Buell 1125R First Ride

Started by Jimustanguitar, August 21, 2013, 09:17:05 AM

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Jimustanguitar

Well, I got the clutch cylinder installed in the Buell last night and, to my neighbors' dismay, went for the first test ride to get some fresh gas in her at about midnight.


Fuel injection means that there aren't any starting problems!

The engine is mechanically loud. It sounds like it needs upper end work, but everybody on the Buell forum says this is completely normal and that they're loud as hell. I guess the cams actuate the valves with a finger follower that just rattles around between the cam and valve pad. Multiply that by 8 valves, and the inside joke is that it sounds like you put rocks in the case instead of oil.

I expected it to pull in first without any throttle, but it does require a touch of throttle to start moving happily. This is pretty normal, just different than my expectation for whatever reason. Probably because of the lower idle than other sport bikes I've been on.

There isn't a happy low (less than 5mph) cruising speed. Like what you'd use in a parking lot. My first impression was that you need to be accelerating or coasting at that speed because the engine RPM's don't like going that slow in 1st. It was also cold when I tried this, and it was my first 10 miles on the bike, so it may chug along better at low speeds when she's warm and I'm more familiar with it.

The geometry of the bike (rake and trail, I presume) is quite different than the "standard" bikes I'm used to. The bike really plants itself in the corner, and the input on the bars is different than I've experienced before. The bars actually pull a little bit in a corner, and I've not felt that before. My tendency was to overshoot the path I think I'm steering for. I think the trick is to steer by leaning and just using the bars to balance, which is backwards from what seems to come naturally.

The engine has torque over a huge part of the RPM range, and you can make each gear last a good while instead of hitting a curve in each gear and having to shift again.

I don't know why it has 6 speeds. I bet that around town will mostly use the bottom 3. On my Vision, I am guilty of trying to find 6th a few times. On this bike, I don't know that I'll get up to 6 very often.

It's a hot ride. The radiator on each side warms your legs, and you can feel the exhaust headers radiating heat on the right side too.

The perimeter brake disk is awesome. I've not ridden anything with this kind of stopping power before. The taper on the lever was great too. Some bikes have a very digital, all or nothing, kind of feel on the lever for the front brake, and this seemed very natural and smooth.



That's it for now. I only rode for about 10 minutes, so I'll have more thoughts and observations in the next few days.

Rikugun

That's quite a write up for just 10 minutes of riding - nice!  :D I'm sure there will be an adjustment to this very different bike. I think you'll get used to it quickly. Is this the first FI bike you've ridden? I've ridden a couple that seemed overly sensitive on the throttle and especially noticeable at slow speeds. Another thing I noticed is on decel it's as if the fuel has been shut off. There's not much coasting but a ton of engine braking.  :)

How easily are the valves adjusted? I think the follower acts on a small shim (?) on those but how does the follower move out of the way to get to the shim?
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is then to persist in delusion, however satisfying or reassuring.  Carl Sagan

supervision

   Hey Riki, those finger followers are very easy to check, and change the shims. The shaft that the fingers rotate on is set back from the cam and lifter, and goes all the way across the head in that area. What they do is use a high quality keeper on the pivot shaftl to keep the followers located.  This keeper simply snaps off, then you can slide the finger over to access the shim. There is plenty of room due to the keeper is only slightly larger than the valve stem, they use the spring keeper as  the shim holder.  The only reason I know this: I have a 2004 HUSQVARNA TE 250, same system. 
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Jimustanguitar

Good to know, thanks for the heads up! I have to rotate the engine downwards to access both heads, so it's going to be a winter project for me.

I have about 1,100 miles on it now. It's quite the bike. The controls and geometry have become second nature. I know right where the clutch catches, how much tension cracks the throttle just right, the levers and pegs are all at the right angles, it definitely fits. I'm at that stage where I've started circling parts and accessories for it in catalogs :)

Rikugun

Quote from: Jimustanguitar on September 27, 2013, 09:50:50 AM
I'm at that stage where I've started circling parts and accessories for it in catalogs :)
Well it's official then - it's a keeper!   :D  Sorry to hear about the valve adjust/engine tilt procedure requirement though.
It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is then to persist in delusion, however satisfying or reassuring.  Carl Sagan