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/128132
2002 Buell Firebott XB9R and real-world performance... com- 12 NOVEMBER 28, 2001 • cue journalists getting their first ride on performance. " I hotel the evening prior to a horde of ultimate middleweight street riding hat exactly is character? Is it a distinctive trait that makes something stand apart from something else? Is it simply personality? When something has character, does that make it weird, or just different? Does it make it exceptionai? Is character good, or bad? Buells have always had character. Buells have always been out of the ordinary. Exhausts that route under the engine, shocks that are under the bike, belt drives instead of chains. The list goes on. Buells definitely have character, though the meaning can be translated differently depending on how you feel about the end product. Not wanting to rest on its unique set of laurels, Buell has taken its individualism to the next level with the Buell Fireboit XB9R - with the goal of creating the best Buell ever built. Did they do so? Well, let's start with the talk before moving to the walk. Back in July, when the Firebolt was introduced to members of the media and to dealers, the talk started with boasts of "motorcycles that deliver an artful balance of racetrack That talk continued in a Las Vegas pletely dedicated to providing the By PAUL CARRUTHERS PHOTOS BY BRIAN J. NELSON the newest Buell on the "classic" cir- _ n __ s cuit that resides just outside the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Jean-Luc Mars, the French marketing/research man for Buell, told us the Firebolt would be like a "wing at each foot." He spoke of "agility and acceleration" of how the bike was designed for "real-world riders." Well, there is no doubting the passion for the motorcycle from the men who have designed, built and will now market the Firebolt. The key, however, to at least a portion of that marketing success would be how the newest Buell would play out to the room full of cynical journalists itching to throw their iegs over the Firebolt. But first things first: What is this new Buell, exactly? It is a Buell like no other, though don't think for a minute that Erik Buell has strayed from his "out of the ordinary" design practices and given us a standard motorcycle. In fact, with a goal of creating a 250cc Grand Prix-like chassis to house a big V-twin engine, Buell didn't hesitate in throwing even more uniqueness at us. The goalpost was set rather high - Buell wanted a 52-inch wheelbase, a steep 21-degree steering-head angle and front-end weight bias of 52 percent. The package had to be rigid and light (385 pounds dry, according to Buell). In order to accomplish all of this, Buell engineers had to think differently. Something they've become accustomed to. How about an aluminum chassis that houses the fuel? Or a swingarm that also serves as the oil tank? It's enough to make Buell Bashers ask: What's next - tires that hold fuel,