This sounds like an awesome racetrack

I will be on the road the next couple of days on business and will not be blogging. Look for an update Saturday.

News comes this weekend that motorcycle fatalities last year were up significantly. This continues a trend that has been happening for several years. It is not just number of deaths, although that is up, but deaths per miles ridden that are up. This indicates that riding has gotten more dangerous.

WHY?

No one seems to know. Speculation is that it is more older first time bikers, more first time bikers in general, relaxed helmet laws, alcohol, speed, and more high performance bike. My guess would be that new bikers would be the big reason. We can all remember dumb things we did when we first rode. I sure can. Even worse was that period after I gained some confidence and felt that I knew what I was doing. That is a really dangerous point.

We have seen a real growth in the sport in the last ten years and than means more less experienced riders.

Now my idle speculation and that of so-called experts is fun but useless. There hasn’t been a study of motorcycle accidents in this country since the Hurt study in the early eighties. One is sorely needed BUT since bikes are so far down priority list we are not getting one. NHTSA admits the need for one but is not allocating any money to get a real study done.

This hurts bikers for two reasons; one we gain no new knowledge of what causes bike accidents and how to prevent them and two it opens the door for misguided attempts to make bikes safer based on no data. We will end up with proposals to ban sport bikes and all sorts of other goofy things while doing nothing that will really help.

I don’t know about you but me I am dropping a line to my congressman.

Let me know what you think.

blog@davegess.com

Well I have decided to make the big jump and by a motorcycle with a sidecar. Not just anyone mind you but a Danish made Nimbus. These babies are very cool bikes designed back in the 30's but made through 1959 with only minor changes. In line 4's with shaft drive the have flat head engine wiht exposed valve springs so the put on quite a show when running.

I have to sell my GB500 and a bunch of antique camera gear I have to swing the purchase. The way I look at it I am trading one set of toys for another. Hope to have one for the summer.

Dave

Dave and I continually get the "c'mon, we just KNOW you know" inquiries about future Buell products. Alas, truth be known, we don't and don't want to. Wanna know why?

1) First of all, we have no need. I am certain that, given the talent and creativity that Erik Buell has assembled, that there is always something fascinating in the works. I'll bet Erik keeps something "marketable" and something "totally radical" spinning in his mind at any given moment. The "marketable" would be something that can actually be evolved into a product that could be sold. The "totally radical" are the ones (as was the XB fuel in the frame when Erik patented it in 1988) that are capable of existing only in Erik's mind and require time, tide and technology to evolve in order for them to be built and sold. Both have their place.

2) Second, is just plain RISK. Harley-Davidson, Inc. and Buell both adhere to stringent confidentiality policies. Buell, witness the 1996 S1 Lightning, has proven it's "time to market" capabilities to be among the best ever mustered by any vehicle manufacturer. Part of catching fish is being the only one dangling bait in a given commercial cove. In order for Buell to maximize impact and success, it's essential they maintain confidentiality. This gets exponentially more complex in view of the engineering talent and firepower that Buell competes against.

3) Finally, we LOVE the intrigue. I've come to look at the June Buell unveilings, after all these years, in much the same way a kid anticipates Christmas morning. I recall, at about age 9, finding a couple gifts from "Santa" stashed in a seldom used closet in the basement. I also recall the disappointment on Christmas morning. Frankly, I want to see if Erik can surprise me, how he does it and where it measures on the "how am I going to swing this Buell" personal financial overcommitt-o-mometer!

Ah, but still you want to know my predictions, worthless as they may be.... To the extent I were involved in the current strategy here'd be a couple of the ideas that would go through my mind.

I'd be inclined to "sit tight" in the current XB, seeking refinements rather than carving out new ground. The XB platform, from initial indications, is well on the way to assuming a place among the lowest $$$/unit for warranty costs among motorcycles currently being sold. The BLAST marked a turning point for Buell in terms of actually manifesting design, procurement and engineering advances in the final product. I see the XB's ability to maintain this as essential to the platforms long-term success.

In addition, I'd be looking at "processes" such as Customer Service, Owner Involvement, Employee Empowerment and a host of tertiary things that contribute to the "delighted owner" goal that Buell holds. Buell Customer Service has made great strides over the past several years. I see some innovative things they could do, that would be less appropriate or germane to Harley-Davidson customers and I, for one, am eager to see if Buell can continue on it's current success and advance the Customer Service ball further down the field. I, in the long term interest of Buell, would prefer this over 5 more horsepower, in the 2004 model year.

Ok, we've covered increased quality and service. How about a finishing up with a reality check?

Two "reality" issues hit me immediately, the beating Buell has taken in the motopress the last couple years and the diversion of HD corporate resources during the 100th Anniversary Celebration.

Buells taken it on the chin the last couple of years. I'd be less than enthusiastic about introducing the XB platform one year and then following, the next year, with sweeping modifications. I'd want my loyal customers, the media and potential customers becoming indoctrinated to reading about reliable, trouble free, well engineered, fabulous handling Buells that continue to lay waste to 600cc Sportbikes in magazine tests and, quoting from Fast Bike, "just keep running better the more you beat on them."

Additionally, it's going to be very hard to get anyone's undivided attention, within the Harley-Davidson ranks, to champion a wildly innovative Buell program with all they have on their plate in the coming 12 months. This is as it should be. Harley-Davidson has been hugely successful measured by the standards of any business and rightfully deserves to throw themselves into seeing a proper shindig take place.

All this being said, I'm betting that Buell sits tight this year and uses the time to hone further development of (in my imagination) the dual sport version of the BLAST and the Sport-Touring version of the XB.

