Cycle Scene Magazine Feature Article

Tim Hall of Jim’s Harley Davidson / Buell Gets His New XBRR

By John Marley

Now we know that Tim Hall has a commendable amount of patience. On August 15th he got the call he had been waiting for. His new Buell XBRR race bike had finally arrived. It was ordered in January by Steve Greenstein, GM of Jim’s Harley-Davidson/BueIl in St. Pete. ‘Greenie’ says: “Not just anybody could get one of these bikes. Buell wanted to make sure that they would be raced and not put on display or end up in collections, so we had to prove ourselves. Since Tim had won the CCS Florida Thunderbike championship in 2005 on our Buell XB12R – that gave us the qualifications we needed to get the bike. “ Hall also won the CCS Florida Lightweight Superbike championship last year too.

There are only a reported 35 units in all of America. and after delays in production to sort out some unforeseen troubles that manifested themselves in their debut at Daytona. a place that is well-known for its ability to eat motorcycles, Buell delayed the release until these problems were addressed.  Now that some teams are getting their XBRRs on the track, results are improving. Jeremy McWilliams rode to a respectable 8th place finish in the AMA Formula Xtreme class recently at Laguna Seca. (See page 18)

As an historical point, some may not know that the XBRR won the first race it ever competed in last March at Daytona during the CCS/ASRA races when Rico Penzkofer of Germany rode it to victory in the CCS Supertwins class on March 3, 2006. (Cycle Scene, April 2006) Hall has the ability to score some points for himself and Jim’s H-D/Buell in the CCS Florida Region beginning soon. “We are anxious to see Tim show what Buells can do on the racetrack, and we will display the bike at the Buell Demo Days on August 23rd and 24th, “ said Greenie.

Now Hall is under the gun to get the bike on the track as soon as he can. Although it is delivered as a race-ready bike, it still has some Work that needs to be done. Chris Brown is the technician at Jim’s that is tasked with doing the mechanical work necessary. He has to get it on the dyno, map the ECU, dial it in with race fuel, safety wire the oil filter and fasteners, and generally go over it.  He is looking forward to his contribution for Jim’s H-D/Buell and Hall’s racing effort. Hall would like to make the next CCS race at Moroso on August 29th, but his main goal is to get ready for the CCS/ASRA races at Daytona International Speedway on October 19-22. Hall would also like to nail down some additional sponsors so he can compete in the Moto ST inaugural race the same weekend in October.

“The silver lining in this cloud with the delay in receiving the bike will take the pressure off for this season, and give us the time we need to sort it before next season begins, “ added Greenie. He’s right; nobody wants to start the season with a bike that has never seen a wheel turned in anger when the points are double at the CCS Florida season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway in February, 2007. Between now and then, Hall will be busy. Since the XBRR doesn’t have an onboard starter and bump starting the 1340cc motor with its 12.5:1 compression is out of the question. he has to find a starter cart before he can even hear it run.

“They say it screams,” said Jim’s owner Jamie Rosencrans with a proud smile.

CYCLE SCENE MAGAZINE
September 2006