Halloween Party

Due to circumstances beyond our control we have had to cancel the halloween party at the last minute.

Ken Lines Report on Buell Performance Academy

I've just got back from my Buell Performance Academy at Cadwell Park. Started early (for me anyway) as I was up and in the shower by 5:45a.m. Arrived at the circuit at eight and went through all the usual formalities of booking in. The briefing was very comprehensive, probably the best I have ever had at a trackday - full marks there.

The time was split into various sessions;

Session 1: Riding the Buell 1125R or 1125CR. This was just a track and bike familiarisation session, led by instructors, relatively slow start then gradually speeding up until everyone had a good idea of where the track went and how the machine handled. I was interested in riding the 1125R so made sure I was near the bikes when it came time to 'Gentlemen and lady, choose your machines.'

On start up and idling the engine felt quite agricultural, quite a lot of vibration compared with my CBR6RR. Once on the move, however, much of the vibes disappeared once the revs went above a couple of thousand and the bike would rev happily to ten thou or so in the gears. The bike felt quite heavy, not surprising considering my usual mount, and very stable and I enjoyed getting the feel of it.

Session 2: Riding the Lightning XB12. This comes in three variants, the 12Ss, the 12Scg and the XB9SX City X. I think (but can't be sure) the bike I got was the 12Scg with the shorter wheelbase and lower seat height. Again, on start up, there was the characteristic vibration that disappeared as the revs rose. Initially the bike felt odd as the steering was very light and the bike seemed to flop into the bends. I remember that the Honda CB1000R had felt the same when I test rode it and, just like the Honda, the odd feeling soon disappeared. Around the twisty bits and through the village bends the light steering made sense and the ride was enjoyable. When we got to the open roads the torque from the big V-twin was more than ample to hustle the bike along at a very respectable pace.

Session 3: Skills. This was fun. A course had been laid out, with cones, in the car park. Again we were using the lightning. The course started with a slalom, into a tight offset circle, exit the circle at a sharp angle into a narrow, turning, channel.  Up and over a see-saw, round a tight figure eight, accelerate up the short straight into a box, stop and restart without taking the feet off the pegs then back into the starting box.  Suffice it to say that only a couple of riders - and I was not one of them - managed to complete the course, or anywhere near it, without putting a foot down. The noticeable thing was that most of us fault footed on the right hand turns and not the left hand ones.

Session 4: Off road on the Buell Ulysses XB12X. I am saddened to report that your aged scribe was unable/unwilling to do this ride. The bike was very tall and top heavy and having started the engine I found I was unable to lift the bike upright off its sidestand. I literally, did not have the strength in my wrists and shoulders to pick the bike upright from the awkward sloping, position it had been parked on. I guessed that, had I ridden it, if it had started to topple I would not have been able to hold it. In fact, one rider dropped his machine twice, with some damage to lights and plastics, before the ride had actually started. I was lucky, however, as the instructor leading one of the groups took me as a pillion passenger. It was a great lesson in bike control - 'Where's he going now, can't be there, that's not possible! the gap is too narrow and the turn impossible, Oh, I see, it wasn't too narrow there was a good two inches to spare between the trees.' - and so it went on. Great fun.

Session 4: Back to the car park and the Lightnings. This time the instructor had laid out a long narrow strip of cones with rounded ends. This was to simulate two hairpin corners with a short acceleration straight in between. The idea was to teach us the correct way to attack the infamous 'Hairpin' in Cadwell's wooded section. A worthwhile exercise, which showed how many of the group, were turning too early and compromising the exit from the hairpin.

Session 5: Back to the 1125R and the full Cadwell circuit. This time we were sent out a few seconds apart and were able to ride at our own speed. Used in anger the 1125R is quite a formidable bike. The amount of torque and power available from the 1125cc 72 degree V-twin is exhilarating. 146BHP at 9800 rpm and 82ft lbs. of torque at 8000-rpm gives a very useful and usable spread of torque and power. After a couple of laps I felt that I was putting up some respectable lap times and was pleased that (apart from a couple of instructors) only one rider passed me throughout the session and the corners and apexes seemed to be flowing nicely. I even got a bit of air under the front wheel and a minor 'slapper' at the top of the Mountain.

Then, just before the end, came the 'icing on the cake' which was also, at the same time, quite a deflating experience. I had the chance to ride pillion, at racing speed, with Matt Llewellyn professional motorcycle and ex-British Superbikes (BSB) racer. The 'hot' lap made me realise that these guys are in a league all of their own. Exit the pit lane, pulling a wheelie before the first corner of Hall Bends, right, left, right, then left, harder than I would have thought possible, round the hairpin and accelerating hard up to Barn, pin the brakes, round Barn and up the Start and Finish straight to Coppice. Where I would have expected him to brake he was still accelerating hard. Hard over to the left round Coppice then, in an instant, we were hard over to the right for Charlies1 and Charlies 2 which he took, in one swooping curve, probably thirty or forty mph faster than I had been doing.  Up through the gears, pinning the throttle up Park Straight then hard on the brakes probably a good fifty yards after I would have hit them. Slammed over to the right round Park, a long sweeping curve then hard right and hard left at the Gooseneck and down the hill to Mansfield. I just cannot believe the speed at which Matt took the 90 right at Mansfield.  Then he was accelerating up to the Chicane, braking incredibly late then hard right, hard left, through the Chicane.  Then the bike was slammed hard left then right up and over the mountain with the front wheel high in the air over the crest. Then accelerating again before braking for Hall Bends, round the Hairpin, round Barn, accelerating and then hard, hard, braking to turn off the circuit and make his way back to the paddock. I now have some idea of what a good rider on a well set up bike is capable of round Cadwell, my favourite circuit, it made my efforts look pitiable. It was, without any doubt, the greatest bike ride of my life.

The Buell Academy, a most enjoyable and salutary experience that I can fully recommend.

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Louth Charity Bike Run

We are holding our annual bike run for the charity this year on Sunday 6th September. The hospice caters for children throughout the county and reies almost exclusively on private funding from events like this.Any of your members wishing to participate would be most welcome. It is usually a great day out. Participation fee is £4 per person, payable on the day - just turn up !

I have attached our poster and map. We would be most grateful for any publicity you are able to give us.

Mike Lee