product liability insurance. While I can appreciate the time and effort thats gone into this m/c, The look however does nothing for me.

  26. Will says

    September 18, 2008 at 5:58 pm

    Todd,
    We are working a kit for Ducati air cooled engines now, as well as a triumph. as far as the belt tensioner, It has two sealed ball bearings, it does rotate. The bike also has one one the bottom side as well “after the pics”. The tensioners are fixed in position, no ajustment like the new Buell XB’s

  27. Golly Gee says

    September 18, 2008 at 8:08 pm

    Brian (not Case),

    Please post some examples of your supremely engineered motorcycles.

    While you are at it, fill us in on the results of “your” company’s AMA superbike results.

  28. Seymour says

    September 18, 2008 at 8:42 pm

    I like it. I would love to own a Confederate, but I don’t have that kind of disposable money, and I’m better off than a lot of people.

    Maybe Confederate’s market will “always” be there, despite the economy and the stock market. Not my style.

    Go Fusion!

  29. coho says

    September 19, 2008 at 12:27 am

    That’s a fine lookin’ motorbike.

  30. Andy says

    September 19, 2008 at 10:02 am

    Very good looking bike!

    Belt tensioner really needs sorting.

  31. Brian says

    September 19, 2008 at 11:20 am

    Golly Gee,
    I’d be glad to sent you a few photo’s, give me an email.
    Brian

  32. coho says

    September 19, 2008 at 2:02 pm

    Brian,

    You should send them to Paul, we’d all love to see your machines right here on The Kneeslider.

  33. G. Gee says

    September 19, 2008 at 2:02 pm

    Brian,

    Unless you are ashamed of your work, how about raising the level of submissions?

    http://thekneeslider.com/contact/

    Seriously, if for nobody else, I could use the inspiration. If Kneeslider wants to give you my email address, hey, great – he has it. I agree with you more than you know, but I don’t laugh at my young childrens’ artwork, either.

    There’s a reason why guys like Burt Rutan aren’t motorcycle designers/engineers…….

  34. B. Case says

    September 19, 2008 at 2:14 pm

    Will, I suspect side mount tag plates are not a problem, as evidenced on the new ’09 Harley Sportster. The US regs are not hard to follow, and they’re a whole lot better than Euro/TUV.

    Also, I believe it’s a good idea to have the tensioner on the slack side, and new ones are even spring loaded to compensate for the change in swing arm pivot length.

    I definitely would not put any idler on the drive side. I’m assuming you did this to get the bike together and you’ll fix it later. And, I know belt guards look hideous, but the smallest pebble caught between the slack side and the rear sprocket can snap a belt in a jiffy. Shrapnel in the leg is no fun. Seen it happen personally. But, use this as an opportunity to design your own minimal belt guard, possibly out of bent lasercut aluminum. Simple but effective.

    I think you would have enjoyed the Gen-two years. It was a trip, that’s for sure. Maybe one day we’ll swap stories over a beer…

  35. Roderick says

    September 19, 2008 at 3:45 pm

    Sweet bike, there’s lots of nice stuff going on there.

    Does anyone remember ATK motorcycles? If I remember correctly, there was a tensioner on the drive side of the chain. This was an innovation from Horst Leitner, the suspension engineer who has done so much for mountain bike suspensions.

    The theory, if I understand it, was that with drivetrain forces at a 90 degree angle to the ground, the suspension wouldn’t lock up/squat under power.

  36. Derek says

    September 19, 2008 at 7:02 pm

    B.Case
    Buell belts do not break that easy. Look at the Uly. They are now made by Goodyear. They can take a rock.

    The biggest problem i see and hear is the frame and exhaust. it is critical for motor longevity and optimal power to have the right back pressure and to have the same front and back. these two pipes do not have the same back pressure. The buell race bike has a chain conversion. just wondering why this still has the belt.

