A lot of us have been waiting for more details on the new Buell 1190RR ever since references to it appeared on the Erik Buell Racing website. Wait no more, the bike is here. The image looks a lot like the bike in the photo we saw last November, which may mean that photo was, indeed, a planned street bike in the new displacement.
The 1190RR is based on the 1125R and 1125RR engine, but supersized for more power and performance. It delivers 93 foot pounds of torque at 9500 rpm and 185 rear wheel horsepower at 11,500 rpm. Brand new 1125 engines are torn down, blueprinted and reassembled with top shelf components to make the Euro Spec 1190 racer. Weight is 360 pounds wet without fuel.
According to the website:
the 1190RR brings engine displacement close to the AMA American Superbike (ASB) class limit for twins and the WSB limit overall. Although it is not currently approved for AMA ASB class racing, this bike can be raced in many classes around the world
The entire Erik Buell Racing website has been redesigned with details of all of the bikes, products and services being offered.
It’s too bad the 1190RR is a racebike only, it would be fascinating to see one of these tested against the current assortment of sport bike offerings from Japan, Italy and elsewhere, though seeing them do battle on the track might be the next best thing. Hmm, 185 RWHP, … not bad, not bad at all.
Link: Erik Buell Racing
todd says
Thoroughly impressive. I guess this is why H-D abandoned Buell.
-todd
Christopher says
Rather impressive to say the least. It’s gotta be putting out 200 at the crank. Can’t wait to see where this goes.
pabsy says
pretty pretty pretty
i wish these guys the very best of luck with the rulebook in their favor they should find some success and hopefully translate to some street bike sales
thom says
This is just adding insult to injury for me… Not only can I no longer buy a new Buell, but now erik goes and makes a better bike….
Zippy says
Surely if you own an 1125R or CR they can do/swap your motor.
JustPete says
Rule book in thier favor? Read the real story from Erik himself, not some writers commentary on what they thought.
http://www.cycleworld.com/article.asp?section_id=43&article_id=2119
Thom, you can still buy a new Buell, they’re still out there. You can even buy this 1190RR, just cant put it on the road. This bike would be a monster on the road. Read somewhere that Buell wasn’t too far from putting an 1190 (not the RR) on the road before they got the axe.
John says
That tailsection between the spy photo bike and this one for there to be doubt about if that spy bike was meant for production…
John says
i meant to say they look too similar for there to be doubt
Zippy says
Hopefully they will come out with a bagger soon, and a line of belt buckles.
Scott says
I would like to see somebody ask Harley: “Why won’t you let Erik Buell put headlights and turnsignals on this bike?” The ‘too integrated’ excuse doesn’t hold water anymore.
Unless they intend to sell the rights to someone else (which they’ve said they won’t) getting a dollar from Erik Buell for the rights would be a dollar they didn’t have yesterday.
I won’t set foot in a Harley dealer until they allow someone to make the street version of this bike.
To not allow that bike to be made . . . to not allow America to finally make a great Superbike when it’s right here in front of us is UN-AMERICAN.
Does Harley want to be viewed, by those of us who have been waiting 30 years for this, as un-American?
Tin Man 2 says
And if Harley brought this bike to market, The Harley Haters would say its not a HD its a Rotax that HD stole from Europe. There is no way to appease the Anti Harley crowd, so why try, there will always be those who will find away to run down Americas largest seller of big bikes.
James Bowman says
Tin Man 2 I think a lot of the so called Harley Haters are a result of Harley themselves, I was set to buy one twice from two seperate dealers and they both wanted to add all this chrome crap I just didn’t want and charge ME for it. They treated me like I was lucky they let me in the store. I think at least in part they earned their reputation and most people myself included are angered to the core about Buell and what they have done, to take control of an exciting inovative American product and basically destroy it. Its a shame as Buell was getting better and better inspite of being treated like an unwanted step child and they did everything possible to make sure it wasn’t sold and put to rest.
If you want a Harley that’s your choice I am personally not into costumes and such I understand why people feel the way they do no offence intended. Buell was exciting to alot of us and something very special and handled as poorly as possible it seems.
Zippy says
I think it is time to move on. HD will go thier way, as will Buell. EB is not looking back and appears to have hit the ground running.
Bike week is %90 HD and they are still selling 200k bikes a year. Cruisers are still king, sales wise. The strong will survive. Personally, if someone gave me a Buell for free I would ride it one time. Right to the dealer to trade in for a cruiser, with lots of added on chrome.
