Buell Track Day at Mallory Park

Last Friday 11 Sept 09 some mates from the SV site and myself were riding Buells around Mallory Park

Basically we attended a Buell Track day. It was fantastic. One of my mates went to a Buell Experience say at Castle Coombe a while ago and off the back we all ended up going to this one. We had a drive up there on the Thursday night, checked into a cheap hotel, had a curry and couple of beers (not many I hasten to add) then off to sleepy time. As there was only one sleep left at that point I have difficulty sleeping, it were like Christmas.

Anyway the format of the day was a morning and an afternoon session and it was supposed to be a 20 minute briefing session, then 20 minutes on track repeat this two more times and that was the morning over, long lunch and then the same in the afternoon.

I was worried that this didn’t really sound like a lot of track time but it worked out very nicely actually, I can’t tell you how much time we actually spent doing what but I was happy with it.

The guys running the session themselves were racers/ex-racers like Matt Llewellyn of BS fame and road racers ect..

We had a safety briefing, a briefing on body position and a briefing on gear selection and questions and answers after each following by track time.

I was quite nervous especially on my first outing not having had a twin, let a lone a big one I wasn’t sure what to expect with the engine breaking and torque available instead of revving straight towards the top of the revs for the power but I was really quite surprised in a very pleasant way.

Got me knee down too

The bikes on offer were:

1125r

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Liquid-cooled 1125cc Helicon V-Twin
Horsepower / Torque
146 hp / 148 PS / 109 kW @ 10000 rpm
Dry weight
170 kg


1125cr

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Same engine as above

XB12 Lightning

(3 different versions of this, the standard one, then a lowered version, then another which I can only describe as , in the middle of the other two but with hand guards and light guards oh and a 900cc version too)

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Air/oil/fan-cooled 1203cc Thunderstorm V-Twin Engine

93 hp / 94 PS / 69 kW @ 5500 rpm


XB12x Ulysses

As above but this is the adventurer one, and I think it looks GREAT

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Same engine as the above


The both the 1125’s have a cracking engine, pulls great and I had a shock when I first used the brake, I hurt my plums but learnt from that first mistake, very good brakes and there is also a slipper clutch on it. Which I used was going around a big bend just before the hairpin and thought about going into 4th, but for some reason I didn’t, so after accelerating around that corner I dropped it into 3rd….. ONLY…. I was already in 3rd OOPS. It did the job and I never did it again.
My mate who had been on one of these before has well and truly fallen in love with the 1125r (I think it looks like a bigger, uglier curvy SV) but it doesn’t go well with his arms or something and kills his wrists.

I really liked the 1125cr, looks good, those big daft air intakes on the 1125 have grown on me but I could still do without them.

An 1125cr got low sided coming out of the left-right known as Edwina’s. Didn’t look too bad, the handle bar was fubard and the peg and the brake lever apart from that I think it was ok

The XB12 Ulysses, I cannot tell you about apart from the fact that I think, along with all the XB12’s, look fantastic. The other mate did the offroading in the afternoon and was ‘catching air’ and came back looking like he’d been camping for a month and well happy, but he was glad he’d bought the BMW version instead.

The XB12 Lightning. I LOVED IT. This is the one with the Harley engine, and despite my jibes wondering where the peddles were kept, I liked this the most. It was just soooo much FUN. Great in the corners, I could catch up and even overtake some in the corners (well not overtake IN the corners but carrying the speed through the corners let me catapult past after them) apart from out of devils elbow and onto the straight, when I just pulled in, throttle pinned and let anyone on the 1125 zoom past (like I had a choice). Not a fast bike but that’s probably a good thing for me.

I had no problems with reaching the floor and was comfortable at getting my feet on the ground on all the bikes but I just fell in love with the lowered version of the XB12 Lightning... I would have one for 'scratchin wid me mates' in a heartbeat if I had the cash lying around. But for an all round bike for distances as well as fun time it'd be the 1125cr (although I'd probably get the Lightening because I'm stoopid)

Right, heres some pics then because I’m a tart. The full album is here

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Here's me learnin' em how to do it...


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And now here's me now being shown how to actually do it by my mates (I don't like them any more )


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Sounds like you had a brilliant day, great write up and pics too. I kind of like the idea of a Buell

Good report! Sounds like lots of fun, and interesting to ride bikes you might not normally ever get to.

Sounds like a great day was had. Wouldn't mind a go on a Buell, but that white one with the fairing has to be the most ugly bike I have seen for a while. And that's coming from a GS owner

Yeah, it is a FUGLY bike. Great to ride though...

It wasn't a free day, it basically cost a little more than a normal track day. but they kept us watered all day, we got to ride someone else bikes, so if you binned it, like someone did, it wasn't that much drama. And then there was the tuition.

Just a great day to be honest have a butchers on:

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Sounds like you has a ball mate.

I'd be up for doing something like this next year.
I do like the idea of someone elses's bike and the tuition.... like where to put you feet so you don't wear your boots away like a fud.

Anyone else fancy doing this one or something v similar as a thundercats trackday next year?

Rosco

Me,Me,Me!!!


Cadwell sounds good (Not at all biased, but its only 8 miles from me!! )


Mmmm the foot problem sounds familiar!!



Ellie :flower:

Sounds like invasion at yours then

; )