  37. Will says

    September 20, 2008 at 8:43 am

    B. Case,
    I would have loved to work on the G2 with you guys. The only reason I left was my family,,,wife wanted to be near them when she had our son. I think the belt gaurd is a good idea, will consider one for future projects. I also agree with the idle pulley on the power side, should be changed.
    Thanks for the contuctive criticism. Thats why this is a good place for the bikes to be seen.

    I might have to take you up on the beer one day.

  38. Will says

    September 20, 2008 at 8:49 am

    Derek,
    The belt was what the customer wanted, I myself like chains, same with the exhaust, a tuned 2 into 1 would be best. But like I said this one was for a customer,,, a custom bike. The bottom line is we have to make the customer happy.

    Will

  39. B.Case says

    September 20, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    Derek, like I said, I’ve seen them break personally. But that’s just the nature of belts, regardless how much kevlar is used. They are not meant to stretch. I have nothing against belts, but they do need to be protected, like they are on Buells. The Ulysses has a significant amount of guarding around the area i’m referring to. No guarding=broken belt.

  40. Jeff says

    September 20, 2008 at 3:57 pm

    Not my cup of tea but it looks cool . I would like to see a Buell motor in a featherbed frame and clubman bars . A little modern/retro .

  41. Jeff says

    September 20, 2008 at 3:59 pm

    To be more specific an Aircooled Buell motor . Just to not confused with the CR1125 .

  42. OMMAG says

    September 21, 2008 at 12:38 am

    Funny that sure looks a lot like a Confederate MC Hellcat …. !

    Not that that’s a bad thing …. but still ….

  43. Jeff says

    September 21, 2008 at 8:23 am

    Why the dipstick in the oil tank with such a large sight glass ? Just a detail I noticed . 🙂

  44. Will says

    September 21, 2008 at 6:15 pm

    Jeff,
    Oil temp.

  45. FREEMAN says

    September 23, 2008 at 3:29 am

    First off, I like the bike. I think it looks great and I definitely encourage you guys to keep it up. Giving the customer what they want, and as long as the bike’s safe and they’re happy, well then I think everyone wins.

    I was curious about this tensioner assembly that Roderick mentioned about on old ATK dirtbikes, and it turns out the ATK dirtbike did have such a device, but it actually tensioned the chain on the drive side and slack side of the chain (the patent is here: http://www.amp-research.com/company/patent.asp#). The name ATK actually stands for Anti-Tension Kettenantrieb, which is actually the name of the assembly of this tenioner system. Interesting.

  46. Derek says

    September 23, 2008 at 5:38 pm

    Will,
    I don’t know how long you have been in business, but from my experiance, the customer is not always right. That exhaust looks like crap and probibly functions the same. this customer was wrong. looks wise the exhaust is my only problem. the rest of the thing is awsome. Keep up the good work. but try not to do everything a cusomer wants in the future.

  47. gearhead11 says

    October 26, 2008 at 9:18 pm

    will
    Love the bike, will any year buell work with this kit? Also is that a carbon tank? I just decided last week to start saving to build a bike, and was thinking about using a Redneck Engineering frame untill today when found this page. And like most people on here i cant afford a CM Hellcat. So when i get ready i will be giving you a call.

    gearhead

  48. Adrian says

    November 5, 2008 at 12:48 am

    Will
    Love it, would modify to my own style, but great would be a hit here in Australia have been on plenty of compliant reliable bikes that look like only a commuting NERD would ride something to be said for a bike that make you feel good to own and proud to ride I bet you park this beside a group of goldwings and the chicks will be around the Fusion for sure.

  49. Francisco says

    November 14, 2008 at 12:37 am

    WOW!! Killer Looks!! I already started looking for a Buell donor bike. Sign me up for a U-build it kit.

  50. David Joseph says

    November 26, 2008 at 11:08 am

    I am the owner of this bike I would be happy to speak with any of you about it and its performance or lack there of.