Then again....I could be wrong.

Court Canfield
New York City
January 21, 2003

Rumors of a "new" 1200 cc Buell engine are flying hot and heavy. With the winter dealer meetings only a week away I guess that is to be expected. IF they do announce a 1200 I suspect it will be targeted more toward a sport touring type bike than toward more power for the S and R models. I predict no more power (perhaps even a bit less because it will rev less) but a fatter torque curve. Along with a package that is more practical day to day than either the R or S models.

All in all I think Buell needs a little time to breathe after the thrash to get the first two XB models out the door. I don't think we will see any huge news until the 2005 model year.

Dave

Well here we are one week into the daily blog and already having so much fun I don't know where to start.

I have been working away at a bunch of updates to the Buell history site. Photos of the RR 1000 will be posted soon, I'll mention it here. Stay tuned.

Dave

Welcome to Court Canfield, glad to have you on board. Many of you know Court from Badweather Bikers.com and I am glad to have him contributing his knowledge and words of wisdom to this site. We are planning on using this site to organize and publish much of the huge collection of Buell stuff we have accumulated over the years of our misspent youth.

Were this will all lead and what it will mean is still unknown but that has not stopped either of us in the past. Hop on, enjoy the trip.

Dave

Ahhhh....Fireman Jim Higgins (Buell S2 Land Speed Racer) asked....."How did I get a 1995 S2 in California?". Well Jim, the honest answer is through a lot of arm twisting, calling in markers, knee bending and contrition. Things at that time, given the Hurculean effort JUST to get Buells out the door, were hectic at Buell. In the midst of the confusion, the C.A.R.B. (California Air Resources Board) paperwork was misplaced in a desk drawer and, in all candor, simply didn't get filed in time.

From the archives of the "Buell Basement" and Motorcycle Online. . .

Daily News, 5/24/95

Buell Comes to California

Buell's S2 Thunderbolt is now approved for sale in California, and a bunch of them are being shipped out to dealers as we type. Doesn't seem like a big deal to you? Guess again: "If California were its own country," a importer for another, global company recently told us, "it'd be number four in the world in terms of sales." (This is for motorcycles, not scooters which actually represent a much larger number of total sales. But who cares?)

"We used every connection we had in California to pull it through," a Buell Distribution Corporation representative told us yesterday, "and it worked because it came through in about 30 days, rather than the 90 to 100 days it could have taken." The catch here is that the Buell Distribution Corporation is owned by Harley-Davidson, who obviously can make things move and shake when they want to. The delay in shipping Buells to California was caused by a paperwork mix-up -- some documents weren't filed in time, and the California Air Resources Board's (CARB) completion deadline was missed. Oops!

Buell's S2 did, however, pass CARB's ultra-stiff emissions tests with ease, thanks in part to an American-made Quicksilver carburetor which not only runs cleaner than the stock Keihin, but makes the same amount of horsepower. The Quicksilver, you see, is a descendent of the famed Lectron Carburetors that were massively popular on two-stroke racers such as the TZ750 (a disgustingly powerful 750cc two-stroke. Erik Buell used to race them), and on hot-rod Harleys, so they already knew how to make power, and do it efficiently (good fuel atomization means a clean "burn" and less hydrocarbon emissions out the tailpipe). The Quicksilver also has an "EVAP" cannister which helped it pass CARB's battery of evaluations, which include, you guessed it, an "EVAP" test. Essentially, it works like this: CARB takes a new vehicle and sticks it in a big metal shed. Then they let it sit and measure how many fumes come off it. An "EVAP" cannister apparently prevents gasoline from evaporating. What a novel name...

Quicksilver, by the way, is owned by Edelbrok (you know, they make manifolds for those damn cages that clutter up our roads). More useless trivia: Lectrons are still available for some aviation applications. And if you really want a set, we've got some sitting around. They're pretty cool: Lectrons use a really thin flat-slide and some have powerjets on top that connect via a hose to the float bowl. When the vacuum pressure in the carburetor gets high enough, it sucks fuel through the powerjet, which is really a Mikuni pilot jet. This way, you can change a Lectron's equivalent of a mainjet by unscrewing the powerjet cover on top of the carb and switching jets, all without removing the carbs or draining the fuel. Midrange and low-speed are metered through the same tapered needle that threads up and down into the flat-slide (thus either freeing up or hindering the flow of gas out of the float bowl and into the throttle body) to change the "jetting." Neat, huh?

And NOW you know. . . the REST of the story
Court Canfield
New York City
January 17, 2003

People often ask me, "How did you get involved with this whole Buell thing?"

The short version? I bought a used car from the guy. That's right he had a Datsun 1600 roadster that he was trying to unload for cash to fund the RW racing effort and I bought it. Did not meet Erik right off, some guy named Fritz if memory serves was at Erik's home and showed me the car. I asked if he had a flashlight, to get one and he rolled up the garage door to reveal the widest motorcycle tire I had ever seen. I asked if it was a drag bike! DUH. Fritz explained what it was and I immediately determined that I was gonna make every effort to hang out with guy. The idea of a F1 motorcycle being built in Milwaukee just floored me. This was something the Japanese did not Milwaukeeans. So I did. Volunteered my meager PR skills and off we went.

Dave

Welcome to the sorta daily blog here at davegess.com. What's it about? Anything I want but it will probably center around bikes and cars and such, since I like that sort of motorhead stuff. You'll hear lots about Buell which is to be expected but pretty much any topic is possible.

Thanks for coming
Dave