Ride safe, see you at bikeweek, I will be the one on the black bagger!
Scott says
I wasn’t a “Harley Hater” until Oct. 15th of last year. Up until then, I’ve always toyed with the idea of adding a sportster or V-Rod as an alternative to the sport-bikes I’ve typically bought.
If, on Oct. 15th, Harley had announced they were selling Buell to Can/Am BRP, I wouldn’t have become a “Harley Hater”. I still would have considered buying one of their bikes.
IF, in the coming months, Harley announces they will sell the rights to make the Barracuda II to BRP, Erik Buell Racing or some other third party, I will no longer be a “Harley Hater”.
Until that happens, you can call me a Harley Hater. I don’t hate the bikes, but I do hate the actions of management and I won’t support that management in any way until they do the right thing.
I like the idea of buying american and that’s why I’ve always loved Buells and liked Harleys. But what Harley has done has greatly soured my image of them and someone I want to support as being part of the ‘home team’.
Polaris Victory has some cool bikes that might be fun for the days I feel like a more relaxed ride.
hoyt says
That fairing and a better headlight array would have sold more 1125R’s from the beginning. Ah well….moving on. Nice work EBR. Good luck
Tin Man 2 says
If half the people who claim to have supported Buell would have actaully bought one, Buell would still be around today. As it stands its just another excuse to rag on Harley, a Bike the Haters would have never bought anyway.
todd says
Paul, I think the headline needs to be changed. You imply that the 1190RR is a Buell when in fact it is an “Erik Buell Racing”. Apparently H-D will not allow Erik to write his surname on the tank.
-todd
FREEMAN says
@ todd: I think you should let that slide. In reality, it is a Buell, regardless of whatever HD doesn’t let Eric Buell do.
Rosscoe says
Scott, if as you say “I’ve always loved Buells and liked Harleys” ~ why the heck
didn’t you buy one ? ? I’m with Tin Man ~ if even half of the folks who claim to have
been considering a Buell purchase had actually put their money on the table, things
may have turned out differently. The fact remains that Buell was a small niche player
in a small niche market. Over twenty-six years only 136,000 sold ~ that averages out
to about 5200 units per year. Those kind of numbers hardly make investors confident
in going forward. In an interview with Motorcyle-USA, Eric says he waited some
twenty years to bring a watercooled M/C to the market. When the opportunity finally
came he and his crew wrapped it some of the oddest looking body work ever seen.
Then they compounded that mistake by not insuring it was ready for sale ~ witness
the issues with the EFI system with the first 1125’s. Could Harley and Buell have done
some things differently ~ yes they could have ~ but they didn’t. IMHO if Harley had
not bought an interest in Buell back in the nineties and poured in millions of dollars
to prop it up, Buell would have failed back then.
Paulinator says
Tin Man 2, did you ever hear the old addage “Harleys are like attitudes – every a-hole’s got one”? I don’t believe that all “haters” have issues with the bikes – its the “buy-ins” that are struttin’ kool in their Pakistani leather panths and thier official “ride to live” bandannas that are imported from China (and printed on recycled diapers). That type BUGS me.
I can’t believe that Buell lost rights to his own name. That’s probably an interim thing. I’ve never owned a Buell, but maybe I will some day – if Erik Buell navigates his re-emergance skillfully. He’s an American…He’s doing what he was born to do – not “born into”. And you’ve got to respect that.
Crazy Cooter says
Roscoe – I think you answered your own question regarding those people who did not buy a Buell. They either did not like the air-cooled Buell (not me, it’s a great bike) or they were waiting for the potential to be filled with a modern performance machine. The 1125R styling severely disappointed a lot of would-be buyers. In addition, as you mentioned, the press launch bikes were not ready.
The above bike would have been in my Hazard garage
SteveD says
I find it interesting that the HD management that did in Buell was the new one from “outside” the MC industry. Not making money, end of problem. I still think that Buell would have done better with a $7-8K into bike. Not the Blast, but a stripped done Lightening or Firebolt. In the price range they were selling, it was just easier to buy a Japanese sport bike for much cheaper. I don’t think you can compete price-wise with Ducati until you’ve established some credibility.