  51. David Joseph says

    November 26, 2008 at 11:10 am

    in fact feel free to call 413-329-7938

  52. Spaz says

    December 14, 2008 at 6:47 am

    Been trying to contact Will at both his website and the e-mail listed – no chance, broke, dead, too much oil, whatever. Any chance you can put somewhere to contact – I really would like one of these conversions but if I can’t contact how am I gonna get one? – Spaz

  53. D.Davis says

    December 31, 2008 at 7:24 pm

    Looks pretty cool. I’m personally partial to Streetfighters, and that’s a pretty good interpretation on the theme. Toughness indeed.

    I’ll bring up the Belt Tensioner / Belt Drive again, just because I’ve had some experience with Gates and the HTD tooth profile and the various permutations of that profile. The H-D OEM belt typically uses that HTD profile, which is a Self-Tensioning belt setup. The profiles are designed to never fully “Mesh” on the Drive or Driven Pulley completely 360 degrees around, since the Pitch of the belt is static and the Pitch of the Pulley is designed around the application (Power and Load). An effect of this is under power, the Belt climbs/walks out of the Pulley teeth which allows the belt to maintain a consistent Tension while at peak loading. It’s pretty cool to look at under a strobe light, while the Belt/Pulley combo is being tested in either a laboratory or on the Motorcycle while on a chassis Dyno.

    The only reason I mention all that is to bring up the next bit. The usage of the H-D rear drive pulley indicates that it’s a H-D style belt. I can’t see where the Thunderbolts ever used an Idler style tension, they just have the adjustment at the rear axle. I’m going to guess that the belt used isn’t a Thunderbolt OEM belt, but off a different model with a different Width and/or Tooth Count.

    I’d suspect that the Belt Guide / Idler was for a two-fold reason.

    1.) The distance between the Drive pulley (Transmission output) and the Driven pulley (Rear Axle) on this bike is different than the Thunderbolt. A different belt is used, that is long enough to reach this new span. Since you can’t change the length of a belt like a chain, you pick one that is close (129 tooth is needed for your application, but you can only find a 132 in the width you need). A tensioner/Idler is used to eat up that slack. On the XB9 / XB12 series the rear axle isn’t adjustable, so the adjustment is actually done with the idler.

    2.) Swingarm pivot is in the path of the belt. Gotta get it outta the way! Do whatever you need 😀 If it breaks, do something else.

    I’d be wary that the belt will go into an Over-Tight situation if the rear suspension is ever allowed to droop fully. The belt will actually stretch a little, but we are talking a total length of stretch of 0.030″ between the pulleys which is 0.060″ across the entire belt. This is for the Carbon-Banded style belts. Basically, don’t go jumping the thing off ramps and curbs too much.

    Fun Fact, most of the belt skipping problems comes from the chassis actually flexing during acceleration. I’ve personally seen a rear axle move towards the transmission output about 0.120″ during a full throttle run. That causes mucho problems 😀

    Once again, looks really cool. I can’t wait to do another project. I’ll probably look back to this for inspiration for my next Cafe/Streetfighter bike.

    Have a good 2009.

  54. David Joseph says

    January 5, 2009 at 11:30 am

    Mr. Davis…thank you so much that information is extremely helpful to me as I am having those exact problems with transfer of power and a belt that skips. Not to mention it is removable …by hand once the weight of the rider is on the bike…any other bits of help would be sincerely appreciated. Thank you.

  55. Roger Legros says

    January 7, 2009 at 9:49 pm

    Great looking machine. I tried e-mail, I tried calling, no luck. How can I contact Fusion for one of these kits and other parts?

  56. Keith Phoenix says

    January 11, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    Question for David Joseph:

    I think you have a great looking bike and I am very interested in the Buell conversion kit. Do you recommend a conversion like this?

    (Your above comment sounds like performance is lacking on your bike, I was wondering about the handling also)

  57. David Joseph says

    January 14, 2009 at 9:26 am

    Hey Keith,

    I would be happy to speak with you at length about my experience with this bike/builder. I can only speak on my experience. (not a good one) I have seen many kits in action that work great from other builders though. feel free to call anytime..my number is 413-329-7938..

