Bullnose Buell Built for Race Challenge
Popular motorcycle event is all about speed and appearances.
Half Point
Vintage racing aficionados consider the 'dust bin' fairing a work of art, to others it looks like a trash can. Dubbed 'Cherry Salt,' this bullnose 1999 Buell M2 Cyclone was built by Plan B Motorcycles with one goal in mind—to race Lucky Cat Garage’s 'SprintBeemer' at Germany's popular Glemseck 101. It sounds ridiculous, but that is half the point.
Photos courtesy of Plan B Motorcycles.
Speed Quest
Aptly named after the British term for a garbage container, the wraparound fairings were once a must-have in competitive road racing. Banned in the late-1950s for stability and handling issues, dust bin fairings defined an era that sought aerodynamic engineering solutions in a quest for speed. The massive fairings are still produced by Air-Tech Streamlining in Vista, California.
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Race Appearances
Named after a local hotel and held annually near Leonberg, Germany, the Glemseck 101 is run on the historic Solitude Racetrack. First organized in 2005 by local resident Jörg Litzenburger, the event is one of Europe's largest motorcycle gatherings. With over 150 competitors duking it out on the 1/8 mile starting grid, the race is as much about speed as it is about appearances.
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Business Class
The Cherry Salt plan was hatched when Christian Moretti, owner of Plan B Motorcycles, first spied the SprintBeemer winning the hotly contested Starr Wars Sprint at the 2013 Glemseck 101. The class might have a humorous name, but it is all business. It features race bikes whose design and construction can be linked to the early days of motorcycling racing.
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American Grunt
Moretti knew immediately he wanted to take down Lucky Cat Garage’s all-conquering SprintBeemer. Propelled by a nitrous oxide-injected BMW R100RS motor, SprintBeemer was fearsome competition. Turning to some American grunt, Moretti procured a 1999 Buell M2 Cyclone as his starting point. Already fast, the 100 horsepower M2 motor is equipped with the coveted Buell Thunderstorm heads, but more was required.
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Enlarged Heads
The Cyclone's stock 1203cc engine was bored out an extra 50cc per cylinder and fitted with high-compression Wiseco forged pistons. The heads were flowed and ported for optimal fuel delivery. Andrews N8 cams, a Mikuni HSR42, and a velocity stack feed the enlarged top end. Trackside tuning is done via a Daytona Twin Tec ignition, while custom headers dump exhaust under the bike.
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Race Drive
To house the beastly Buell motor, Moretti turned to Verlicchi, the renowned Italian engineering firm. The custom tube fame retained the stock swingarm, but the belt drive was ditched in favor of a chain. A sixty-tooth sprocket final drive is rotated through a Barnett race clutch. Suzuki GSXR forks with twin four-piston radial calipers and 320mm floating rotors were fitted to the front end.
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Untested Traction
A Hoosier slick is responsible for getting all the horsepower to the ground. In the end, the big tire was Moretti's demise. With the rubber not properly warmed up to grab sufficient traction, Cherry Salt was eliminated in the quarter-finals. For an untested bike and a new rider it was still quite an accomplishment. Moretti and his bullnose Buell plan on making a comeback.
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