RBJ says
What most people don’t know (or fail to realize) is that almost EVERY issue consumers had with Buell motorcycles was H-D’s fault- NOT Erik Buell’s. The Buell/H-D relationship was a blessing/curse from the very start- it enabled EB to build his company, and hobbled him at the same time. The issues could fill book, starting with H-D dealership attitudes and the “red-headed stepchild” mentality exhibited towards Buell from the very beginning- a bone headed move by closed-minded individuals. Here are some of the common misconceptions about Buell- Q: Why did it take Buell take 20 years to produce a liquid-cooled motor? A: Because H-D kept it from happening. EB had the design for his 1125 motor in the mid-eighties, and it even got built- we know it as the V-Rod motor. Unfortunately, H-D decided that the engine was so promising that they wanted to use it in a cruiser, and went about changing the specs until it was too heavy for EB to use. H-D effectively neutered Buell’s first in-house engine. Q: Why was the design of the 1125 models so “funky”? A: Because H-D REQUIRED all Buell models to have an EXPOSED ENGINE. Buell was not allowed to build a bike with a full fairing, so EB again had to design around H-D stipulations that ran counter to performance (and logic). Q: How did Buell get a Rotax powerplant? A: H-D told Buell that if they wanted their own engine they would have to design it, build it, and pay for it themselves… and that’s exactly what Buell did (much to H-D’s dismay). Q: Why didn’t the “Barracuda II”, the latest Buell model that has gotten such good press, never reach production? A: Ask H-D. Notice that this bike is powered by a non-harley powerplant (which just won an AMA Title), has a full fairing (a big no-no), and is getting international attention as being the first American Superbike worthy of the name. H-D shut the whole company down. Odd, isn’t it? Buell grew 55% in five years, in that same period H-D grew 9%. Sell MV, throw Buell away- where’s the logic in that. It really doesn’t matter if you’re a cruiser guy or a sportbike type- H-D mismanaged, mistreated, misunderstood, and eventually killed Buell Motorcycles out of sheer incompetence. It’s not Erik Buell’s fault- in fact, that Buell survived as long as it did under H-D is a testament to Erik Buell’s genius. Get the facts, put the blame where it belongs. Way to go, H-D.
Tin Man 2 says
Dont get this wrong I like EBs engineering and products, Im sorry the new HD management felt they had to end Buell production. But as to designing and paying for the 1125 Engine you are mistaken, This is a Rotax engine that was based on the Apprila and Can Am Spyder engine. Buell never sold enough bikes to pay for the design and manufacturing of its own Engine. Nothing wrong with outsourcing the Rotax, Its a solid piece that was modified to EBs specs, but to call it a Buell engine is not really acurate.
Cal H says
Some of the Harley fans here ought to get their facts straight. Buell was not an obscure “niche” brand. As RBJ pointed out in his excellent post, Buell was growing at a much faster rate than Harley over the last few years, selling 13K units in 2008, about the same as Triumph or BMW in the US market. It simply did not make economic sense for Harley to take a 126 million loss to save 4 million in capital costs by closing a brand that looked like it had a bright future. Harley has indirectly admitted this by saying that they did NO economic analysis of cost savings by killing Buell, a fact that has been noted by some financial analysts. If Harley had their financial shit together they wouldn’t be paying Warren Buffet 16% interest on the billion dollars he’s loaned them. The bottom line is that inside politics had a lot more to do with this than sound business sense. Erik Buell was hated by some of the top managers within Harley, who could never understand his bikes. This cultural war within the company was evident down to the dealer level, where a lot of potential Buell customers were treated with open contempt by the dealers.
I don’t hate Harley but I do think their management is effectively clueless and thier market share based on an aging demographic (think balding, middle aged, fat guys who like to dress up like pirates). We’ll see how well that works in a few years.
kneeslider says
@Tin Man 2: “This is a Rotax engine that was based on the Apprila and Can Am Spyder engine.”
No, actually, it is a Buell design as explained by Erik Buell in my interview:
Read the whole interview for Erik’s views and explanations.
hoyt says
RBJ –
HD management did not understand & treat their own investment wisely or fairly as it pertains to Buell. They should also be criticized for their lack of management of the dealerships. It is unheard of for a company to have a portion of their dealership network mistreat a product the way Buell was mistreated.
“Q: Why was the design of the 1125 models so “funkyâ€? A: Because H-D REQUIRED all Buell models to have an EXPOSED ENGINE. Buell was not allowed to build a bike with a full fairing, so EB again had to design around H-D stipulations that ran counter to performance (and logic).”
Ironically, the 1125R is hardly a naked bike when considering that massive fairing and side pods. Even with this stipulation, the Buell design team could have come up with something more attractive to sell.
