Xtreme Measures
XTREME MEASURES
CW EXCLUSIVE
Buell takes on Japan Inc. in America's biggest roadrace. We ride the XBRR before it leaves for Daytona.
DON CANET
NORMALLY, WHEN A JOURNALIST RECEIVES AN INVITE TO take a spin on a factory racebike, the offer comes at the end of the race season, after the final checkered flag has flown. It's very unusual to have such an opportunity a month prior to the AMA series opener in Daytona Beach.
I I Then again, Erik Buell & Co. have been known to do things a bit differently, routinely breaking away from herd mentality when it comes to sportbike engineering and design.
Buell is nearing final development of its limitededition XBRR production racer, with plans set for the bike to debut at this year's 200-miler by the beach. Adding some international flavor to the race, Buell will field four riders representing four different nationalities aboard the new machines. Last year the face of this historic race changed, adopting the AMA Formula Xtreme format, a class largely comprised of 600cc inline-Fours with Superbike-style engine Twins and full advantage chassis a generous modifications. of the FX rules, displacement The which 1339cc allow advantage XBRR air-cooled and unretakes stricted engine modification in hopes of creating parity between a wider range of machines, thereby broadening
What really makes the XBRR special, however, is that while other factories race highly modified versions of what they sell, Buell intends to sell what it races.
Essentially a kitted variant of the street-legal XB12R Firebolt, 50 of the $30,995 race-ready, for-competitiononly machines will be built and sold through Buell dealerships worldwide. The goal is to offer customers a turnkey platform that’s backed by a solid parts and technical-support program. But first things first, and demonstrating the XBRR’s performance potential and durability in the Daytona 200 will precede the customer bikes’ scheduled April delivery date.
Former Cycle World Contributing Editor Steve Anderson has taken up position at Buell as the XBRR Platform Director. Now that the bike is just about done, he’s working closely with the collaboration of riders and their respective crews. None of the riders intend to chase the FX series beyond Daytona, possible exception being American Mike Ciccotto, an experienced Buell racer riding for Hal’s Harley-Davidson/Buell, a dealer team out of New Berlin, Wisconsin, that has played an important role in Buell racebike development over the years. Long-time AMA Superbike pilot Steve Crevier will be riding for Richmond, B.C.-based Deeley H-D/Buell Canada, a team managed by former Harley factory roadra cer Pascal Picotte. Warr's H-D/Buell, from London, England, has enlisted MotoGP vet Jeremy McWilliams, who looks forward to experiencing his first-ever Daytona 200. German Rico Penzkofer will ride for Hannover H-D/Buell, a German shop with plenty of experi ence in the European endurance racing scene.
An air of urgency permeated the pit garage when I arrived at Texas World Speedway, a banked oval with an infield roadcourse. I timed my arrival for the third morning of the planned four-day private test, hoping to find the bikes dialed-in by then. But well-laid plans are easily foiled during crunch time for pre-Daytona prep. I'm remind ed of this daily by the Yamaha YZF 750 Superbike displayed in the lobby at Cycle World, a bike that I twice raced in the Daytona 200, but never had the luxury of testing prior to either race.
It's a time of season when time itself is the most valuable commod ity, and the candle has been burn ing at both ends back in East Troy, Buell's Wisconsin HQ. A test staged at Daytona International Speedway last fall revealed some areas in need of attention, not least of which was aerodynamic efficiency. When Erik Buell caught wind of the fainng's poor performance, it became his pet project as he spent weeks and pulled numerous all-nighters sculpting various shapes to be tested. Use of the wind tunnel at Texas A&M University helped Buell zero in on the bike's new form, said to offer a 20 percent drag reduction over the previous fairing.
The trip to the Lone Star State was meant to validate the fairing and other updates, and home in on chassis setup. But the transporter hauling bikes and equipment was held up a day waiting on the revised carbon-fiber bodywork to arrive. Then the trailer threw an axle enroute, costing another precious day. When it rains it pours, and that's what the weather forecast suggested for the final day of track availability. The Buell Boys were busting tail to get as much accomplished as humanly possible. I stayed out of their way.
Late in the afternoon, Anderson allowed me a brief six-lap stint aboard Ciccotto's bike. A 12-volt car battery was tem porarily plugged into a heavy-duty coupler located under the tailsection, providing juice to the engine's electric starter, 8 pounds of baggage that will be removed following the pit-stoppunctuated 200. The combination of a close-ratio gearbox and Daytona gearing made for a tall first gear that required a bit of throttle/clutch modu lation leaving the pit stall. The clutch utilizes the stock basket and plates, but is heavily sprung to ensure bulletproof reliability when subjected to the harsh est starts.
Upshifts are light and extremely positive as the drive chain and solidmounted rear sprocket transmit energy that is largely damped on a stock beltdrive XB streetbike. Having raced a few Buells in the past, including a built XB9 at Loudon a couple of years ago, I must say none delivered the rev response or massive torque spread that this package offers. Usable power spans a wide range from 4000 rpm to a claimed 150-plus crank horsepower at 8000 rpm, with the flexibility of another 800 rpm of over-rev before the limiter caps the fun. The tachometer is an XI item that has its low-fuel warning light wired to function as a shift light. It can be programmed to illuminate at a different rpm for each gear to compensate for quicker revs in lower gears.
The most dramatic difference between the XBRR and other XBs I’ve ridden is its steering response and front brake power. An eight-piston Nissin caliper clamps a standard rim-mounted XB rotor up front. At least with the pads being used at the test, the setup was too aggressive for my taste, providing so much initial bite that extra care was required when putting a two-finger squeeze on the lever of the Nissin radial-pump master-cylinder.
Steering was light and razor sharp, exhibiting the uncanny willingness to turn-in that you would expect of a 52-inch wheelbase and 21degree steering head. But like the front brake, this too demands tempered input, especially when flicking side-to-side through the slow infield section of the course.
The front felt a little unnerving at times when loaded up on corner entry, but settled right in once a hint of power was applied. Fuel-delivery mapping needed further refinement, not helping the feeling up front as the engine ran a bit rough at slight throttle openings through the heart of some corners.
Stability at speed down the bumpy main straight of the Texas World oval was quite good. The fairing offers more wind protection than any current Supersport bike. I felt enveloped when hunkered down into a full tuck, the concave seatback cradling my hips, while the low-profile airbox top (faux fuel tank) allows you to keep your helmet low behind the windscreen and out of the windblast. Don’t underestimate the value these ergonomics will play over the course of a 200-mile race. Steady rain fell the following morning as I drove back to Houston to catch my flight home. I could imagine the dampened spirits of those working so hard to pull it all together in time for the big show. On the bright side, the bike I rode had logged more than 200 trouble-free miles that day.
One down, another 200 to go. U
