VOL 6.2 MARCH/APRIL 2006 THE RACE IS ON BEHIND THE MASK OF THE NEW XBRRTM 4 Buell Is Back! For the first time in a long time, Buell® dealer teams are set to make a grand appearance at the Daytona 200 – this time, with the new XBRRTM motorcycle. contents VOL 6.2 MARCH/APRIL 2006 6 A New Day Dawns for Buell Racing Buell takes one more giant leap toward its closer-than- ever goal of winning the Daytona 200 crown with the race-only purebred XBRR model. A Racer’s Road Trip Peggy S. Utphall » Editor 10 Peggy Lamb » Director, Rider Groups Canadian Thunder Champion Darren James leaves the GS Design, Inc. » Design and Production track behind to challenge the British Columbia backcountry with Buell’s newest secret weapon: the UlyssesTM XB12X. WE CARE ABOUT YOU! Ride safely, respectfully, and within the limits of the law and your abilities. ® Always wear an approved helmet, proper eyewear and protective clothing, and insist your passenger 13 BRAG Homecoming 2006 does too. Never ride while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Know your Buell® motorcycle, and For BRAG enthusiasts, there is one event capable of read and understand your owner’s manual from cover to cover. drawing due fanfare year after year: Homecoming. And FUELL is mailed prior to the first week of the issue date. Due to various circumstances, some the time to start looking forward to it is now. information in this issue is subject to change. Buell, BRAG, FUELL, Buell and BRAG logos, and the FUELL masthead are registered trademarks of the Buell Motorcycle Company. No part of this publication may be reproduced for any reason without written consent from the editor. ® 14 Buell Factory News /BRAG Clubs All member submissions become property of Buell Motorcycle Company and will not be returned. Member submissions may be published in FUELL. Buell Riders Adventure Group reserves the right to edit member stories for content, length, and clarity. 16 Streetfighters ©2006 Buell Motorcycle Company. All Rights Reserved. By the time you read this, we’ll be in the final throes of preparation for the Daytona 200 on Saturday, March 11. Let me write that again, just because I love the way it sounds: the Daytona 200. Buell is back at the great American race, and I couldn’t be more excited. It was quite a thrill to announce our intentions at the Harley-Davidson Winter Dealer Show in January, while simultaneously introducing the new XBRR racing bike. I don’t mind telling you: Riding that beautiful beast onto the stage in front of a few thousand stunned (but wildly cheering) dealers and staff was something I’ll never forget. You can learn more about the XBRR starting on Page 6, and more about the dealer teams from around the world that plan to race at Daytona on Pages 4-5. As we expected following the release of the UlyssesTM XB12X and the Lightning® Long XB12Ss, 2005 was Buell’s best sales year ever. And we fully expect the excitement surrounding the XBRR, the Daytona 200, and the entire 2006 racing season (keep your eyes on the AMA Formula Xtreme circuit!) to keep things roaring this year, as well. As always, thanks for being a member of BRAG, a group we value as our biggest and most loyal fan base. It’s an honor to build motorcycles for you all. See you at the races! Erik Buell BUELL ISBACK! AT THEDAYTONA 200 Wait … let’s rephrase that. Perhaps it THE TEAMS levels around the world, including riding for various teams at the GP and MotoGP circuits from would be more accurate to say: Buell dealer Hal’s Buell – United States 1994 to 2004. In 2005, he returned to his roots in the British Superbike Championships. Buell Expands Racing New Berlin, Wisconsin McWilliams will be representing Warr’s Buell, a leading dealer with two stores in the Contingency Program teams are back at the Daytona 200. Rider: Mike Ciccotto London area and a long racing history. In fact, current managing director John Warr is one “Because this is not a factory effort,” explains Erik Buell. If two names in motorcycle road of the few to ever actually race an original Buell RR1000 in the late 1980s. “This is a grassroots dealer effort supported and encouraged by Buell Motorcycle Company recently racing belong together, it’s Ciccotto the factory.” announced an expanded racing sup- and Hal’s Buell. (Okay, so that’s really Hannover Buell – Germany But however you define it, the 2006 Daytona 200 on Saturday, Hannover port program for 2006, with more than three names.) In fact, Ciccotto was $700,000 posted in cash contingencies March 11 will feature American-made bikes for the first time in ® ® Rider: Rico Penzkofer among the first ever to compete on a Buell Firebolt XB9R when years. And with the same