Weekend Warrior

CW PROJECT

WEEKEND WARRIOR

Two days to a cooler Buell

DAVID EDWARDS

PERFECT BIKES ARE A PAIN. ESPFCIAILY FOR owners intent on doing a little personal tailor ing. Take that most honored of all streetbikes, the almost-flawless Honda VFR750/800. Whatcha gonna do? A pipe maybe, braidedsteel brake lines, a generic set of soft saddlebags? Truth is, the VFR is so good, there's not much in the way of accessories for it. The aftermarket hates perfect bikes.

Ah, but how the aflermarket loves Harley Davidsons! Has there been a Harley owner ever who didn't crave more motor, souped-up sound, cooler chrome and prettier paint? The afterinarket is only too happy to oblige-to the tune of S I billion a year in sales (yes, that's with a `b"). And lately Some of that laissez-faire largess has niigrated toward the Buell side of the tribe. The S 1 model in particular. a favorite among wheelie hounds and other hooligans, has several companies touting goods, everything from dashboard appliques to steering dampers to turbochargers.

Crclt' World counts itself among the S I `s fans-in fact, it's been named twice to our annual Ten Best Bikes list. But that doesn't niean the hailsy brute can't he improved. We never have liked the crudelooking, under-engine muffler, though we can’t argue that its placement does great things for cornering clearance. Likewise, we’ve gone on record with a big thumbs-down for the breadbox air intake on the bike’s right side-though again, we acknowledge the goofy object’s contributions to the Buell’s healthy power output. And in 1996 our “that’s not a seat, it’s a suppository” jibe about the Si’s microscopic bunbucket almost caused a case of Preparation H to be mailed in retaliation from East Troy to our Newport Beach offices. Cooler heads prevailed back then, as they have for the 1999 sales season. Witness the all-new Buell XI, which has a real seat (big enough for four cheeks, even!), a more integrated airbox and a zippy little chin fairing that hides the muffler (and shock, too). Nice if you’re in the market for a new bike, but what about current SI owners in search of upgrades?

As we pondered that very question, came a phone call from those helpful sorts at Vance & Hines, wondering if we had any exhaust-system needs. Matter of fact, we said...

Only problem was that the SI White Lightning was so new at the time V&H hadn’t tooled anything up for its 2into-l pipes (larger in diameter than previous Sis’). Our testbike was the only one on the West Coast. Could we send it over for a fitting?

Upon the Buell’s return, we were greeted by a lovely-to-look-at, ovalsection SS2R canister, allied with one of Vance & Hines’ Powerpak programable ignition modules mounted on a frame tube beneath the bodywork. Carb jetting was unchanged. On our dyno, peak horsepower remained about the same (85.4 bhp at the rear wheel), but torque jumped an impressive 6 foot-pounds to 77. The only hitch in the SS2R’s gitalong was a pretty pronounced torque dip between 2000 and 2500 rpm. On the street, though, we rarely rode in this range-and besides, the dip was well camouflaged by a meaty, damn-near-diagonal bhp curve. More good stuff: Run the Project > SI to its torque peak at 3500 rpm, bang the first-to-seeond gearchange, and you’re rewarded with the nicest, longest power wheelie this side of a CR500 with fresh knobs. Noise, you ask? Well, if an open-pipe Big Twin rates a 10 and a stocker rates a 0. we’d peg the SS2R at a 5. Short-shift around town and no one will complain.

AMERICAN SPORT BIKE

38 Deerwood

Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

949/448-9983

Gel seat kit.....$160

Carbon-fiber rear fender......$228

Carbon-fiber dash accent.....$55

Cylinder-head heat shield.....$90

Knurled footpegs.....$70/pair

Knurled brake/shift

pads.....$34/pair

BARTELS’ PERFORMANCE

PRODUCTS

3237 Carter Ave.

Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

310/578-9888

Carbon-fiber airbox

kit.....$299

License-plate

relocator.....$37

CORBIN SADDLES

2360 Technology Pkwy.

Hollister, CA 95023

800/538-7035

Gunfighter seat.....$329

JOKER MACHINE

1028 W. Kirkwell Rd.

Azusa, CA 91702

626/334-9371

Drive pulley.....$440

Turnsignals.....$100/pair

Countershaft cover.....$110

Swingarm end caps.....$35/pair

Spector mirrors.....$220/pair

VANCE & HINES

14010 Marquardt Ave.

Santé Fe Springs, CA 90670

562/921-7461

SS2R exhaust canister.....$295

Powerpak ignition module.....$329

For the rest of our mods, all cosmetic bolt-ons, we relied mainly on two

companies, American Sport Bike and Joker Machine. The former specializes in Buells, while the latter has recently added Buell accessories to its extensive line of Harley parts. We had just one Rile: All the components had to be mounted over the course of one weekend with an average, fumble-fingered Joe (i.e. the Editor-inChief) manning the wrenches.

For the most part, success. Joker’s machined-from-billet parts, though expensive, are pure aircraft-quality stuff, fit precisely and look so much better than stock it’s embarrassing. American Sport Bike’s product list runs to about 300 items, not including T-shirts, key fobs, etc. We especially like their carbon-fiber inner fender, which replaces the factory’s (quite literally) butt-ugly rear fender/license plate combo. Capping off the back end is a jaunty license plate holder from Bartels’ Performance and a set of Joker’s micro turnsignals.

And, yeah, the dreaded pod-like airbox is still in place. We ordered a

downsized carbon-fiber replacement from Bartels’, but the kit required either extensive replumbing for the oil breather, venting to the atmosphere or the fitment of a catch tank. Another project for another weekend. Besides, we had just enough time for a Sundayafteoioon blast down Ortega Highway before dinner... U