If you're looking to squeeze nectar from atrophied adrenal glands, nothing will do the job more effectively than a modern sportbike.
Sportbikes take the technologies we know and love and push them even further. Consider that a Honda S2000 with the same specific output as an $8,599 Honda CBR600RR would make about 350 normally aspirated hp. And just like sport compact cars, motorcycles valiantly fight the perpetual battle against weight that has raged since the first primate failed to out-accelerate a saber-toothed tiger. But not every current motorcycle is a purpose-built, racetrack-ready missile. Unlike the Japanese motorcycle companies that crap out new engines on an hourly basis, the designers of Buell's line of Milwaukee-brewed sportbikes can have absolutely any engine type they want, just as long as it's a big, slow-revving V-twin. Buell motivation comes exclusively from cruiser engines that are in parent company Harley-Davidson's existing inventory.
Each year the Buell boys do their damnedest to extract more urge out of Harley's noble, air-cooled, push-rod lump. The 984cc engine in the XB9S makes a stout 92 hp and the new 1203cc XB12S engine makes 103. It can sound almost yawn-inspiring, until you realize a Subaru WRX would have to make more than 600 hp to achieve the same power-to-weight ratio as the XB12S does with a rider aboard. So it's safe to say that even though they aren't four-valve-per-cylinder high-revving jewels, these Buell engines are not devoid of a certain measure of medieval, bone-crushing charm.
It's not the Buell's engine that makes it a technological marvel, however, it's the bike's unique packaging. The XB9S (and the new larger displacement XB12S) has a crazy-short, 52.0-inch wheelbase to make the handling response as quick as possible. That's about the same length as a 250cc Grand Prix road racer, which is an evil device ridden exclusively by compact 19-year-old Italian men running on pure, uncut testosterone. The Buell's steering-head angle (caster, in automotive terms) is also on the outer limits of spider-monkey quickness.
These hyperactive handling dimensions demand a super-rigid chassis. Otherwise, Buell riders would be planted like lawn darts along the side of every curvy road. But there was a bigger problem because the Buell's big V-twin is a long, sprawling thing that sucks up a lot of chassis real estate. The wheels practically nudge the engine cases front and back, and the place you'd normally stick the gas tank is completely consumed by a big high-flow airbox and fuel injection system. The Buell boys were in a tight spot: They still needed to find a place for 3.7 gallons of unleaded premium and 3.5 quarts of hot engine oil. So they got creative.
The solution: Buell's hollow cast-aluminum alloy frame does double- duty as the fuel tank. Weirder still, the cast aluminum rear swing arm also works as the engine's dry sump oil reservoir. A neat solution to the age-old problem of how to put 3.7 gallons of baloney into a nonexistent bag.
How well does it all work? Pretty damn well, actually. The XB9S needs very careful suspension setup to get the front/rear handling balance just right for fast riding, but with that done, it steers quickly and accurately. For sport compact car designers and tuners who find themselves struggling with apparent engineering roadblocks, the Buell XB9S serves as an object lesson. As long as there's alloy, creativity and motivation, there's hope