Buell XB12Ss VS. Honda CBR 954RR.... a biased comparison

[OneSickPsycho]

I'll try to go through everything from A to Z... I'll start with the surface and dig deeper as I go...

Presence - Winner - Buell
First off, I know you guys love your fully faired bikes, but for the record... they all pretty much look the same. It takes someone who really knows their shit to tell a GSXR from a CBR while they're sitting stilll, much less as they rip ass down the road in front of you. That to me is BORING.

The CBR has smooth lines, just looks fast, and is generally asthetically pleasing to look at. On the other hand, the Buell looks like something is wrong with it. Everything's a little rough looking, brutal, and looks functional... mechanical... There is no doubt it's a machine with moving parts on the inside. Far from boring to the eye, it just looks like it does something.

Sound-wise, nothing can touch the Buell. In stock form it sounded pretty good. With the Special OPS hacked pipe it sounded like it was going to come into your living room and cock-whip your grandma's teeth out of her mouth and then shit on your birthday cake. The fucker's mean. The CBR is such a stark contrast... It sounds fast, but the Micron can and the high-revving I4 reminds me of how all the cars sound in Gran Turismo.

People look at the CBR and go "Ooooo".... People look at the Buell and go "OMG WTF AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH! !!!!!". For me, there is no comparison.

Ergonomics - Winner - Buell
Ok, so it's not a fair comparison. These are two wildly different machines and have been from the time they were doodles on paper... they serve different purposes. Disclaimers aside, both had their own pros and cons... and the race was closer than one may think.

I don't know what the CBR felt like in stock form, but even with the Vortex rearsets, the bike is reasonably comfortable. The Corbin seat is hard as a rock, but for some reason that did not bother me. The reach from seat to peg feels pretty natural... as does the reach to the clip-ons. Overall, for a bike like this, it's pretty comfortable. What is most bothersome is the width of this machine. It feels like it's about 10 inches wider than the Buell. That sucked.

The Buell's upright riding position is in general, comfortable. In stock form the Buell is certainly ahead of the CBR. With the aftermarket pegs I put on, however the race is much closer. The seat to peg reach got a little cramped after I swapped out the stock pegs that had a 1" drop built in. The reach to the bars always felt good, but the MX bars I put on made it a little wider and slightly further away, which fit me well. The seat on the Buell is too soft, but I only figured that out after riding the CBR for a few hundred miles.

The one thing that the CBR really topped the Buell with was the presence of wind protection. Now I know, your friend OSP has been a long time naysayer for all you ninnies who talk about wanting wind protection... and I still will be. However, after about 250 miles on the highway and knowing you've got another 300 miles to go, the fact that you can escape the wind-beating is pretty welcome. Riding the Buell was miserable once you got above 90mph... especially when sustaining those speeds for more than a couple miles. It was literally like you were hanging on for dear life.

Honestly, it's tough... pretty close. The CBR has a slight edge in raw comfort. For touring, it kicks the Buell's ass. However, for commuting and backroad mayhem, I'll take the Buell any day.

Handling - Winner - Buell
Again, this isn't a fair comparison. To be fair, the CBR has tires that resemble the barrells on steamrollers... the profile is that pathetic. The Buell on the other hand has had good sport tires since I bought her.

The CBR still handled very well, but the turn in is a little slow and requires more input on the clip-on than what I was used to. With the Buell and it's wide MX bars, you touched the bar and it was turning. Aggressive geometry and better tires played a big role for sure.

While in a turn at speed, both bikes feel planted and offer a good amount of feedback from both ends. I'd say the rear end feedback gives the Buell a slight edge... which is probably generated mostly by riding position.

The one thing that the CBR does much better than the Buell is braking. I love the ZTL, but touch the brakes in a corner on the Buell and that fuckin' thing is standing up, RIGHT NOW. I'm pretty sure I could lock up either brake on the CBR in a turn and it wouldn't stand up... fall down, yes... stand up, no.

I try not to brake in the corners out of principle, but even in the straights the CBR's brakes are better. More stopping power, slightly better feel. The Buell's brakes work well (at least out front), don't get me wrong, but I could see how they may not be adequate for track riding.

In the garage handling, the CBR feels much lighter and more neutral. The lower height of the machine is probably the reason here. However, low speed manuverability while you're actually ON the bike... the Buell is by FAR more confidence inspiring. The 'in control' riding postition inspires confidence, while the lock to lock travel of the front wheel seems more natural. Plus, that's the ONLY thing the rear brake is good for on the Buell... I think that's why they included it honestly.

Drivetrain - Winner - Buell
Two words, chain lash. Fuck that. The throttle on the Buell is connected directly to the rear tire. With the CBR there's some mysterious loss of connection for a second which loves to upset the chassis in the turns.

The presense of the driveline lash will probably, eventually, force me to have better throttle control. However, being able to grab a wristful at will on the Buell made it a much more fun bike to ride. You just twist and go... without a 1/4 second pause.

Other than a 1 down, the rest up orientation... the trannies couldn't be more different. Shifting the CBR takes zero effort, so little in fact that when I first rode it... I thought there were peices missing from it. It just falls right into gear... buttery smooth. The contrast with the Buell is immense. The Buell takes effort to shift. You have to really want to do it and the bike doesn't always seem like it wants to. You have to really crank down on the lever to switch gears, with what seems to be 10x the force that you need to shift the CBR.

Engine - Winner - Buell
I know, I know... the archaic air-cooled pushrod v-twin doesn't hold a candle to the high tech liquid cooled stunning perfection I4 on the spec sheet. On the road however, fuck this I4.

The Buell has power everywhere, all the time. It doesn't rev very high and when hammering down you are shifting your ass off. Again though, power everywhere. You twist your wrist and the bike moves RIGHT NOW. Wheelies are a blip of the throttle away, anywhere in the upper 50% of the rev range. The bike pulls like a freight train. The bike shakes considerably at idle... so much so that if you are on a little grade, start it on the kickstand, and walk away... you'll find your bike in the least not in the same place you left it... and likely on it's side.

With the CBR, everything is so smooth and polished it sickens me. How boring. The fuckin' thing revs to the moon, doesn't make shit for power until you are raping the thing, and again... it's buttery smooth. The worst part about it is it feels like you have to twist the throttle 360 degrees to get it to rev. Yeah, it revs fast and the bike does pull hard, but it's all up high.

On the track the CBR would certainly out-perform the Buell. However, I ride street. On the street the Buell is right at home. Power where you want it, who gives a shit what gear you're in. It just feels like too much work to get the CBR going on the street. If you keep it in the bike high enough in the revs to make it fun, you are going so fast and sounding so fast that Johnny Law is sure to take note.

Bottom line, the CBR is too fast for the street. I rarely run triple digits and have no desire to push over 150mph... or 120mph for that matter. On the track, of course... street... it's just silly.

Overall - Winner - CBR
Ha. Fucked with you for a second didn't I?

Buell wins, hands down.

To personify both machines... the Buell is crazy kid in HS with the long hair, leather jacket, who smokes Camel Wides, doesn't bother anyone, but if provoked will lash out with unparalleled violence and alarming intensity. The CBR, however, is the star quarterback... everyone likes him, he's pretty, dates the prom queen... very atheletic, can throw down with the best of them, but has a popped collar and faux hawk... that's just not me.

The Buell is a much more fun bike to ride, looks cooler, sounds cooler, and just fits me better. I'm rough around the edges (believe it or not)... I'm a little curt, very crass, a tad ugly, pretty fucked up, loud, obnoxious, and relatively angry. The Buell is too.