Buell Hits New Strides In the Street Fighter Performance Market

The setup on this bike was, for the most part, pretty easy. It better be, they don't give you shit for time to do the setup. Anyway, that's a whole other subject that entails nothing but fucking whining.

On to the test ride. The Firebolt is smooth and the handling is outstanding. The riding position is very aggressive, at least for this old man. The bike shifts better than anything coming out of Milwaukee from the past or present period. The front braking seemed familiar, which has always been excellent. I did wonder if that new contraption for the front brake was gonna work. It does for the street, but I'm left wondering how it would fair on the race track.

The Firebolt does get up and go, but I do feel it needs more power. I have always felt that about the Buell models. For a box stock motorcycle, it does bring a smile to your face. I perfer more torque myself. I think the stroke is a bit on the short side. I would like to see at least a 3½-inch stroke.

By the way, just a little kernel of knowledge here: Nascar engines go to 9000-plus rpm when they are hitting it hard. The Firebolt revs very fast because of the very short stroke and the light flywheels. This works pretty good if you weigh 140 to 165 pounds. We middle-aged old farts who tip the scale at 220 really could use that extra torque of a longer stroke.

I think they should have increased the bore size from the get go also. To me, 3¾-inch bore would be perfect. The thing looks fast and bad, now Buell needs to make it run that way. Hell, maybe it's by design. They might just be coming out with big bore kits in the future. Maybe the "bean counters" are waiting for the cash registers to start ringing.

One thing brought a huge smile to my face and left me saying "Right on Richard!" The primary chain adjuster and primary oil drain plug are right out there in the fucking open! Easy access, brother, makes for a fast, money-making service. I can't thank Buell enough for this. They have more room now because the shock has been moved to the new position.

The Firebolt has a lot of these small, new things that are nice. It also has many other things that I will reserve comment on till I get to tear one apart. Servicing the top end has that tedious look to me. I'm left wondering what the warranty flat rate is on this thing. Time will tell.

All in all I'm quite pleased with the Firebolt. The Firebolt's home is Deal's Gap for sure!

Charlotte Paul, aka Bluestrk