BOTT XR-1

My buddy Red, of Self Sufficient Slackers fame shot me a link to a motorcycle that got my heart pumping like a shapely young lady strolling past in a pair of Yoga Pants. Those pants on the right behind have been known to send me strait to my cardiologist, and to the chiropractor not long after that. So the bike we are talking about here may have you whipping out your Blue Cross card in a hurry.

If your Buell XB 12 has gotten a little milk toast for you. And you crave a street tracker that handles like a road racer, I have some good news for you. There is help in the way of BOTTPOWER. They have brought us the BOTT XR-1, it blends the DNA of a XB12 with the soul of an Street Tracker. They can build a complete bike for you, or for the do it yourselfers amongst us, they off it in kit form. In kit form, you can use your XB12, XB9 or Ulysses as a donor for the transformation. Here are the specs sniped from BOTTPOWER'S web site:

Engine Air/oil cooled 1203cc Thunderstorm V-Twin, 1203 cm3 (it is possible to build it also with the 900 cc engine), 100 Horsepower at 6600 rpm, Torque 110 Nm at 6000 rpm. Fuel system: 49 mm downdraft DDFI II fuel injection
Gearbox: 5-speed Clutch: Wet, multi-plate, compensated
Final Drive: Belt
Frame: Steel central Spine Bottpower frame, with vibration isolation system.
Front Suspension: Showa inverted fork with adjustable compression damping, rebound damping and spring preload
Rear Suspension: Showa shock absorber
Front Brake: ZTL type brake, 375 mm stainless steel floating rotor, 6 piston caliper Rear Brake: 240 mm stainless steel rotor, single piston floating caliper Dimensions Geometries are the same than the original Buell XB donor bike.
Wheelbase: 52 in OR 1321 mm Seat Height: 30.1 in OR 765 mm Ground Clearance: 4.3 in OR 109 mm
Weight: 179 kgs (20 kgs less than the original Buell XB donor bike).
Fuel Capacity: 13 liters. The bike has a top fuel tank and 2 secondary fuel tanks. Original Buell fuel pump located in the left secondary fuel tank.
Tires: Front 120/70xZR17 and Rear 180/55xZR17

As you can see from the pictures, this one is a looker. I loved the original Harley XR1000, but I am not a big fan of the current XR1200R. I think this bike shows what the XR1200R could have been.

 The XR-1 is being put through it's paces by Anthony "Ant" West, who has more than a little experience wringing the necks of dirt trackers. He has ridden everything from Honda RS125's to NSR500's to ZX-RR's in Moto GP. He currently rides out of the QMMF Racing Team stable in Moto2. Mr. West took two five lap sessions on the bike to get a feel for it. He had very good feedback for the BOTTPOWER crew so they wrapped and headed home with large grins on their faces.

So things at BOTTPOWER are on the upswing, and judging from the styling and feedback they are receiving on the XR-1 it looks to be a very popular option for those who would like to lighten up and get more performance from their XB Buells. Lets see I think I saw a couple promising looking XB's for sale on craigslist.