Will the US ever build a competitive Sportbike?

Question

American manufacturers are hung up on the V-twin; why not get with the program and build a bad azz 4 or 5 cylinder.

Competitive means that is has the same or better horsepower, weight and performance as the Jap bikes and is not 3xs the price.

Answer 1

Buell would be competitive in Superbike if they had an engine designed specifically for that particular race class. Superbike had the odd rule where 4 cylinder engines were limited to 750cc (?) while two cylinders were allowed a full liter -- see the link. It only got competitive when the Honda RC51 showed up, Suzuki's V-twin liter bikes were too late showing up for the party, but from what I've heard the Buell Lightning has a pushrod V-twin while the others have overhead cams allowing higher revs and higher horsepower. The racing success of the twin is just a rule thing though where inline 4s can rev even higher.

For a couple of years there Ducati was the ONLY one who put any money in Superbike, while Honda and Yamaha (ok rarely Ducati) are the only ones who do well in MotoGP. MotoGP is a whole 'nother world in terms of motorcycle performance, and if the specs say it contains technology from the MotoGP effort it means something. To mean something then Buell needs to get into MotoGP, just not going to happen until its parent company sees more profits in performance than chrome.

Answer 2

enable's see! What has the "large 0" achieved to depart his mark in the annals of historic previous? He did supposedly write a pair of books, touting his objectives, which i'd possibly on no account heard pf till he desperate to scouse borrow the Oval workplace. He smoked some dope in the alleys of Chicago, this he admitted. He won't have ever geared up a house yet he particular has a organic knack for demolition. look how briskly he's demolishing the large u . s . of u . s . of america, and with precise expertise of while and the place to strike. no longer undesirable for a guy with out obvious militia expertise. Destroying an enemy with out a weapon, different than a pen, now which will make his mark in historic previous!

Answer 3

As long as people run out and pay over twenty k for a big piece of junk that you hang chrome on there will never be a market for sport bikes ! I mean come on why in the hell would anybody put forth the effort ! Look at Harley Davidson, a seven hundred pound piece of sh*t that people are lining up to buy ! How much do you think they spend on R&D,,,,,,,,NOTHING !

Answer 4

Hopefully Victory / KTM will come up with a sportbike. It would be great to see a new player. It looks like Buell's latest attempt at racing is a failure, what did they expect with a sportster motor? H-D should have Porche design a motor for Buell.

Answer 5

Hey harley does what works for them... I havent seen Willie G in a soup line lately..Seems to me the japs are spending a ton of money building harley want-a-bes, but the one thing these clones dont have and never will have is history... there are only two kinds of cycle riders..those that ride harleys and those that wish they could.. If you want a rice rocket the japs have tons of them, have at it..but buy a used one they are about half the price of a new one...

Answer 6

American manufactures are to far behind in the technology department. It can take up to ten years to play catch up.

Answer 7

This question has been asked elsewhere and the answer seems to be "Americans are not into performance". American manufacturers are hung up on VTwin tractors because that is what we will spend money on.

Answer 8

American manufacturers can't even build a decent cruiser and you want them to build a sportbike? Keep dreaming!

Answer 9

The Buell is/was a competition race design...they make a street version, but I understand the actual race version is pretty special...

Answer 10

not going to happen, the japs have a strangle hold on the bike business.