By Joe Gresh
I’ve managed to get the Buell oil leaks slowed down to a few drops per ride so I decided to give that part of the Buell resurrection a rest. This winter I’ll try again on the rocker boxes and I’ve got real H-D umbrella valves to replace the cheap aftermarket ones in there now. A guy can chase oil leaks on a Sportster til the Kawasakis come home.
We’re well into monsoon season here in New Mexico that means rain every day or every couple days. All this rain makes the driveway at The Ranch a muddy mess (dirt bike season) so I spent some time trying to cut down on rattling noises emanating from the Buell.
One annoying rattle was the air cleaner housing. The backing plate rubbed the frame very slightly, not enough to wear through the paint but enough to scuff the frame tube. Additionally, the fiberglass fuel tank cover rubbed on the air cleaner cover, wearing away the cool VR1000 orange paint. At some point in the past a groove was cut into the cover in an attempt to stop the erosion.
The fix for both of these problems was the same: move the air cleaner out 1/4″ to clear the frame and line up the cover slot with the tank.
I used a piece of black Starboard (plastic sheet used in boat building) left over from my working days to cut a spacer. Longer bolts were needed to attach the mess to the carburetor. Hopefully this knocks down the noise a bit.
The next rattle was the a speedometer acorn nut hitting the faring support frame tube. This was noisy as hell but mostly around 2800 RPM. After 3000 the rattle stopped. The problem was the fiberglass instrument housing. The housing is attached by 3 screws into the faring bracket, the speedometer is cantilevered to the left, beyond the mounting screws so it hangs out there unsupported and bopping into the bracket. The solution was easy: 3 thick rubber grommets under the mounting screws spaced the instrument cluster high enough to stop the noise.
While I was in rattle-mode I decided to replace the sagged out rear isolators. This Buell uses two large rubber bagels between the swingarm area and the frame in an attempt to quell the Sportster engine’s vibe. There is an actual Buell-style isolator but the ones that fit a Dyna seem to work ok.
After all this tinkering I took the Buell out for (yet) another test ride. The bike was almost civilized! No excessive rattles, no squeaks, just the normal clatter emanating from the antique Sportster mill.
The new isolators jacked the bike up about 1/2″ but I can still reach the ground ok. The vibration characteristics have changed slightly. On the Buell S2 the mirrors stick out a long way. They would shake pretty well, the left one pretty violently, until 3500 RPM where the image would sharpen into tolerable. With the new bagels the right mirrors is sharp at all RPMs and the left is noticeably improved. After 3200 RPM both mirrors are crystal clear.
Over all speeds the bike feels less Vibey, 2800 to 3000 RPM is still the worse spot but it’s not bad at all. After 3500 RPM the Buell is a smooth operator and the faster you go the smoother it gets. Like I say, almost civilized.
Handling is slightly different, I imagine due to the .001-degree change in rake from the fresh isolators. Nothing major but the Buell feels the tiniest bit more frisky in the turns. Straight line stability is unchanged: like a rock.
With the stock muffler the Buell is impressively quiet. All you hear at 80 MPH is the wind, vibration is minimal, I’m thinking this is close to how the bike performed as new. A far cry from Japanese excellence but way better than a standard Sportster of the era. I like it.