First, I own 3 Buells, #1 = 2003 XB9S, #2 = 2004 XB12S, #3 = 2009 1125CR.

Now, with that said, I have been riding for 22 years. Started with a 1987 Honda Rebel, yep a 250cc Rebel, Great bike with TONS of soul, and taught me alot about street riding. Next bike was a 1987 CBR600 Hurricane, bought it quite used and rebuilt it, another bike with alot of soul. From there I owned a whole bunch of various bikes like a 1976 Honda CB750SS, Honda CBR900RR, Kawi ZX11 Turbo(mod of course), and many others. What I learned is that no matter what I rode, I was RIDING. The pure joy of riding. Some were ego machines, some were just machines, but I was RIDING. I also learned how to FLAT OUT RIDE. Knee scrape a ‘76 Honda and hold on, push a CBR900RR until to plastic rubbed, feeling it had more.

Now back to the Buells. The best bike in my stable is the XB9S. The 12S and 1125CR are great bikes, the 1125CR on a different level really. But, my little air cooled XB9S is the favorite simply because I can flat out school a liter bike in the real world, not on the track, in traffic. The little air cooled bike is like a Pit Bull, not the biggest, but the most aggressive, nimble to a fault(scary sometimes). From light to light the torque is just right, the 90 degree turns at intersections are easy, sweet in fact. And, I must add, that most riders sit next to me at a light and have second thoughts as they watch this tiny little bike growl and vibrate(race ecm and exhaust so it’s kinda loud), all thanks to a simple air cooled HD(more Buell then HD)lump.

To finish, I have owned an ridden a whole slew of motorcycles. The best I’ve ever ridden? Buell!! The design is for pure riders. The attention to detail is flawless. The best part is that Erik Buell is a real rider building bikes for real world riders. I still test ride other bikes, and still only own Buells.

Just my .02

Eric S

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/115/819/Motorcycle-Article/2006-Honda-CBR1000RR-First-Ride.aspx

Doing the math on the 145.5 rear-wheel horsepower our 2005 Honda CBR1000RR test bike we had on the dyno last year, Honda’s claim of a 3% power increase would net a 4.4 hp increase to a final number of 149.9 hp, right in the 150-151 hp range of the ZX and GSX-R.

Yet according to Richard:
“Thanks to liquid cooling, this bike will probably race better than that multiple DNF joke, the XB-RR, but I’m sure I prefer my stock ‘06 CBR1000RR with 169.50 HP, 84.5 ft.lbs torque, and redline at 12,200 rpm– and it’s not even considered a “fast” liter bike! And in 2008, the new RR will have a complete upgrade to something smaller, lighter, faster, more powerful, better handling, etc.”

I love hearing all of these idiots say “oh, my bike has 180hp and your new buell only has 146.” HP isn’t what wins a race, it’s the handling of the bike and how good the driver is. The only races that go in straight lines are generally 1/8 and 1/4 mile drags and I still beat these jap bikes. Bottom line, unless you’re racing around highways at 2am, it’s not very often that you need a lot of horse. The 1125r handles better and comes out of corners a lot more powerful than most of the rest. I’m not claiming it is by far the best, but it is very capable of competing with the R1’s and such.