Are you 100% positive that there was a no-full-fairing mandate from HD? The VR1000 had larger than a 3/4 fairing. Sure, it was not sold in the States, but it had an HD badge, something that Buells did not have.
Scott says
Someday, when the smoke clears, we’ll probably learn more of the behind-the-scenes details, but based on everything I’ve seen up until this point, I think the primary philosophical differences have been:
Erik Buell – Has wanted to go head-to-head from a performance perspective with the top bikes out there and let the bike’s performance speak for itself.
Harley – Has wanted to avoid direct comparison to the top Japanese and European bikes because that would involve a costly “arms race”. They preferred to have a unique bike that could stand out from the competition and be “sold” based on image and marketing rather than performance.
While I prefer Erik’s approach, there is some logic to the Harley approach. Their method requires less technical investment and allows longer product life-cycle.
Unfortunately, the sport-bike mind-set is very different than the cruiser mind-set and I don’t think Harley ever understood that.
It’s possible that, if Erik had built his water cooled, 1000 cc Superbike in 2001 it would have failed so miserably to match up against the top bikes of the time that it might have been laughed off the performance stage.
But I think that, while breaking into racing and developing teams would have been difficult, if they had started that process back in 2001 and gotten involved in AMA Superbike (rather than Formula X-Treme with the air-cooled bikes) they would have learned and progressed and by the time the 1125R was introduced it could have been a much more competitive second-generation superbike rather than a bike that still needed a lot of development.
I don’t have a crystal ball, so I can’t say if Erik’s approach would have been more or less successful, but, in hindsight, knowing what we know now, I sure wish he would have been able to give it a try.
RBJ says
hoyt-
Interesting that you bring up the VR1000… did you know that Erik Buell did the original design of that bike? Back in 1987 H-D contacted Erik Buell about helping with a race bike design. Instead of using the XR 1000 engine, EB suggested going with a liquid-cooled one. EB’s design proposal is basically what the V-Rod motor is today. EB then designed the chassis- fuel-in-frame, side-mounted radiators, and huge airbox where the fuel tank would normally be (sound familiar?). Guess what happened… H-D intervened and changed Erik’s prototype (H-D did the motor their way, and the frame went conventional- which doomed the bike because it screwed up the weight/handling and restricted the airbox). EB had to stand back and watch as something H-D had asked HIM how to do was systematically dismantled, changed, and doomed to failure. If anyone ever wonders why the VR1000 was a flop don’t blame Erik Buell- again, it was H-D, and also foreshadowed what was to become of the Buell/H-D relationship.*
*Source: “25 Years of Buell” by Court Canfield and Dave Gess Whitehorse Press, 2008
hoyt says
yeah, I knew EB had his hand in the design of the early VR motor. I believe an early example is in his shed today.
I just wish the 1125R had been styled to sell because the rest of the bike is great.
The above bike could do it for lots of different riders.
tim says
One interesting side aspect to this is the HD stock price: $7 in March, currently $23-$24, vs a high of $30 in (IIRC) Dec 08: My point is that the market obviously thinks that hte changes made by HD (including ditching Buell, bringing in non-rider CEO etc) have been the right thing to do.
And one of the measures of company success must be the price people are willing to pay to be a part owner of it, right?
Richard Gozinya says
Tim, I don’t think anybody’s arguing the short-term financial benefits of HD’s recent decisions. It’ll be nice when the day comes where people can discuss Erik Buell without having to hear about that company.
FREEMAN says
@ tim: there’s a difference between right and profitable.
Tin Man 2 says
Mr Slider, My Bad, I must have missed the interview you had with EB, Everything I had read about the 1125 said it was a update on the Aprilla not a new engine, I guess I was wrong. Whatever, we all wish Mr Buell the best in his new venture, He has already had a great life and there is more to come!!
James Bowman says
A lot of the Buell detractors/Harley Davidson defenders seem to think Americans are unable to perform head to head with the Europeans and Japaneese, that we must stick to image over substance. If HD had decided to sell rather than kill Buell they could have been forgiven then they could have then concetrated on costumes and cruisers. That is where the anger is with so many here it appears to me. I hope some how Buell can be resurrected if not HD is on my lifetime ban list as a matter of principal.
HD will always have people who will by their image however as many bikes as they do sell how did they get in financial trouble unless they are mismanaged, that is scary itself. No offence to you HD guys your spending your money on what you desire and we are still in America thank God, I just have never cared about image and Buell gave us more than that, besides being different from the status quo cruisers. I also believe if Americans set their mind to it the rest of the world would be hard pressed to keep up, wishful thinking I hope not.
