2009 Buell 1125R Daytona SportBike Review

By Kevin Duke Jul. 27, 2009

Photos by Brian J. Nelson

Buell not too long ago stole headlines with the announcement of a specifically modified 1125R becoming a member of AMA Pro Racing’s American Superbike class. The 1125RR is a purpose-built racebike (not authorized for the road), and its introduction has created waves within the Superbike paddock for the bike’s mid-year arrival and for not assembly the standard homologation necessities.But the armchair crew chiefs aren’t making an allowance for that the RR racebike isn’t a lot modified from the modestly highly effective 121-horse R streetbike, itself deemed authorized for AMA Pro’s Daytona SportBike class racing in opposition to four-cylinder 600s.And that’s the place present occasions converge with this story, as we not too long ago had the chance to pattern a race-prepped Buell 1125R in the identical configuration as utilized by Danny Eslick to win 5 Daytona SportBike races to date this season. The most important distinction between ‘Slick’s Rossmeyer GEICO Powersports RMR bike and the 1125RR is with the engine internals.

We hitch a trip on a motorcycle that has received 5 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike races this season.

Now, a few of you could take challenge with Daytona Motorsports Group’s rulebook that permits an 1125cc bike to race in opposition to 599cc Japanese four-cylinder bikes, and that is certainly a controversial resolution. Here’s some comparative specs to ponder.

In inventory configuration, the Buell’s engine is 88% bigger than a 600, so it’s no shock to see it produce larger energy numbers, and that is particularly evident in its 40% stronger torque peak. To deal with this disparity, DMG has given the 1125R a 20-lb weight handicap. It’s straightforward to see why some would possibly quibble with DMG’s guidelines, however the impact on observe has been certainly one of relative parity. Eslick’s wins at some tracks have been counter-weighted by mediocre finishes at different kinds of observe layouts. DMG’s aim was to offer shut competitors, and in that they’ve succeeded.

The extensive nostril fairing of the RMR 1125R gives extra wind safety than typical racebikes.

Buell founder and chief, Erik Buell, is an avid racing fanatic, and within the 1125R he lastly has a potent race-worthy machine. Entering the Daytona SportBike class was step one, adopted by the latest announcement of the hot-rodded model referred to as the 1125RR which might be entered within the American Superbike class for the rest of the season with rider Taylor Knapp. Knapp raced to twelfth and tenth locations in the course of the latest Superbike races at Mid-Ohio.

Although the 1125R was developed for avenue driving, it’s additionally fairly succesful on the observe, as we came upon in our Oddball Literbike Shootout. While its 72-degree V-Twin motor received’t run with a Ducati 1098/1198, its strong unfold of energy makes it straightforward to maximise acceleration. A stiff aluminum-beam chassis ably handles racetrack-level masses.

This image reveals the prolonged swingarm that comes as a part of Buell’s chain-drive conversion equipment.

The 1125R’s transformation to Daytona SportBike racer is definitely fairly gentle aside from one main merchandise. The streetbike makes use of a belt to drive the rear wheel, which is a clear and environment friendly power-transfer system, however this presents issues on the observe by complicating gearing modifications required to go well with every observe. Buell has met this problem by offering a chain-conversion equipment swingarm. It’s expensive ($1,779), but it surely contains quick-change gear for the wheel, footpegs, brackets and billet swingarm ends with an enormous 2.5 inches of adjustment vary to juggle the bike’s wheelbase.

On the opposite finish of the sophisticated scale are minimal modifications to the engine. The components aren’t low cost however they’re few: a high-perf stainless-steel exhaust ($1,799) and programmable ECU ($775). The former appears costly, however the latter in all fairness priced contemplating a rider can tweak it to regulate air bleed per rpm for dialing within the quantity compression braking. These two additions are all it takes to coax out aggressive energy.

