Cycle News is reporting that Buell will be racing in this year’s Daytona 200 with as many as four dealer supported teams on the all new Buell XBRR. When introduced, many comments were made about whether the XBRR was actually legal for the Formula Xtreme class. Well, Buell certainly is acting as though it is and somehow I think the AMA would have mentioned something if they were going to stand in the way.
Also of note, the Buell XBRR, introduced at the dealer meeting and limited to a run of 50, has already sold out completely.
Bueller says
Where in the world, hopefully the U.S. can I get one of those blue and yellow Buells XBRR?
Trip says
1340 vs 600 cc’s and their PROUD of that????? I know anything HD was shite but this is enough to make a man weep.
klocer says
Well all rice bikes or brit bikes or even bologna bikes can take off their radiators and race right along with us. ( of course at the back)
aaron says
class rules: “450-600cc multi cylinder bikes: no modifications, homologation of xxx STREET motorcycles etc.” even if the triumph (if they let the 675 triple in) and japanese teams took off the radiators, and sold a number of undercooled street bikes prone to exploding (hey! just like harley!) the rules still say no modifications. without some serious bending/rewriting of
the rulebooks, the teams still wouldn’t be competitive. (hey! just like harley!) and while harley may be used to racing at the back, even with expensive prototype race-only machinery, the representatives of other nations do not race to be embarrased, or to lose.
while i’m ranting again…for anyone that thinks that the bikes really cost $30K and represent less corporate corruption of the sport: how much money does harley loose on each one? at 50 each, with maybe $5K above and beyond the cost of bolting on an already existing good suspension, new bodywork and an engine kit, that indicates that harley had $250K to research, design, test, produce, and distribute these if they wanted to break even. lets say I’m an idiot and my figures are half what they should be (though the ohlins forks should cost about $9k alone…) 500K might buy you a windtunnel session, If the tooth fairy dropped off a set of free bodywork. (better hope it’s good, because you can’t afford any additional windtunnel time if the tooth fairy didn’t take crosswinds into account…)
aaron says
******************DAYTONA 200 SPOILER ALERT***************
lap 40ish, wastching the (just taped) race…. mcwilliams in 8th-9th, posted the 3rd best time a few laps ago, looking good…….
and then we find out he’s got the most useless pit crew ever.
honestly, what was that? “you hold the jack, I’ll look at the bike…..who’s holding the jack? i thought you were…..” -and repeat. it fell off the front jack 2 or 3 times, and it looks like the front brake is messed up.
the commentator said he took a race school earlier in the week to get a look at the track. as I understand it, daytona is a very unique track. the walls, the banking, etc. like laguna seca, the advantage of knowing the track well is HUGE! good showing for a guy afraid to run it high up the banks.
as a shakedown for the buell, it went well…. if the bike can be run long enough to be developed (before they ban it), maybe podiums with the right rider?
oh well, back to the race – at least a canadian is leading (but what else is new?)