In a competitor bulletin, AMA Pro Racing announced the Buell 1125’s minimum weight has increased to 380 lbs from 365 lbs.

For the rest of the Daytona Sportbike class, AMA Pro Racing released a technical bulletin with lower weight limits. The minimum weights of inline four-cylinder bikes has dropped to 360 lbs from 365 lbs. Triples must now weigh at least 365 lbs, down from 375 lbs. Twins (with the exception of the Buell) must meet a minimum weight of 380 lbs, down from 385 lbs. The same changes were applied to the Supersport class.

The new regulations come into effect immediately.

The changes come in response to criticism that the Buell 1125 had an unfair advantage over its competition. The Buell 1125 competed under the same minimum weight regulations as its rival four-cylinder 600’s despite having nearly double the engine displacement.

Bruce Rossmeyer RMR racing’s Danny Eslick currently sits atop the Daytona Sportbike standings with 109 points after riding his Buell 1125 to victory in three of five races. Monster Attack Kawasaki’s Jamie Hacking sits ten points behind with his Ninja ZX-6R.

In a statement released April 2, ahead of the most recent AMA Pro Racing event, Buell founder Erik Buell responded to the critics about the 1125’s “overdog” status.

“Some people want rules specifically made for motorcycles that are only produced by four import manufacturers. That’s not the American way,” said Buell. “In America we embrace diversity. AMA Pro Racing has written rules that allow fair competition among many more brands, and we had six brands in the top eight at Fontana. Some people say we have an unfair displacement advantage, but this class allows bikes like the BMW 1200, the Aprilia 1000, and the KTM 990 to also compete.

“The fact is that a privateer racer on a street bike beat the Japanese factories’ barely disguised race bikes, and I’m proud of that,” Buell said. “As an ex-privateer racer, who personally experienced dealing with never having equipment comparable to what the factory guys had, this is a great moment. It also proves that Buell’s American innovations like the ZTL front brake, underslung exhaust, and fuel in the frame work as well on the track as they do on the street.”

The statement noted that Eslick outperformed other Buell riders such as teammate Michael Barnes and Latus Motors Racing’s Taylor Knapp and Higbee Racing’s Shawn Higbee.

However, at race two of the most recent round, April 5 in Road Atlanta, three Buells finished in the top ten, with Knapp falling 0.065 seconds short of a third-place finish.