Comments on: Erik Buell Racing 1190RR with Turn Signals and Radiator Fans

By: Dr Robert Harms

Dr Robert Harms — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 09:55:37 +0000

Look at pictures of the brake caliper holder on the left side of the front wheel on this bike. What is the portion of the bracket that extends forward for ? Were/are they considering 2 calipers on the same rotor on the same side ?

By: Kent

Kent — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 12:21:19 +0000

You obviously didn’t do your research. Buell wanted to make “the American Superbike” from the beginning, but HD wouldn’t let him. They claimed they didn’t want to compete with Japanese sportbikes, so he was relegated to producing those heavy, awkward HD powered niche bikes in hopes that he’d eventually get his shot.
At one point HD let him pursue an engine for the Buell bikes designed by Porsche; it was to be a powerful, lighter-weight, liquid cooled plant much more conducive to sporting efforts. Unfortunately, HD, seeing the appeal, morphed that project into the half-ton curiosity you know as the V-Rod.
Finally, a few years ago, HD started giving Buell more slack in his leash. He was allowed to source real performance-intended V-twins from Austria made by a company called Rotax which is owned by Bombardier. Then, (you might wanna sit down for this “no whiners”) Danny Eslick wins the 2009 AMA Daytona SportBike championship ON THAT BUELL!! Fianlly, an American sportbike! I started counting my money and went to the HD dealer to take a look. I asked the salesman about pushrods, valves, and cams…he shrugged. He asked another guy who asked another guy who also didn’t know, BUT they did have some nice shiny chrome add-ons that I could get for it. Well, I had to save a little more money, but before my next paycheck BAM! HD shut ‘em down. So, those of us who missed out on getting our American sportbike this time are waiting eagerly for Buell to rise to the challenge and bring us a real American superbike.

By: John

John — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:43:14 +0000

I own an 2006 xb12ss and it’s a fun bike with a great sound. Being partial to riding a v-twin there aren’t many affordable options. I’ve owned Ducatis which are great bikes but the dealer network in the mid west is not great and when I owned it parts were a problem. For 15k, they should do better. I was all set to buy an 1125r until the announcement was made that Buell was no more! Such is life in the current economic times but you can’t knock the innovation that was Buell. I hope Buell can start producing street bikes again because the Barracuda would have made definite waves in the sportbike world. While the v fours out of japan are solid bikes, they are also cookie cutter bikes without a distinct identity. The R1 sets itself a part with the cross plane crankshaft! I won’t bash HD having owned a fat boy and would pop for a new street glide but what can you expect from a former GM exec. running the show.

By: Stjohn

Stjohn — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:21:48 +0000

What would be really cool is for EBR to start selling frames and parts and let you assemble them as kit bikes. I’m sure there are no shortage of bike shops who would put it together for you if you’re not a DIY kind of person. And there is obviously still tooling and facilities available to manufacture the 1125/XB frames. 1125XT, anyone?

Of course, it may be slightly rough going for someone who doesn’t have the facilities to do a complete frame-off restoration, but it would get the small, loyal Buell enthusiast community out on the street with new bikes.

I also realize the Clean Air regs on kit and custom bikes have changed to only allow you “one custom/kit bike during your lifetime.” A lot of folks are spooked by a misinterpretation of the law. You can have as many as you want, but you can only ever street-register one at a time.

By: 1125R Rider

1125R Rider — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:59:14 +0000

I’ve been watching Buell for years but could not warm up to the H-D drivetrain. The power to weight ratio (no matter how good the chassis) couldn’t compare with any of the Asian or European competitors. The introduction of the 1125 series changed that on many levels, while not perfect it was a huge step forward toward leveling the playing field.

The bitter pill here is the timing of the Buell shutdown. Many I’ve spoken to feel that Buell finally got it right with the 1125′s and could now compete head-to-head with other sport bike manufacturers and the plug was pulled. Makes you wonder what could have been with a few more years of racing development…

We may never know all the reasons for this, I know H-D’s profits were (are) down but they’re far from running in the red. I suspect it was done to support stock price by a board of directors out of touch with motorcycles and those that ride them.