For those of you wondering if the new Buell 1125R was going to perform on the track, the answer seems to be yes. In its first time out at Hockenheim, the only 2 Buell 1125R racers in the 32 bike lineup placed 2nd and 5th. In the field were Ducatis and Aprilias plus four BMW HP2 Sports and five KTM RC 8s.
Correction: Actually, the Moto-ST was the first race for the 1125R as pointed out in the comments, this was the first race in Germany. The title of this post is now changed to reflect that.
Buell press release:
BUELL ON PODIUM AT HOCKENHEIM 1000
New 1125R Makes German Racing Debut on Easter Weekend
The brand-new Buell 1125R delivered a stunning debut at the start of the German racing season on Easter Saturday, posting 2nd and 5th place finishes on Hockenheim’s demanding Grand Prix circuit.
Over the past 33 years, the 1000-km of Hockenheim has not only become the established prelude to the German motorcycle racing season, the traditional endurance race is also considered the most important German production-based racing event for motorcycles. This year, BMW and KTM each supplied selected teams with extensive factory support, both competing in Class 4 for four-stroke motorcycles of unlimited displacement with three cylinders or less that features the best and most popular riders. No fewer than four BMW HP2 Sports and five KTM RC 8s claimed chances to win in a grid of 32 motorbikes that also held numerous Ducatis and Aprilias.
But as it turned out, others were to provide the true sensation on March 22nd – the only two competing Buell 1125R, entered into the race by the Buell dealers of Bonn and Hannover. Both bikes had only arrived in Germany three days before Easter, but despite minimal preparation, caused a stir right from the start with scorching lap times at low ambient temperatures on a dry track. In the sprint race over 14 laps, riders Axel Reimann and Ray Buchmann realized the 1125R’s full potential and left nearly the whole field behind, beaten only by the factory supported BMW under former Moto GP racer Jürgen Fuchs and professional racer Marcus Barth.
Volker Schirmer, manager of Buell Hannover, could not disguise his enthusiasm over his team’s second place finish. “I am absolutely ecstatic. The 1125R is a quantum leap in output and performance. The 146 hp V2 engine, developed by Rotax to Buell specifications, is a perfect match for the best chassis that Erik Buell has ever designed.”
After coming in fifth, riders Julius Ilmberger and Martin Kratzer were also delighted with the new Buell. “With slightly harder tires, our chances would have been even better,” said Andreas Binner, boss of Buell Bonn. “But even so, I am really happy – my boys have done a fantastic job, and the 1125R is up for success.”
Tom says
Congratulations Buell!!
This is a day I have waited . . . my whole life for. The United States finally makes a motorcycle that can run with the best in the world.
I hope this is just the start.
Phil Phartman says
…Too bad they didn’t make the motor, though 🙁
Tom says
Give them time Phil. They’re still one of the youngest, smallest motorcycle manufacturers in the world, and they haven’t yet stepped into the engine manufacturing business.
. . . but I wouldn’t be surprised if down the road, like Aprilia, they’ll use the knowledge they gain working with Rotax to start making their own engines.
. . . I’d be interested to see what’s going on behind closed doors right now, and if Buell ever does make their own, it’s likely to be something to see.
sanglant says
That’s not it’s first time out. It’s first time out at the MotoST races, the “lifetime” belt drive that’s supposed to be nearly indestructible failed.
http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=31602
Worse for Buell, it’s now legal in the AMA Superbike series, and the Canadian Superbike Series. They won’t have any excuses for not competing with the best around, head to head.
Ride says
Good for Buell. Wheres the smilie of me twisting the knob that tunes the haters out?
John says
Sanglant,how many bikes have you built? I read the article on the MotoST race and it stated that the Buell was in contention for first and the belt needed to be replaced because rubber had built up causing fraying.Probably rubber from the tire in race conditions building up between the belt and pully causing an over tight condition. And that on thier first race.What are your accomplisments Sanglant?
Sean says
Bloody good show, by a bloody good motorcycle.
Kurt says
Great job Buell! The 1125r is so new the paints still wet, service manuals are still undergoing revision, and they are still working out the glitches. Yet here were two of them, supported by a dealer, not the factory, that ran with the best of them and kicked some booty! Buell has done a great job. Motor made by Rotax? Who cares? We live in a world economy now, Most bikes are built with parts produced from all over. Give credit when credits deserved……
Tom says
Regarding the Moto-ST belt issue, yes tire chunks got under the belt. There was an anonymous post on a Buell forum (presumably someone involved in the race) and that poster took blame for the problem and said it was a simple maintenance issue – if they had brushed the rubber chunks off during he race, there wouldn’t have been a problem (and then later, those tire chunks which had built up on the exhaust caught fire which ended their participation for the day).
And yes, the bike was stupid fast in that race as well. If not for the tire issue, they would have likely won the race.
Steve Crevier will be racing in Canadian Superbike, and based on what I’ve seen so far, I don’t think he’ll need any excuses.
