Race Buell Improvement Thread

Yup, my machine is an 08, though T-Rex has kits for the earlier machines too IIRC. If you actually get a discount for saying my name, or hell if they even recognize it, I'll be floored. On the connectors, they're cheap enough new that I've bought a crimper and a couple sets of connectors. Once done, should I decide to upgrade my headlight assembly, it'll be a plug and play operation. (cycleterminal.com has a bunch of the connectors our bikes use for reasonable prices FYI.)

Cooter, spill on the shift pivot protection, I've already smoked one...

Kurlon said:

Yup, my machine is an 08, though T-Rex has kits for the earlier machines too IIRC. If you actually get a discount for saying my name, or hell if they even recognize it, I'll be floored. On the connectors, they're cheap enough new that I've bought a crimper and a couple sets of connectors. Once done, should I decide to upgrade my headlight assembly, it'll be a plug and play operation. (cycleterminal.com has a bunch of the connectors our bikes use for reasonable prices FYI.)

Cooter, spill on the shift pivot protection, I've already smoked one...

Click to expand...

I'm 2008 also.

I'll put these down on the list of things to buy to finish my track bike.

1. Battery
2. Sliders
3. Tank grips

I went one step further on my de-heat-gripping when setting up for racing, got the switch cluster without the heated grip switch. Any reason not to use the AUX power feed the grips pulled from in OEM config for powering aftermarket grips?

Putting the right Ulysses peg bracket back together without taking the rear brake assembly off the bike, what a PITA... and... I gotta take the rear brake caliper off anyways to get a good bleed on it. D-oh! Also, is it just me or is there barely any slack on the rear brake switch lead? It's not being moved in operation so I guess that's ok, but an extra inch or two sure would be nice. (That's what he said!)

I think I was able to get a good bleed on mine without removing the caliper. I use fairly large syringe and carefully wrap some Teflon tape on the bleeder threads. I also remove the rear reservoir into a plastic bag and zip tie around the end. In my case, I wound up removing the rear reservoir and only have a piece of clear tubing with a cap on it.

TMI... I converted mine back to Lightning/Firebolt foot peg mounts and had to get a new rear master and brake hose, as the Uly was was too long? I think.

I've already had the two bolts out in the past to clean the slides and drill them for wiring, so was pretty easy. Pop the bolts, caliper out, let the pads swing to the side and clamp the piston back with a light vice grip. Wrench and hose on the bleeder, crack it and pump and within three pumps the air that had been hiding in the high spot in the line blurted out. Few more pumps to get the resi down where I wanted it, tighten the bleeder, reinstall caliper, pump it up and done.

I had to swap masters as well, Lightning/Firebolt has the caliper mounting bores threaded vs unthreaded on the Uly. I also SHOULD have gotten a shorter Lighting/Firebolt brake line but just stuffed the longer Uly one in there. My rear hugger is cut down to just the left side where it acts as a guide for the brake line to keep it out of the tire and shock. The Dunlop 180 slick is taller than the stock tire so I had to cut the hugger down for tire and warmer clearance. It's on my list of items to source.

My other fun find, I didn't realize the Uly peg mounts are different than Lightning/Firebolt, so my race pegs won't swap, and I've only got one rider's Uly peg, a billet one that I can't figure out who made so... in addition to needing a left side peg bracket and pegs I *also* need a right side rider's peg, d-oh!

I've got both peg mounts from my Lightening that are just gathering dust. I put some Uly foot peg brackets on because they are a lot lower which my replacement knees really like(Thanks 34nineteen). Don't have the foot pegs. The mounting flange is wider than the Uly so I think your race pegs should fit.

...of COURSE the Blast turn signals use a different size stem...

I LOL'd on that one. I absolutley love how many interchangeable parts are on these and appreciate the economy of engineering... but ya Erik got me on that one too:black_eyed:



'There is no Why'

-Erik Buell

I've torn the damaged blinker down to it's individual components, the stem that keys into the light itself is in a vice, doped up with liquid nails to see if that will repair the tears, that plus a lens from the Blast set and I'll have complete blinkers again. I hope. Plan B is the rear blinkers move to the front, and I'll drill the plastic tail to accept the Blast bits 'cause that part is WAY cheaper to source and replace than the magnesium front fairing stay.

Use a piece of thin wwall brass tubing to reinforce the interior of the turn signal stalk. I think I got mine at Ace. Also, I think Twin sells a “reinforcement” that fits in the grooves of the flexible part of the lamp.

I wish Twin would just print a replacement instead of that reinforcement, press in a threaded insert to match the existing one, done. That said, the liquid nails treatment worked way better than I expected, repair isn't visible and the stem is taking as much abuse as I'm comfy applying so far. I am going to shim it with a brass tube though just for longevity.

Smashed signal rebuilt with donor Blast lenses. Just gotta do a bar swap, drop the muffler so I can put the sidestand back on (after finding a spacer to match the thickness of the chin fairing bracket) and eventually put street rubber on and it'll be back on the road. I at some point lost a couple bolts/nylon washers for the rear hugger which is pissing me off. Haven't settled on bar ends yet, the OEM guards bar ends aren't a direct fit on Renthal bars, and I had to cut the clutch/brake lever pivot bolts down to pass tech at Mid Ohio so... no go on those for now. Haven't decided on a windshield either, mounting hardware looks to be a PITA to track down.

Hey man, your headlights out.

and CoOter finally shamed me into pulling the trigger on my Antigravity battery and frame/engine sliders. Am I the only one around here still planning on tracking a Buell?

The only purchases I have left are a set of tank grips and new tires, and I should be ready to crash it.

I’m running Tech Spec grips, only the frame panels, didn’t put the tank ones on as I dunno if 15yr old plastic should have that load added to it. My suit has rubber gripper panels inside the knees too so I don’t need much to lock in on a bike. I know via FB that at least one person is getting back on their race XB, if I can quiet mine down it may see track days again but not racing. Racing duties to be handled by today’s possible purchase.

OO! Exciting! Honestly for you both. Report back here what the new ride is!

Even though the last round of 2024 at Willow Springs was cancelled, theres plenty of trackdays coming up. We won a day with 10 friends at Chuckwalla and you DON'T miss that so I'll probably take the bike out of the trailer and see what she'll take to repair. I'm 95% healed up, but been a little lazy.

I need to get over to Chuckwalla, hear nothing but good about it, and also that the fast guys tend to hang around that track.

Bike is already settled on, going with the Yamaha CP3 platform, ideally basing off a 2024 MT-09 as it's got an improved quick shifter setup out of the crate, but they're a bit of a bastard to source. Worst case, any 21+ MT-09 will work, I'm skipping the 24 SP 'cause I don't want to screw around with an immobilizer and I'll be replacing the suspension anyway so to heck with the increased cost. Because it's a Yamaha, and Yamaha likes to make their bikes be LEGO, there will be some crossbreeding from other models' parts bins to improve the package on the cheap. The bike can make the needed power without heavy lifting or making it a grenade, weight is already in the ballpark, Yamaha wear items are cheap, and I've got access to some good knowledge on the platform to help steer me so this should be good.

Or bad, 'cause it renders half of my giant book of excuses invalid...

Ya Jason Pridmore runs school out of his garage there, and it seems like theres always one or two MA guys in the paddock everyday. Honestly with Buttonwillow pretty much our more technical 'home track' and being on a LW bike, Chuck can be a bit boring because its so flowy and wide 98% of the time you're WOT, haha.

WOW! What a step up from the lowly ol Uly. Can't wait to see what it is!

Yamahas aren't Legos like Buells... but close! and also literal.

I see we're of similar minds.