Buell XB12R On Track

Buell Motorcycles had its total 2009 model-year lineup readily available at Road America for journalists to pattern. Having by no means ridden the XB12R on a racetrack, I made a decision to see the way it carried out. Powered by a completely massaged Harley-Davidson Sportster engine, there are quite a lot of sportbike aficionados who don’t give the XB line a lot respect. While it’s true that 90 or so horses on the again wheel received’t seize headlines as of late, there’s ample torque on faucet to tractor its method out of corners with out a lot regard for which of the 5 gears within the transmission are used. The air-cooled XB12R might run out of steam at a high-speed circuit like Road America, however there’s no denying the bike’s capabilities within the corners. Still, with two-valve cylinder heads and a long-stroke design, the hot-rodded Harley motor feels a little bit breathless on a high-speed circuit corresponding to Road America. Maximum thrust is gained by preserving the massive shaking lump inside a comparatively quick powerband. A clunky gearbox that doesn’t like clutchless upshifts is an obstacle to clipping tenths of a second off your lap occasions. But the place the XB excels past expectations is within the corners. Steering is remarkably exact, greater than you may think, and mid-corner stability is bigger than the bike’s steep rake and quick wheelbase would possibly point out. Obedient cornering expertise are the bike’s greatest asset, and there’s loads of floor clearance to take advantage of the grip from the Pirelli Diablo Corsa 3 tires. Oddly, whereas the rear tire acquired scorching, the entrance tire solely acquired heat at RA. A brand new addition to the 2009 model-year XBs is an 8-piston entrance brake caliper that replaces the previous 6-piston clamper. It rewards with glorious energy that may be a vital improve over the beforehand used caliper. As it seems, my time aboard the XB12R was only a prelude to me becoming a member of the AMA Pro Racing schedule at Road America a couple of days later. I used to be provided a trip on the XB12R of the James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing workforce to contest the AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT race within the Moto-GT2 class. Although a little bit out of my league, it was a Godfather-ish provide I couldn’t refuse. Duke leads his eventual race teammate, Sport Rider’s Troy Siahaan, round Road America in preparation for his or her Moto-GT race a couple of days later. Check again in a couple of weeks to learn the way an outdated and crusty motojournalist fared racing in opposition to riders who truly pound out laps for a residing. I promise there might be some measure of leisure worth!

Buell affords three instructions to go when it comes to suspension. The Showa fork might be fitted with 25mm race-kit internals, stated to be fairly efficient, or might be changed by Showa’s Big Piston Fork ($1,950). An identical Showa race shock lists for $1,000. However, the 1125R we rode was outfitted with top-shelf Ohlins gear entrance and rear, the identical as utilized by Eslick and Richie Morris Racing teammate Michael Barnes.

Race bodywork features a full fairing fairly than the stocker’s abbreviated unit. We suppose it properly disguises the protuberances of the bike’s side-mounted radiators.

The myriad changes obtainable in a high quality suspension offers the power to arrange the bike for a wide range of observe circumstances, however there’s extra to attaining an optimum configuration. The 1125R has a really steep 21-degree rake which contributes to its agility on the road, however high-speed racing requires elevated ranges of stability. So, together with the lengthened wheelbase from the equipment swingarm, Buell sells steering head inserts ($233) that reach the rake 0.5 or 1.0 diploma; Eslick makes use of the 0.5-degree set.The 1125R racebike differs from the streetbike visually by the addition of a full fairing for higher aerodynamics and to facilitate the mandatory inclusion of a catch pan. The fairing additionally has the facet advantage of enhancing the looks of the 1125R, smoothing over the engine space for a cleaner look.

Ride It!

There sitting within the Road America pits is a race-prepped Buell 1125R painted up within the Rossmeyer GEICO Powersports RMR livery as ridden by Eslick and Barnes. Former manufacturing facility Honda crew chief David McGrath is blipping the bike’s throttle to heat the engine previous to my quick take a look at session, barking out a raspy and intimidating cacophony. I really feel insufficient.

However, the 1125R racer proves to be a surprisingly rideable racebike, because it’s endowed with the identical rider-friendly attributes because the inventory 1125.

Torque, as you’d suspect, is plentiful, catapulting the 1125R rapidly by first gear regardless of tall racetrack gearing. Very rapidly it calls for an upshift, and that is achieved posthaste through quick-shifter electronics by a race-pattern (1 up, 5 down) gearbox. The $279 shifter equipment is price each penny on the racetrack.

The inventory 1125R is competent round a racetrack, however the modified racebike is rather more succesful.

The Buell/RMR bike we sampled at Road America had the plus-1.0-degree steering-head insert, which ought to sluggish the 1125’s steering responses, as ought to the longer wheelbase from the equipment swingarm. But it as an alternative responds with alacrity. Credit goes to a lighter weight (although greater than the 380-lb class minimal) than the streetbike and the addition of feathery magnesium wheels that knock off 1.8 lbs from the entrance wheel ($954) and three.0 lbs from the rear ($1,011) in comparison with the inventory cast-aluminum wheels.

