Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128026
Buell's ne1Nest: lTIodel is an incendiary device ailTled at: beginners (Above) Bodywork has been toughened up through the use of Surtyn, a space-aged material that is designed to resist marring that might occur during a simple tipover. Stopping is primarily acheived by the Blast's powerful 320mm dual-piston front brake unit. (Left) Beginner bike or batmobile? Buell is hoping to pull in a whole new generation of motorcyclists with its new Blast, a userfriendly sporting single that is set to retail for under $5000. By SCOTT ROUSSEAU umors that the Buell Motorcycle Company was embarking on a new endeavor had been swirling for months. In fact, during the HarleyDavidson dealer show in San Diego last spring, Buell president Jerry Wilke addressed those rumors by flashing a blurry photo of a prototype Buell motorcycle that appeared to have one cylinder missing. Surely, this was a joke. Nope. It was actually as serious as a bomb blast. No coincidence then, that Buell has actually named its newest model the Blast, with the company banking on the hopes that the sporty-looking single's futuristic appearance and user-friendly performance will entice new riders into the motorcycle market. R Buell claims to have done scads of market research before launching the project, and what this research told them is motorcycling is undergoing a mid-life crisis of sorts. According to the Motorcycle Industry Council numbers that Buell used, the average motorcycle owner in 1998 was 38 years old, up from 27.6 years old in 1975. In 1973, some 1.2 million new motorcycles were registered, as opposed to 416,000 in 1998. Now, nobody - least of all Buell - is pushing the panic button on the industry. As most people know, motorcycles are healthier than they have been in the last 20 years. But what the company does see or thinks it sees - is a niche. The idea behind the Blast is to introduce the "Generation X" or "extreme sports" set, who might otherwise not know how to go about getting started in motorcycling, with a radical new motorcycle that might entice them to get on two wheels. With a suggested retail price of $4395 ($4495 in California) it could present just such an enticement. Starting with the look of the machine, the Blast features curvy bodywork that is instantly recognizable as Buell. In an effort to combat the expense that can be brought on by even a simple tip-over in the parking lot, the tank, seat and other body pieces are made out of a high-tech Surlyn material, which was actually designed in the golf industry to help reduce cuts and tears in golf balls. According to Buell, many scratches that might be incurred as the result of a low-speed impact can be easily buffed out. This paneling is draped over an all-new Uniplanar chassis that