I mean, if we’re gonna gripe, why would I take a 410-lb CBR600RR when I could get a Panigale 1199 that weighs in at 414 lbs ready to ride?

Doing more of an apples-to-apples comparison, the CBR250R weights in at 259 lbs, 20 lbs lighter than the Ninja 300, so that might steer people away from the 300 and toward the CBR 250R.

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Where is Yamaha, Suzuki, and anyone else in what seems to be a revival in the smaller bike sector? They can’t be far behind?

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Honda can’t even make equal displacement sport bikes that weigh significantly less than Kawasaki’s. How are they going to go up by 40% in displacement and make the bike lighter? Magic metals from the woodland faeries?

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First off, the 1125cc engine was a joint development effort by Buell and Rotax, with Buell even doing some of the finite element analysis work on the pistons and ring packs when a longevity problem was discovered.

Secondly, the engine was not “very similar to what Aprilia used in their superbike for years.” Just what about them is “very similar?” Not the V angle (72 in the Buell, 60 in the Aprilia). They have drastically different engine cases. They have different bore and stroke numbers. They have different valve diameters, angles, and timing. They clutch is one that Buell has a patent on. The Buell has three balance shafts and the Aprilia has two. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that the 1125cc Buell engine is not “very similar” to the Aprilia V990 you alluded to — unless, by similar, you mean liquid-cooled V-twin.

Thirdly, the displacement was not chosen to meet racing class requirements. Erik Buell said so himself in multiple interviews, a quote from one of which I present here:

“But the bore and stroke came from them [Rotax] because we gave them the parameters we wanted. We wanted over 80 foot-pounds of torque starting at 3500 rpm, but I want engine to run to a 5-digit rpm – I want to be able to go over 10,000 (rpm) with it. Those are things we think the customer would want from a Buell – the neat powerband that people love of the (XB)12s but without ever stopping. We needed a very wide, flat powerband that would go out to there, and we needed a certain horsepower level. So we gave those parameters to them and said, ‘What will deliver this?’ And they came back and said, ‘Well, if you’re running 1000cc, this will make it difficult.’ And I said I don’t care about the stupid superbike rules – what does it mean to me (laughs)? And it’s funny, the (superbike) rules changed anyhow, but that was never part of equation. It was about what we want for the customer and what it would take to deliver it.”

Hope that clears up some of the misconceptions and rumors that get spread around the Internet regarding the Buell 1125cc motors.

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Has the CBR600RR fallen so far that it has to beat up on entry level bikes?

Have you ridden the new 300 to be able to have an informed opinion?

There is more to handling than just weight.

Are you jealous that this bike has a slipper clutch and the $7k more expensive Honda does not?

“If Honda introduces a 500, you can bet your ass it will weigh less than the ninja 300″

Based on what? And at what cost? $10k Honda would probably weigh less… $7k ish like the SV and Ninja 650 would require a lot of parts to be made of steel. In that case it would be heavier.

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Less than 1/2 the price, something has to give to reach that price point with all this model offers. The Ninja shouldn’t be thought of as heavy and disappointing, the CBR and it’s ilk are just miraculously lightweight, and priced accordingly.

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