When I think of American motorcycles, I have a pretty clear picture in my mind–a low-riding, chrome beast made to look good on Main Street. And when I think of sportbikes, I see imports that can take on a racetrack right out of their crates.
Then there’s the American sportbike, the only example of which you’re likely to encounter is the Buell, a marque founded by former racer Erik Buell.
Buell the company was acquired by Harley-Davidson Inc. in 1998 but remains a bit player. Last year Buell produced 6,436 sportbikes to parent Harley’s 234,461 cruisers and tourers.
Buell the man stayed on as chairman and chief technical officer to continue his pursuit of the three traits he believes make for a great handling motorcycle–mass centralization, frame rigidity and low unsprung weight.
The Firebolt XB9R is the latest and most innovative iteration of Buell’s vision.
I was lucky enough to score a few days with this machine, and after more than 300 miles in the saddle, I still don’t know quite what to make of it. Though we shared moments as beautiful as any I’ve experienced in motorcycling, by the end of our first day, I knew the Firebolt and I would not go the distance.
For one thing, the bike is narrowly focused to dominate curvy back roads. All well and good, but on the two-hour freeway drone required to access those roads from Chicago, the Firebolt makes the trade-offs painfully evident
The bike’s tight, aggressive riding position combines with the 45-degree V-twin engine’s vibrations to amplify the usual ergonomic issues for the class. Sportbikes are never at their best on the superslab, but I’ve seldom mounted one that took it out of me like the Firebolt.
For another thing, the bike is hot. Without a radiator, all the heat from the bike’s 984-cc, air-cooled engine has to go somewhere, and a lot of it was transferred through its exposed aluminum frame into my body.
And the Buell has the kind of passenger “accommodations” that give passengers an excuse to stay home. The pegs are high, the riding position is awkward and the seat is thin.
Each is more than a nitpicker; they’re deal breakers if it’s my $9,995 we’re talking about.
Nonetheless, I found myself drawn to it. This is partly because it’s one of the coolest-looking sportbikes in recent history, but primarily because it starts to make sense once you point it at some curves.
The Firebolt is happiest when you ride it hard and fast, which makes that technology trilogy start doing its thing.
We’ll start with the mass-centralization. Buell keeps weight as close to the center of the bike and to the ground as possible to achieve superb balance. The Firebolt puts a muffler directly under the engine, rather than hanging off the back like on most sportbikes.
Buell and Harley engineers also shifted the fully fueled Firebolt’s 30 pounds of gasoline to a low, central reservoir in the bike’s frame.
Frame rigidity, which helps a bike feel sharp in hard corners, is achieved via a massive Italian-made aluminum frame that incorporates the engine into its structural design, rather than cradling it like some machines. Attached to this is an equally fat and stiff swingarm which doubles as the engine oil reservoir.
Unsprung weight–basically everything below the fork and rear suspension–is the enemy of sporting suspension, and the Firebolt saves several ounces with its innovative Zero Torsional Load system. A 375-mm diameter single disc is mounted directly to the wheel rim, which allows fewer brake components.
Add to the package a liter-class fuel-injected motor and a low claimed dry weight (385 pounds) approaching that of some 600-cc machines, and the result is a tool that gives every indication of being the perfect back-road bomber.
The brakes, which can break the magic of a good bike, are nothing less than killer on the Firebolt. Two fingers is all it takes to squeeze smooth but eye-popping stops out of the front disc, and the rear brake is progressive and easily modulated.
When flicking the bike in and out of corners, it almost feels as though the steering inputs go straight from your brain to the tires. Some of the credit lies with the bike’s wheelbase of just 52 inches, the shortest of any production motorcycle.
Driving out of those corners is thrilling but unintimidating, thanks to the Firebolt’s motor, which delivers its 92 horsepower and 68 foot-pounds of torque across a wide powerband.
Though reliability issues have dogged some Buells, Harley brings quality assurance resources that should help reduce problems.
The only trouble the bike gave me was when I overfilled the fancy fuel cell by a cup or two.
The excess fuel drained out on the hot muffler, where it instantly evaporated into an explosive gas. Company press manager Paul James said an overflow tube may have been misrouted. If not, it is a problem dealers need address.
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E-mail Brian Neale at motojournalist@hotmail.com
