I counted the days until the local Buell Dealer would receive this new "sportfighter". Being a Ducati rider, I new that the Buell would offer an engine with torque and quick acceleration. The Firebolt exceeded all expectations. It was 65 degress outside and the bike started right up, though...
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I counted the days until the local Buell Dealer would receive this new "sportfighter". Being a Ducati rider, I new that the Buell would offer an engine with torque and quick acceleration. The Firebolt exceeded all expectations. It was 65 degress outside and the bike started right up, though coming down from high speeds and coasting to a stop in neutral caused the bike to stall, which ceased once the engine was warmed up. There was a lot of traffic but I needed to test this creation so I went against my better judgement and passed cars on the left, easily beating the oncoming traffic, despite having only a block before coming to the stop sign's. Impressed but the bike's ability to REALLY accelerate, I still felt the bike wanted more of a challenge. I turned onto a main boulevard, deciding to play thread the needle. Lane splitting was no test, easily conquered, but the brakes were being tested even more so then when I was racing cars to stop signs. I gave my respect to a fellow Harley rider, lowering my left hand and a head nod, only to see a stop car in front of me making a left turn. This situation was compounded by the fact that another car was to the right of the turning car, leaving a very narrow gap to avoid collision, as I was going 80 mph at least and had no room to stop in time. I applied heavy brake pressure, released, and then placed myself and the bike between the narrow gap, nearly clipping my left peg. The bike is designed so beautifully and practically that my legs sit with in the lines of the bike, I suppose my frame size helped too (5'8"). Of course there had to be a hair pin turn immediately after the near collision, so I leaned the bike over to its rightside and completed the sharp right turn with no trail braking, as the road conditions in Chicago are nothing to write home about unless pot holes and loose pavement is your idea of paved heaven. As easy as it was to lean the bike over, the bike also naturally wanted to right itself very quickly, which given a better entry speed into the curve would have been fine with me, but I entered with so much speed I need to stay low in order to avoid traffic on the right and the barrier on the left. Needless to say the suspension system felt perfect for everyday conditions and even the pot holes of Chicago couldn't bottom out those fully adjustable Showa forks. The tires were glued to the pavement except during some wheelies and would give confidence to a rider of any level. I look forward to bringing this Buell into my family and it would definitely assert itself as the top dog among any V-Twin sportsbike in production today as well as any In-Line Four that tried to keep up with it.
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