Recently in Buell Category

I can't resist an event where a company lets me ride their motorcycles on an 11 mile real world ride for free and you have to love Harley for this once a year not to miss event.

Harley-Davidson Open House Sept 25-Sept 27

A cut-a-way of the new Buell / Rotax liquid cooled 1125cc Helicon V-Twin caught my eye at the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in Washington D.C last winter.

Buell is the sport bike division of Harley-Davidson marketed to riders who aren't into the chrome and mystique, but would like to buy something American made that isn't a clone of anything.

Buell went to Austrian engine manufacturer Rotax to help them design a V-twin engine that utilizes three counter-balancers that smooth out the power monster. Rotax also makes the parallel 800 cc twin in my BMW 800 ST.

I love the quirky, one of a kind Buell designs, the low maintenance lifetime drive belt (BMW take notes here) with a tensioner that makes it feel like a drive shaft that only pulls in one direction - straight . However, I have never been a fan of a bike that the mirrors vibrate so badly you can't see what's behind you at a stop light. Previous Buells are based on HD engines.

The new Helicon® V-Twin is a symphony of motorcycle ecstasy. Lots of torque, a subtle trashy mechanical sound, and an assertive exhaust that lets you know it's a stealth rocket without sounding noisy.

The engine uses a "Hydraulic Vacuum Assist (HVA) Slipper-Action clutch that eases clutch pull and limits back-torque during hard downshifts". The result is one silky clutch/transmission combination.

Now if they would put this engine in the Buell Ulysses series (I'm more of an upright rider)... and trim down the cc to about 800 (I want to get 60+ mpg) .. that would be about perfect for me.

The small 492 cc, single cylinder engine Buell Blast gets 72 mpg according to the Buell website.

Cycle World via the International Motorcycle World website lists nine frugal fuel sipping motorcycles. I was at one of their shows in Washington D.C. last year. Great way to see almost every model available in one stop.

1. Honda CRF230L - 93 MPG
2. Honda Nighthawk - 90 MPG
3. Yamaha XT250 - 80 MPG
4. Aprilia SportCity 250 - 75 MPG
5. Kawasaki Ninja 250R - 60 MPG
6. Yamaha WR250X - 60 MPG
7. Suzuki GSX650F - 56 MPG
8. Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 - 55 MPG
9. Suzuki SV650 - 55 MPG

Interesting to note that a home grown Harley with an 883 cc engine gets the same mileage as many bikes with smaller displacement. And they forgot the Harley's Buell Blast with a 500 cc single cylinder that gets 64/73 mpg according to the Buell website. The bike falls into the same price bracket as others on the list.

I would love to see Harley market into the economy euro/japanese high fuel economy rider market. The market is ripe for a domestically made fuel squeezer.

Build it here and squeeze foreign oil. The concept makes me giddy.

Hayes Diversified Technologies, Hesperia, CA has a 667cc diesel motorcycle that gets 105 mpg. Production is delayed due to production requirements of the military.

I ride a BMW 800 ST which gets 67mpg. Hardly a frugal ride for this cheap soul, but it was the highest fuel mileage bike I could find with an engine that suited me that I wouldn't mind riding on an Interstate at 70 mph for 6 hours (and could get out of it's own way at that speed).
67 mpg motorcycle grocery getter camper (greenmesh.com 5/08)