first: the RC51 seems to always be compared and tested against "the latest and greatest" that in and of itself speaks volumes about the capability of the machine and chassis.
second: everybody knows that the stock suspension needs some "tweaking" old news, but it doesn't take much to get it dialed. get better at setting up the bike, instead of blaming it. it's a "racing" chassis and therefore it needs a proper setting and a better than avg rider to get the most of it. the 1125 was designed as a "sporting" bike By Eric Buells words. so naturaly it is geared more towards being easy to ride by all. not a homologation special with a chassis that was designed for racers to get the most out of on the track.
and puhleeze give me an F-ing break with that ztl B.S. any body that has ridden a Buell in anger knows that is biggest piece of crap ever. the most novice of riders can out ride them.
third: it seems as of late Honda has given people what they've been asking for. they wanted a more fierce liter bike with an angry race engine. you know what, they gave it to you. pbmw hit the nail on the head. longer rod = better angles and slower piston speeds along with more TQ. that bike is a bad Mammy Jammy. Also by removing a ring you lose shoulder and skirt which lightens the piston a lot more than you think allowing for a higher rev ceiling. it also reduces parasitic losses from friction. so it burns some oil. tuck the string and change your plugs.
remember all of those polls honda did about the new V4? well the public spoke and we got the new VFR its what the masses wanted. Just goes to show no good deed goes unpunished.
A friend just picked up a 1125r...$5500 OTD. He has been racing a 999 Duc but wanted to try something different. I'm trying to get ahold of him to go for a ride before he turns it into a racebike. Hopefully I can compare the two.
The Buell actually has a lot more potential than the RC. It is very light, and you have easy access to the ecu which responds well to modifications. A simple slip-on and some minor tuning with ECM-SPY will yield high 140's to the wheel. The stock Showa components are actually pretty good and Ohlin's makes a kit just for the 1125 series. As for 600's stomping an 1125r? Did you follow Daytona Sportbike this season? Highly modified 600 teams were bitching loud and hard about competing with a virtually stock 1125r, even though the Buells were never fastest in a straight line. They did jump off corners like a rocketship and Danny Eslick rode the wheels off the bike. Personally, I think the rules were fair however, many people don't agree. What happened with Buell is sad because they really were clever bikes and Eric Buell is a racer through and through. If they would have just gotten the bikes away from those damn HD dealerships(who didn't want to sell Buell's in the first place), I believe they would still be around.
I love to hear people piss 'n whine when their 160 HP stock street bike burns some fookin' oil! I sound like the prototypical old man, but get a grip kid, I'd like to see 'em make kick starters fooin' MANDATORY on sportbikes....weed out a lot-o wankers. It's the same as when people criticize the CBR as being "too sterile" or some such bullshit, what? Cause it doesn't try 'n tankslap my ass into a hedge? Do you realize how much engeneering goes into making those beasts remotely rideable at their extreemes for mortals like us? End of geezer rant, as you were....
-Rocky-
PS. buells are to sportbikes what Anna Nicole Smith was to acting.....
__________________
ROCKYMT
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."
"Exercise restraint and discipline, only responding to posts from legit customers and those with constructive positive intent, you will find that the handgrenades explode harmlessly. You have many satisfied customers who are happy to have the parts you've made. My suggestion to you is keep making good parts, keep getting more customers, take care of them and let them speak for you."
Curious how no one mentions what is IMO the most impressive win for a thundering , stressed V-Twin -- the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2000 . Everyone smirked in scepticism b/c there was no way 2 big pistons pounding at redline would last a full day . Everyone was wrong . And yes , knowing of the RC-51's racing heritage does indeed make it more fun to ride . Historical perspective is a good thing .
Or the 12 hours of Suzuka?
WINNER 2000= NUKUMI/KAMADA
2001= KATO/EDWARDS
2002= ROSSI/EDWARDS
2003= UKAWA/KATO
ALL on RC's
Not a bad run.............
Semper Fi!
-Rocky-
__________________
ROCKYMT
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."