    David

  58. Daniel H says

    February 26, 2009 at 2:20 pm

    I would love to see this bike with a Hyabusa engine or something a little more powerful than the Thunderstorm motor.

    I don’t see the logic of scrapping a Buell to build this though. I rarely see Buell engines for sale, or trashed Buells to get as a donor bike, but in South Florida you can get a Busa engine easily and for not too much money.

    I mean, could you imagine this bopper with a 160+ hp Busa engine, or even better yet, turbocharging it and getting 250+ hp!?!? I mean, come on, how awesome would that be? Also, it wouldn’t change the dynamics of the bike that much either, the Thundertorm is 1203cc, compared to the 1300cc Busa.

  59. mark.uk says

    March 28, 2009 at 6:49 am

    this bike is the nuts and you should be proud i have an s1 lightning one of the 1st in uk
    i also just got a custom in from the states not legal here or there but who cares if i had seen yours 1st i would have approuched you good styling

  60. N*BALL says

    April 1, 2009 at 6:59 pm

    Man, did they steal the emblem from confederate too?

  61. brian says

    April 9, 2009 at 12:12 am

    so when is that kit going to be available? id also appreciate any other information that youd be able to offer me. im very interested.

  62. 9lives says

    April 14, 2009 at 9:31 am

    Looks pretty good except for the useless 240 rear. Why must good looks and good handling be mutually exclusive? That single conventional disc brake doesn’t scream performance either.

  63. brian says

    May 2, 2009 at 4:30 am

    Notice: that kick stand is Exactly 2 inches off the ground!!!
    lol

  64. Paul says

    May 19, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    I’ve come to a conclusion.
    Why on earth would anybody try to design a new bike in the US around an existing American made motor? I ask this not because I don’t think it’s a great idea. I ask this because all that seems to happen is the designer/builder always seems to be slagged off immediately. “It’s not a this”, “It’s not a that”, “The guys a fool for this”, ” The guys a fool for that” Open your minds a little bit and stop being so damned myopic!! Why do you think there are all kinds of successful one off manufacturers in Europe and not in the States. Short sidedness and a lack of imagination en masse on this side of the pond is the answer. Don’t stomp on imagination. It’s what made America what it is

  65. mt says

    June 8, 2009 at 6:53 pm

    hey Will??
    aRE YOU STILL IN BUSINESS? TRIED TO CALL / EMAIL FROM WEBSITE BUT NO LUCK…INTERESTED IN THIS KIT, PLEASE POST NEW CONTACT INFO; THX

  66. maxdesign says

    June 17, 2009 at 2:49 am

    Hi will, I think that’s one of the most well balanced bike designs I’ve ever seen. I would really like to own a bike that looks like it. 1. Can you make a kit that contains all the parts needed ,to the last bolt, to build this bike? 2. How sportive can you make this design? 3. what is the most powerful engine you can fit on it? 4. can you send it all to Israel?

  67. WENDL says

    June 18, 2009 at 11:22 am

    Should have left the factory exhaust on it. Better yet, an aftermarket unit which I’ve seen (don’t know the brand), as you are loosing power big time with those crazy pipes. The left side pipe is ridiculous!

  68. Chris says

    June 20, 2009 at 10:42 am

    Can an inline 4, like a KZ 1000 engine be used ?

  69. Chris says

    June 20, 2009 at 1:00 pm

    The machine looks bad ass, never thought I’d see a budget Hellcat. I.m glad to see someone has taken notice,that most of the 40k plus custom builders have folded, mostly because there bikes are out of the reach of your average biker. well done.

  70. Jeremy Dolby says

    June 26, 2009 at 8:21 pm

    Any of you from Killeen or Austin may remember my buddy Mike that did
    pretty much this same mod to his buell lightning a few years ago. True bobber, beautifully loud engine too.