It might take a couple races to get things sorted against more established bikes, but I think this bike has shown it has the potential to do well in the right hands and Crevier is a great rider.
pghcyclist says
Congratulations Buell. Great company and a great bike. Maybe now you’ll get some of the mainstream respect you deserve. Not that the BattleTwin wasn’t an amazing bike but, You’ve really come a long way in such a short time.
Keep up the good work!!!
justpete says
Great job Buell!! Cant wait to catch a ride on one of these machines.
“…Too bad they didn’t make the motor, though”
If I remember right, Buell designed, or at least went to Rotax and worked with them on what they wanted. They did not just walk into the building and point at something off the shelf. So, big deal. Tehy designed, developed and produce a great bike. Sure, they still have some bugs to work out, but hey. It’s something new and exciting and obviously a good machine.
John Sutherland says
Hats off to Buell for their out[side] of the box winner!
Now for the American engine: There are still a few engine foundries left in the US, Briggs for one has a state of the art, highly automated, manufacturing facility dedicated to high quality production and low per unit cost. They are already making racing engines for carts and 1/4 midgets — check out their website.
So, hire Ricardo [in America] to do the engineering in conjunction with Briggs and Buell, and have a very high performance, all-American engine at an affordable price. Provide for reverse gear in the transmission and introduce a side car bike and kit car engine packages too!
Rod Mesa says
Congratulations to Erik Buell and his company. It’s great to see an American bike that can finally take a place at the top of the grid. Kudos!
hoyt says
John Sutherland – good words! I like the sound of taking an accomplishment like this to the next level –> engineering design & manufacturing at home.
This is great for everyone…even the haters. I just read this morning that a couple of Ducati dealers are entering endurance racing with the 1098.
Think about what endurance racing proves regarding the brand & race team. Truly great achievements.
The best part? We now have the following brands that will potentially be going at it during some historic racing events (this will get good)…
Buell, KTM, Ducati, BMW, Aprilia*, Japan, etc.
*even better since these OEMs use twins of different designs.
(I know the Formula Extreme Daytona 200 class does not allow liquid cooled bikes over 850 cc, but did you know that there were 6 different brands in the top 10 at the 200 this year?)
I’d still like Buell to consider more styling. Better styling will allow them to sell more, especially now that they are proving themselves where it matters (street and track performance) More revenue will allow the to do more.
Consider going back to your original, unique, & still-fresh design of the Firebolt fairing. (look how long Ducati retained the aesthetics of the 916 – 998).
Something along these lines…
http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2008/03/10/buell-1125r-full-fairing-kit/
tom w. says
Hoyt, I absolutely LOVE the formula X-Treme format that has allowed so many different brands, configurations and displacements to comptete head-to-head.
I also love the fact that Superbike (both World and AMA) have allowed 1200cc V-Twins. I’d love to see Buell, KTM, and BMW all racing at the top levels . . . though I’m almost concerned it would get too crowded. If that happens, I wonder if they could ever split Superbike into 1200 cc twins and 1000 cc fours racing in unique classes. Something like that might even convince Japan to start making some 1200 twins . . . I think it would be interesting to see someone make a 1200cc parallel twin and race that.
As for the Buell styling, the main problem I have with the 1125R is the lack of a lower fairing section. I like that aftermarket fairing you posted, but I would hope that Buell would do a production bike that looks something like the Richie Morris Moto-ST bike:
http://www.motorcycle.com/images/content/Event/tn_MotoST05.jpg
Ideally, I’d like to see Buell do a Homologation bike like that with some real race components, 1200cc engine etc.
I think they’ll need something like that if they want to compete in Superbike anyway, and if they could do something like that for say half the price of a 1098R ($20,000) that would really be something.
. . . but I’m probably just dreaming. Buell seems to be more interested in selling street-bikes than race-bikes, and that probably makes sense at least until they can grow some more.
. . . but maybe someday . . .
hoyt says
I just read that Moto Morini may be expanding their 1200 Sport Corsaro line with a fully faired, 170 hp sportbike with a fairing…
If Buell, KTM, Ducati, Aprilia, BMW, & Moto Morini can enter a race together with the Japanese & possibly Triumph (endurance or Superbike), it will be close to what the Golden Age must have been like.
So many twins, each with their own design. Fascinating.
Congratulations Buell
Tim says
That does it. I’m buying one.
Fred says
“…Too bad they didn’t make the motor, thoughâ€
Too bad Ducati didn’t make the fork and shock and wheels and tires and brakes and fuel injection on its 1098R.
Like Ducati, Buell is a motorcycle manufacturer. They design some things themselves, some in partnership with other firms, and they buy other items outright. There’s no shame in partnering with one of the best engine manufacturers in the world when producing a world-class sport bike.
Jeremy Buell says
The 1125R is one sweet machine. I agree, I don’t care where the parts come from, I just want the best machine mankind can make.
The 1125r has similar attributes to the XB models, but it is definitely an all new machine.
Evans says
Great to see an “underdog” snapping at the heals. Well done Buell!!!