SteveD says
My problem with many of these posts is that some folks only evaluate a bike based on its absolute performance. To me, anything over 100 hp is USELESS. I don’t ride on Sundays dressed like a land pirate. I just enjoy commuting to work and cruising the VA countryside on my Sportster. I’ve ridden sportbikes and find them really uncomfortable, which is why I don’t own one. I think it’s fine that some folks do like them. The problem here is that no one can evaluate the Buell problem without taking a shot at someone else’s preference in bikes, and this simply exaggerates differences.
I’m not defending what HD did based on ethics. It’s a corporate decision and large companies, be it HD or Toyota or Honda all make decisions based on bottom lines. That is how they are structured these days.
Kenny says
I like the look of this bike and the spec sheet sounds like a blast, I’m curious as to why you wouldn’t be able to put this on the road.
Fit a licence plate holder and speedo, wire brake lights, indicators and appropriate switch gear into the battery. Maybe put a road legal exhaust, though that doesn’t seem to stop the harley crowd fitting straight through potato cannons to their bikes. And I’m certain you could get it certified for a day-time MOT in England, it wouldn’t be the 1st race bike I’ve seen on the roads.
Maybe some nut case could take it one step further and make it fully road legal.
Having seen many beautiful specials on this site alone, I can’t Imagine it would be that big a deal.
As for the whole Buell vs. Harley deal….. well, let it go.
It’s over. Erik Buell has moved on. If you want to lament over the loss of the great american superbike then get a 2nd hand XB-R, pamper it, love it. Take it out to bike shows and on sunday spins. Maybe some day it will be a classic along the lines of the other “great idea, shame it didn’t work out” companies that fell to the wayside in the past.
Scott says
Kenny, there is only one thing preventing Erik from making a street-legal version of this bike:
Harley Davidson
They claim they didn’t sell to BRP because Buell was too “integrated”, but they haven’t yet explained why they only gave Erik limited rights to produce race bikes and won’t let him make street bikes based on the race bikes.
IF Harley sells or just plain gives the rights to Erik, I’ll regain some respect for them, but until that happens, they’re on my s**** list.
hoyt says
SteveD –
Those that argue HD’s decision was like any company’s decision (financials, bottom line, etc.) are not acknowledging the complete story when it comes to HD/Buell.
You need sales to make decisions based on bottom line. Buell never had the best chance to reach sales potential due to HD management and HD dealerships.
HD never fully backed their own investment, otherwise there would have been changes at the dealerships…exactly where sales are won or lost.
SteveD says
hoyt,
I agree that HD did not put a maximum effort behind Buell. We can think of this at two levels:
1. Buell makes the same bikes it did but HD gives them their own dealerships. The existing HD dealerships were simply not willing to push them very hard.
2. HD pays for Buell to develop a different engine earlier on. Maybe a better twin like the 1125 engine or maybe even an inline four.
Neither of these happened. We can speculate how well Buell would have done in a different world. I’m just saying that when the economic downturn hit the new management team were faced withe bikes that weren’t selling and made a hard, cold decision.
I would have liked to have seen Buell continue. I was even thinking about getting a Ulysses. I was just annoyed at all of the posts taking shots at “costumed” riders. It’s easy to stereotype any group and it’s almost always a stupid thing to do.
hoyt says
SteveD –
HD’s dealerships weren’t the only ones that did not push Buells. HD didn’t seem to push them either considering the 1125R was only the 2nd new bike from HD in decades. (how many motos besides the VRod has HD developed from scratch in the last 30 years? engine, chassis, everything). One would think a company would get seriously behind such a step.
Do you agree that a similar promotion that the VRod received would have been good for the 1125R? If Willie G. was on a stage with Erik, his team & the 1125R, it could have started breaking down barriers internally & on the dealers’ side. It could have also started to reach the con$umer who would never consider a Buell because they didn’t think HD was seriously interested in the Buell investment.
hoyt says
…how much of the new management “team” has been around for awhile besides the top guy?
SteveD says
Actually, I don’t think a Willie G unveiling would have helped. It would have been aimed at the wrong crowd. I knew all about the 1125. It was in all the magazines and had extensive coverage. In the end, it was in HD dealerships and the wrong people walk thru the door. Or folks that had $12000 to sopend bought a known quantity, like a Ducati. I really think Buell needed independent dealers or at least it needed to be offered in the so-called “metric shops”. As I mentioned, I also think HD waited too long to let Buell get a non-HD designed engine. The air cooled Buells were wild to ride but didn’t have the high hp cache needed to sell sportbikes.