classic 45-degree air-cooled V-twin Two-hundred miles? No sweat! In fact, that’s practically for Buell racers competing in a variety of they first hit the track in 2002. That’s him shaking Erik Buell’s hand national and regional race series events engine configuration that first ran at Daytona in 1952. ® a walk in the park for the Hannover Buell team and new on the cover of the May/June 2002 issue of FUELL. See how happy The source of all this excitement is the new XBRRTM racing bike, rider Rico Penzkofer. Both have ample experience running and classes aboard XB models and the they both look? as detailed on the preceding pages. And leading the charge will six, eight, and even 24 hours at a time in Germany, where XBRR production racing motorcycle. Hal’s, of course, has a long history of supporting both road be four dealer teams from around the world, each committed (as endurance racing is very popular. “We’re committed to supporting our racing and drag racing teams. With Ciccotto behind the handlebars, of press time) to compete in the 200. Also adding to the electricity Dealership and team owner Volker Schirmer races at dealer and privateer teams through this the team rode to a very respectable 15th place finish during the 2004 surrounding 2006 is Buell’s expanded 2006 Racing Contingency the club level himself, but will be counting on Penzkofer’s considerable experience to contingency program and trackside sup- AMA Formula Xtreme season, despite missing the season’s first Program, offering more than $700,000 in cash contingencies for guide the XBRR model through Daytona’s high-bank turns. A 10-year veteran of various port at select events,” said Erik Buell. two races. This result included a season-best fourth-place finish at Buell racers competing in a variety of national and regional race European circuits, Penzkofer is a past winner of the Yamaha Aral Cup, and winner of the “I remember the days of scraping and Virginia International Raceway to close out the year. series events (see sidebar). 2003 Endurance WM Oschersleben in the Stocksport class. scrounging and working crazy hours as Ciccotto and the Hal’s Performance Advantage team are looking In other words, Buell is committed like never before to helping Though Daytona will be Penzkofer’s first race on a Buell motorcycle, the Hannover team a privateer racer. This program will help forward to running the Formula Xtreme circuit again in 2006 with the privateers and dealer teams succeed. has considerable experience racing them. In fact, the biggest problem in Daytona may be our racers achieve their goals, and see- XBRR model. With all that additional horsepower, 15th place is likely “As we were testing at Daytona, it really became clear to us remembering to stop after just 68 laps. ing them succeed is a great thrill to all to feel like a very distant memory when all is said and done. that now is the time to take back the Daytona 200 and make it a truly of us at Buell.” Deeley Imports – Canada Complete details of the 2006 Buell American race by putting a true American motorcycle in a position Warr’s Buell – United Kingdom Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada contingency program, including the racer to be competitive,” Erik said during an XBRR technical seminar at London, England Rider: Steve Crevier registration form, are available in the the Harley-Davidson Winter Dealer Show in January, when the Rider: Jeremy McWilliams When former Parts Canada Superbike Champion Steve Crevier takes to the Daytona Racing Support Section of www.buell.com. XBRR model was introduced. Champion Irish road racer Jeremy high banks on the XBRR, he will be upholding a long and proud tradition. The Deeley family The program begins with races held on “And the best part is, we’re going to do it with an international McWilliams had no plans to race a Buell name is absolutely legendary in Canada, stretching all the way back to 1917, when Fred or after February 1, 2006. group of dealer teams and riders,” he added. “How’s that for the motorcycle at the Daytona 200. That is, Deeley, Ltd. began selling Harley-Davidson® motorcycles. Three years later, Frederick American way?” until he was offered a chance to ride the Trevor Deeley was born. As the Q&A session at the seminar drew to a close, someone XBRR racing bike during a test session “Trev” Deeley is a member of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in honor of his accomplishments asked, “Are the lap times in testing fast enough to actually win there, “just to give us some feedback,” as “a racer, a dealer, an importer, a sponsor, an AMA official, collector, and a designer, just at Daytona?” as Erik Buell put it.