  71. Garron Frantzen says

    July 16, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    As for Munro’s comments:

    Most of us know what Burt Munro built,but-
    what have you ever built?
    Anyone can be a critic but there are few real performers.
    As far as I know Henry Ford had no patience with conventional wisdom,
    “professional engineers”and standard accounting methods.
    Yet,Ford is still the largest family-run company in the world today.
    …and the Wright Brothers?
    Where was their engineering department?
    I doubt that they had ANY insurance.
    As a builder of World Record holding motorcycles,I am learning to ignore scoffers and critics that have never built,and never will build anything.
    Anyone can buy something,few can seriously work on or build anything.
    Normally,I just ignore such sour grapes,but it was just your last name-
    you really shouldn’t even use it.
    You are as antithetical to Burt Munro as can be imagined.
    Nothing personal,you should just consider his example.
    Make it,brake it…make it BETTER!
    That’s how Burt Munro made the “World’s Fastest Indian”out of a 1923 stock bike he bought new off the showroom floor!
    It’s a good thing he didn’t ask you or people like you for advice or permission.

  72. Retro says

    August 7, 2009 at 11:29 am

    Will,

    Bike looks cool, I dig the tensioner setup and the placement of the shock. Very cool

    Dont worry about the “engineers” on this or any website, everyone talks, and mostly talks smack, but no one actually BUILDS.

    Dont worry about the belt either, the Gates/Goodyear kevlar belts are single filament, and you can throw a screwdriver in the damn thing at speed, and it will shear it off. They CAN and will break, when improperly adjusted. Let the clueless remain without a clue. Build your bikes and follow your dream.

    Yours is a kewl bike, and I have been told I know a thing or two about kewl bikes 😉

    Will

  73. rich says

    August 30, 2009 at 5:54 pm

    Hey just checking out this site, love it!
    Lots of interesting bikes.
    Cool Conversion kit, nicely done. The coments – As has been said if its not something you like, why not just say that much and move on?
    It seems some folk are happer criticising than riding:)
    That being said it make for an interesting read, reminds me of an old friend of mine, he realy didn’t care if he was right just liked to argue.
    Rich

  74. Dennis says

    September 12, 2009 at 7:52 am

    I think this is sick but i have a kawi z1000 an was gonna try to part it out would it still work on your frame or am i at a lost cause oh an how do i get one if it will, lets play who gets this guys deployment money

  75. tim z says

    September 18, 2009 at 6:06 pm

    Kneeslider: Sportbike riders “move on”? I ride sportbikes and this is the nicest Buell conversion I’ve ever seen. I have been looking into doing just this! The only thing I would change is a very short rear fender. Good work, guys!

  76. Blaine Ashworth says

    October 8, 2009 at 1:53 pm

    Trying to get more information on the kit? I went to the website but it wasn’t there and I’d really like to get some more information.

  77. Michael Santos says

    October 8, 2009 at 3:33 pm

    I like the bike and wonder how much Suspension travel can this bike can have, I am looking at building Bike if I can find the right Frame for me and would put a S&S 100 ci Motor in it, I want a bike that is air cooled with 6″ to 7″ of Wheel travel front and rear with a nice Seat Height and low weight and plenty of cornering clearance,

    the bike I have now is close to what I want but is watter cooled and not enough ground clearance, I have 6.5″ up front and 6″ in the rear, 400 LBS wet weight and around 135 HP at the rear wheel, I have owned 4 Buells and all had problems especially with the
    Wheel Bearings and would not buy another one, I also had one that had the Oil Pump break at 6000 Miles so the S&S Motor is a must have and not cheap at 8K with out Transmission and other important parts but is air cooled and plenty of HP and TQ,

    I like Waken’s Bike but at 45K and not much Suspension Travel it would not be for me, I am a Welder Mechanic but have no experience in Frame Building so if I can find the right Frame I can build my Dream Bike.

    Mike

  78. Jay Lange says

    October 31, 2009 at 11:45 pm

    Okay, sports fans, help me out here on the Fusion (sic) kit for Buell XBs. The two aspects of the Buell that were Definitely in need of improvement were the Engine and Transmission. Why would I want keep those? The two pieces of the 1125 R and CR which make them desireable are, you guessed it: Helicon engine and Straight-Cut gears in the Tranny, correct? What am I missing here?