As for management, the top guy made the decision, because he was supported by the board that hired him. That board are ultimately the ones that brought him and his ideas into HD.
I really don’t think we are in such different positions. HD didn’t push Buell during the good times and then dumped them when things got bad. I’m not sure they really knew how to market a sportbike.
kneeslider says
@SteveD: Erik himself, did not think Buell only dealers would work since the product line was not sufficient to support a dealer. See my interview with Erik for his take on the idea.
SteveD says
I remember that interview. I also think that Erik was being a company man (at least to some extent). It’s true that Buell may not have had the numbers to work alone. Still, I just don’t think most HD dealerships really knew what to do with them.
hoyt says
SteveD – I don’t think we’re in too much of different positions either, aside from an in-line 4 (that seems against Erik Buell’s core motorcycle theory).
Regarding Willie G: “It would have been aimed at the wrong crowd.”
No, I think you misunderstood. The idea wouldn’t have been aimed solely at the “faithful HD rider”. The idea is to announce to the world that HD finally got serious about performance road racers.
In the end, were they really serious or was it a sink-or-swim-on-your-own attitude towards Buell? I kind of doubt the latter considering the money invested & the fact that this was just the 2nd all-new bike in decades; but then again I didn’t see any enthusiastic promotion from HD towards their new bike. Example: I had to walk into a used building to check out the new Buell.
shame…the above bike could have been great for HD. Now, it is great for EBR.
SteveD says
I think that HD was in serious financial trouble because of their finance company. They went into survival mode and Buell got chucked.
My local HD dealer always had Buells prominently displayed. I never saw anyone sit on them. I think in the end the air cooled Buells were neither fish nor fowl and didn’t have enough of a market. The Bike at the top of this column (most have probably forgotten it by now 😉 might have succeeded but the economic timing was wrong.
As for Willie G. introducing a Buell, I find that funny for two reasons. First, I don’t think anyone interested in a sportbike would listen to Willie G. Second, the V-Rod hasn’t exactly been a huge success for HD either.
I’m not trying to simply defend HD; I’m just not convince that Buell ever had a real chance with those air-cooled bikes. I really think that they were well enough known to make it if enough folks had wanted those bikes. Many Euro brands have far fewer dealerships and make it, so even if only a subset of HD dealerships really cared it shouldn’t have been a total bust. The sad part of all this is that I’m not sure a small company can make a go of it with an American Sportbike. The Buell/HD model might have been the best we could hope for, i,.e., a fairly independent comapny supported by a richer one. There are small cruiser makes (Big Dog) but the technology and R&D is much simpler. If HD had given Buell the Revolution engine maybe they could have made something like the Roehr for an affordable price.
hoyt says
I thought of the Willie G announcement for the VRod & its subsequent lower than expected sales success; but I didn’t mention it because the announcement also represented the culmination of a bold, significant effort by a company that does not take those steps. A liquid-cooled cruiser from Harley?! Yeah, this is gonna take some hoo-Rah marketing to get the crusty faithful to think.
So, Willie G making a collaborative announcement with Buell? There are parallels with the sportbike doubters. Again, the purpose is not along the lines of “sportbike riders not listening to Willie G”, but a demonstration that the parent company is diligently behind this investment & ready to make changes. That perception was not present for a large % of those prospective sportbike buyers prior to the 1125 launch.
This was the chance for HD/Buell to go beyond the niche/enthusiast buyer and tap into the healthy sportbike market. In hindsight, the styling, the press launch bikes, & lack of rallying from the parent didn’t change much for many sportbike riders outside of the niche.
This type of corporate rallying & use of the goodwill of a company are quite common in many industries.
SteveD says
OK, I think we just have to disagree on this point. 😉 I think the ultimate problem with Buell was the modified Sportster engine, and the high hp Rotax came at a bad time economically. I think they were advertising in the right places and not enough potential buyers actually wanted the bike.
hoyt says
The Rotax did come at a bad time: economically (2nd year) & at a time when HD still didn’t change.
Even if the 1125R looked as good as the above bike & the economy was good*, the dealers would still have been a major problem.
*btw…the economy didn’t unravel when this bike was introduced
hoyt says
SteveD – you’re right about the 1125R mandate to not have a full fairing.
The online CW article mentioned it. Brighter days ahead for Buell power and customers!