The RMR crew has finished vital juggling of trip heights throughout growth to change steering geometry for the optimum setup. Like all racebikes, the RMR 1125R is ready up stiffer than inventory, because the springs contained in the Ohlins dampers assist hold chassis pitch to a minimal. The result’s nook entries that may be taken in a short time and are accompanied by confidence-inspiring stability mid-corner, aided by a $495 Ohlins steering damper.

Even although the engine is completely inventory aside from the equipment ECU and exhaust, the linear and broad torque curve pulls like a demon out of the corners, even when a gear too excessive. The method through which the 1125cc engine produces energy is exemplary, offering easy response from closed throttle positions. Strong although the Helicon motor is, with 140-plus horsepower on the wheel, there’s no method it could actually run with one thing just like the Ducati 1198. However, to a mid-pack-placed racer, this grunty motor is a walloping benefit over a peaky four-cylinder 600. An extreme quantity of vibration felt on the right-side footpeg is a slight distraction.

The sooner it’s ridden, the higher the RMR Buell responds.

There are 4 exhausting braking zones at Road America, and these actually put Buell’s ZTL braking system to check. The inventory 375mm perimeter-mounted rotor is changed with a 1mm thicker disc (to 6mm) to raised deal with the warmth generated on a racetrack. Its price is simply $170, however you’ll want $241 of {hardware} to mount it. The huge 8-piston caliper is beefed up with track-specific brake pads ($368), and a race-duty Nissin grasp cylinder ($715) provides glorious really feel on the lever.Corner entries are aided by the Helicon engine’s built-in back-torque-limiting system primarily based on the quantity of vacuum generated although the motor. This capabilities like a mechanical slipper clutch, though it isn’t fairly as efficient. That stated, Eslick doesn’t race with a slipper clutch, as his back-it-in fashion appears to go well with the bike. Stiffer clutch springs are the one alteration from inventory.

Even just some laps on the RMR Buell 1125R have been sufficient to be taught that this Buell-supported effort is a extremely succesful but straightforward to trip race machine. It simply dealt with my timid efforts to go quick, and it continued to really feel higher the tougher I pushed it.

Just as spectacular, and even perhaps extra so, is Buell’s expanded dedication to racing. The Little Company That Could has finished the mandatory homework to allow any racer to bolt on about $13,000 of components to create a extremely aggressive Daytona SportBike, and you’ll one-stop-shop them at your native Buell supplier through the corporate’s race division. Buell additionally affords a pleasant pot of contingency cash for its racers.

And all indicators level to additional race help from Buell sooner or later. An astute racer corresponding to Erik Buell didn’t rent a super-wrench like David McGrath simply because he’s a pleasant man. We suspect McGrath will spearhead a extra elaborate racing program, and the newly launched 1125RR superbike is simply the tip of the iceberg. Buell has opened up a devoted race store down the road from the corporate’s headquarters for McGrath to work his tuning magic, and it’s affordable to count on the operation will increase.

The addition of a number of Buell-supplied race elements transforms the 1125R right into a successful mixture.

We interviewed Mr. Buell again in 2007 and requested him about his racing intentions for the 1125R and his future tasks. “It all has to be fundamentally spun into the business package,” he stated shortly after the launch of the 1125R. “Maybe one of these days that will happen. When we were talking to Jeremy (McWilliams) and some of the other test riders, I sat down with him and looked him in the eyes and said, ‘Okay, Jeremy, if some magic happens and we go World Superbike, what do we need?’ And he said, ‘Nothing but power, Erik.’ I said, ‘Okay, that’s what I wanted to hear.’”Of better significance to avenue riders, Buell’s bolstered race efforts might also be accompanied by a bigger, extra highly effective and extra succesful manufacturing bike. Think about it: Buell goes Superbike racing with an 1125cc engine when V-Twins are allowed 1200cc. It would appear silly for Buell to not produce a 1200RR, offering a stouter base to tackle the Superbike heavyweights.

Make a return go to right here about this time subsequent yr to see if our prediction for Buell’s 2011 mannequin bulletins embody a 1200cc superbike contender.

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