  79. Ian says

    November 18, 2009 at 5:57 am

    Want one of these kits to slot in a VTX 1800 honda motor
    live in Adelaide South Australia
    want it down under by christmas
    cant contact fusion website doesn,t exist
    help help help

  80. MikeG says

    November 27, 2009 at 2:58 pm

    I’m not an owner or rider but hope to be someday soon. I see a lot of people looking for a way to contact this builder. He has a myspace page that he’s logged into as late as yesterday. I hope this leads to good karma for me when I finally hit the road.

    http://www.myspace.com/fusionmotorcycles

    p.s. HOT look for this bike!

  81. Joe says

    November 28, 2009 at 11:58 am

    Guys,

    I’m not sure if you knew this or not. The reason that the bike resembles a confederate is that Will was one of the designers for the company. I’ve met Will a couple times, passed emails back and forth, and have seen his bikes in person. They are constructed very well (better than Confederate- I have a Gen 1 hellcat that is like the old Harley shovelheads. . . ride an hour, wrench an hour). I came across this website because i was looking for a winter project based upon a buell that I paid $1200.

    Will, I’ll catch up with you at the Javit’s center in december to talk about a frame.

  82. Will says

    December 12, 2009 at 4:42 pm

    Hey Guys,
    We had to close our shop for a bit because of the econ. We hope to get things rollin again soon. The fusion web site directs you to our myspace. If you have any questions you can E-mail @ fusionmotorcycles@yahoo.com.
    Thanks for the comments.

    Will

  83. Yeti says

    December 30, 2009 at 7:59 pm

    With the exception of the exhaust, this bike looks good. A little more engineering on the tensioner and shifter would be nice though. If I ever wreck my Buell I might consider something of this nature, but I certainly wouldn’t chop up my perfectly good Lightning for it.

  84. David Joseph says

    January 17, 2010 at 5:51 pm

    Feel free to contact me as well if you have any questions regarding this bike before you buy this kit. I owned it for a year before I sold the kit off.

  85. soufian ajrdaoui says

    February 5, 2010 at 3:51 pm

    hi
    i wont to bÊ in me oin moto r1

  86. David Joseph says

    February 6, 2010 at 4:38 pm

    “never heard from him again”???? ha ha very funny Will

  87. HeadTrauma says

    February 10, 2010 at 3:42 am

    I really like the look of this Fusion. I would own it. I would love to build it. Nice work Mr. Will.
    Your design looks very tough.

  88. DAVE says

    February 23, 2010 at 12:46 pm

    I own a Confederate bike and a few other customs i no some people that where involved in the design of these kits and they are known for coming apart if you are thinking about buying or building a kit make sure you know what your doing

  89. Nicolasvmax says

    March 3, 2010 at 11:32 am

    Hi will,
    I own an older vmax, 07 fully custom Night Train HD and 990 Super Duke KTM. I think your bike looks very good and it’s a true custom/naked bike. The question is, if this kit works. From what I’m reading above David Joseph had some serious problems with this kit and seems that he is encouraging others not to buy it. Can you please explain what is the problem? Have you fixed any of the above mentioned problems? I would really like to order your kit and build a bike that looks like it if you can guarantee the performance of the kit
    Thanks
    Nicolas

  90. tai says

    May 7, 2010 at 8:26 am

    So, ….whats happening??? – Is the kit available yet???

  91. tai says

    May 13, 2010 at 1:03 pm

    Looks 100’s…just plain beutiful…

  92. iplaypearldrums says

    July 27, 2010 at 3:43 pm

    I remember seeing kids in the 70’s getting their achilles area torn up from minibike clutches.
    Cool bike though.
    Its pretty admirable that the shop can actually SELL these things.

  93. iplaypearldrums says

    July 27, 2010 at 3:53 pm

    What if I did that w/ my VICTORY engine?……hmmmm

    or My RF900 engine …lol

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