Curious how no one mentions what is IMO the most impressive win for a thundering , stressed V-Twin -- the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2000 . Everyone smirked in scepticism b/c there was no way 2 big pistons pounding at redline would last a full day . Everyone was wrong . And yes , knowing of the RC-51's racing heritage does indeed make it more fun to ride . Historical perspective is a good thing .
Wonderful recap, it would be amazing to get that race on DVD.
I totally agree about the race heritage making it more fun to ride.
Its the last roadgoing "RC" that has been sold to the public, for a true hondaphile thats as good as it gets! *Next to having the actual HRC race bike of course.
I actually got a chance to ride an 1125 on a buell test ride, and that thing ran like a donkey on crack. I had fun whacking the throttle and slamming on the brakes, but I would have been scared shitless to take that thing through a set of curves at speed. Felt awkward and off balance to me and I dont care to ride one again.
Kato couldn't have won the Suzuka endurance race in '03 because he'd already lost his life in the MotoGP race there earlier the same year. I'm not trying a smart ass I just see the same misinformation appearing all the time.
Agreed the Le Mans 24 hr was an impressive win for a V twin and a ballsy move for Honda since it was a new package to them at the time. Overall the SP1/SP2 works bikes had a really impressive series of wins in a just a few short years:
WSBK '00 & '02
Le Mans 24 hr '00
Isle of Man F1 TT '01
AMA '02
Suzuka 8 hr '00,'01,'02 & '03
Its racing success is quite astonishing , isn't it ? Especially considering that one tuner after another has said how easy the '51 was to develop for racing , and one racer after another has stated that it was so easy to ride fast . But I'm just gushing about an old , slow POS aren't I , blind to the reality that the RC-51 is nothing special . Oh , and the bike also won the Canadian SBK Championship ... through snow .
hmmm lets see how many employees where at Buell making the 1125? Then tell me how many where at honda behind making the RC51.
Also how are you going to compare the Rc51 championships to the 1125 when the 1125 was only made for one year?
You are comparing apples to oranges. Yes I know about the B.S. rules of the AMA for catering to the 1125.
Also a couple of posts back someone said all it takes is a couple of tweaks to make the RC51's suspension work. LOL yeah right. I have owned and raced one. Its not that simple.
__________________
I feel the need the need for speed!
Actually this thread got off on a tangent about the RC's racing successes . I don't think we are denigrating the 1125 b/c it doesn't have as many wins . I'm still thinking about buying one b/c I like the bike . And no the RC's suspension isn't really easy to setup but it can be done to surprising effect -- hamfists need not apply .
I've ridden a couple of 1125's. Nice bikes. I could prolly come to like one. But the thing is, for me, it has no charactor. So, meh...
I didn't buy my RC to be the fastest. Hell...I'm certainly not the fastest. I bought it because I like what it does and I like the noises it makes. Mine's set up just right for me. I can brake as deep into a corner as I dare, and it gets off of corners well... it just does things well.
Well if you are considering on buying a new one do it soon as my GF just told me that the bikes they have at the Buell plant (already built)will not be shipped to dealers like earlier promised. What ever is on the floors now is all that there is. She tried to get one brought to the shop in Chicago and she was told no more bikes will be leavin the WI facility.
__________________
I feel the need the need for speed!
^ Really . The 8 local dealers near me have approx 3 each so I'm just waiting for the right price (read : dirt cheap) to materialize over winter . I wonder what they're going to do with the unshipped bikes , scrap them ?! That would be a shame and a waste of money (on the surface) unless they consider it to be a cost saving measure to not have to deal with warranty claims .
^ Really . The 8 local dealers near me have approx 3 each so I'm just waiting for the right price (read : dirt cheap) to materialize over winter . I wonder what they're going to do with the unshipped bikes , scrap them ?! That would be a shame and a waste of money (on the surface) unless they consider it to be a cost saving measure to not have to deal with warranty claims .
Yeah thats the word, kinda sucks cuz it seems Harley just want Buell to dissapear no matter how it happens.
__________________
I feel the need the need for speed!
. Oh , and the bike also won the Canadian SBK Championship ... through snow .
Linear Mode
