We’ve seen images of the Erik Buell Racing 1190RR already but these are photos of the actual race bike being readied for shipment to Germany. Now, imagine this bike in street bike trim, with lights and mirrors and all of the usual necessities, all of the complaints of odd styling and lack of performance gone. What could anyone complain about then? What would Harley have done with a successful non cruiser offering? Hmm …
Now suppose Harley Davidson allowed Erik to sell street bikes, how many of you would consider this racer in street clothes?
Thanks for the tip, Gary!
Link: Facebook
More photos below:
Travis Short says
One: I would, depending on price, ride it.
Two: They would have to get rid of the silver “stripe”
But what i would really like to see is a 250, or other small engined bike, that was made for speed, as in made for non-track duty fun riding at a the speed limit. Just seems to me to be rediculus (yes i no my spell checker is broken but she’s at the store so what am i gonna do?) to have SO much power, i mean its fun but do we really need it?
Phoebe says
Too big for me, but I know a bunch of people who are or would be interested in this bike for the street. Too bad…
WillyP says
It’s an awesome bike, I am sure, but I could not imagine riding for a full day in that position. I’ll stick to my Concours for now… 😉
Kozzy says
I’ll second Travis’s thoughts – why not build a high quality, smaller displacement bike for the street? If Mr. Buell had done so years ago, instead of offering the Blast (the Yugo of street bikes), perhaps his corporate venture would have turned out differently. Does the world really need another 200 hp organ donor?
kneeslider says
Travis and Kozzy, this bike is obviously not what you’re looking for, and, Kozzy, if you’re saying organ donor, I’m wondering if you even ride.
Walt says
The crotch rocket/track day bike is not my style but this one is good looking. The “boob” air ducts on the twin cam Buells were a creative solution but not aesthetically pleasing and, as Paul indicates, too far out of the design mainstream. Buell has always followed the engineering logic first, looks second. In that way his philosophy is essentially anti-Harley (looks and sound first/performance second). No wonder the suits rejected Buell. The frame and swingarm here are pure sculpture. Add that girder front end we saw a couple months ago on Kneeslider and we’re done!
Walt
Joe S. says
obviously he’s not building race bikes, not street bikes (as he’s not allowed to) so at the moment he doesn’t have to give a crap about what you guys want. I read somewhere that he only has a 1 year non-compete, and if that’s true, it would be very interesting to see where he starts to go when that year is up. That’s the point where i’d start to be looking for the smaller, more comfortable, and more practical offerings. For the moment, I just look forward to seeing how well he does in the races.
Scott says
Sex on wheels! Up until yesterday I would have said the 1198 was the best looking bike I’ve ever seen. I love the narrowness . . . much better than even the 1125RR which, while a great bike on it’s own, needed too much front end to feed the radiators and lost some of the theoretical advantage of a V-Twin in terms of reduced wind resistance.
And I really like the idea of having no mass in the tail. This seems to put together all the ideas Erik B. has been talking about all these years. It’s a damn shame that we’re seeing it under these conditions.
Tin Man 2 says
I dont think we have seen the last of Mr Buell… And concerning the 250 street bike Travis,There is a 250 Ninja available right now for a low price with nice performance. Not made in the USA, but come on, this Buell is really an Austrian engine combined with parts from all over the World.
Jeff Ritter says
I have been one of those Buell haters since they started. I always hoped they’d make a True American Sportbike, but was always disappointed that they ran a hopped up cruiser motor. Look, you can dress a hooker in a wedding dress all you like, she’s still a hooker. Last years fiasco with the AMA/DMG series didn’t help my desire to like Buell, they finally got the beginnings of a motor I liked but racing it against middleweights and not being able to run away with the show and not being competitive with the big boy bikes left a bad taste. Now that HD is out of the way I hope Erik can finally pull off what I desire, a bike with the Character of the Triumphs, the Sex appeal of the Italians, and the usability of the Japanese. Keep the price resonable and cover the frame in carbon fiber so I don’t see it and we’d have a deal. Oh, and stop taking candy from babies, go race the superbikes, make a smaller 750 twin for the little guys.
Deckard says
You suck, Harley!
J says
Someone within the motorcycle world with the capital and “stroke” should rescue Erik from Harley Davidson at some point. This kind of talent cannot be squandered or held hostage for long. While maybe not on par (yet), Erik is starting to look like John Britten on many levels. His determination and phoenix mentality exemplify the “Do-er” mentality.
“Free Erik Buell”
hoyt says
@Jeff Ritter – Did you happen to read the online interview between John Burns & Erik Buell on CW’s website? Part 1 goes into some depth on what goes into racing. Read it with an open mind and you can begin to see the complexities. I’m not defending Buell racing with 600s, but it helped understand that there is WAY more than comparing cc sizes. Plus, don’t forget to apply that sharp criticism to Aprilia & KTM. They both ran in that class with their 1000cc (or greater) bikes against factory 600 cc bikes.
@TheKneeslider: “Now suppose Harley Davidson allowed Erik to sell street bikes, how many of you would consider this racer in street clothes?”
Definitely. However, I’d be much more willing to move forward with this purchase if HD was out of the picture COMPLETELY. HD must improve vastly in order to show they are ready to give proper Respect to talented engineers trying to build performance bikes. No corp b.s. …Show the world you are a serious motor company with action throughout the entire company culture & dealerships, otherwise set this bike’s potential free (just like you were set free from AMF)
kneeslider says
hoyt, I’m not suggesting HD be involved in any way other than to remove the non compete clause that Erik is evidently under. Just let him go in every way. They didn’t want him, so why stand in his way?
Kozzy says
@kneeslider – I’ve been riding for 27 years. I’ll admit I don’t ride rockets, but that’s because I don’t find them comfortable, not because I have anything personal against them. I just don’t see the point of this bike on the street. And you’re right, it’s not what I’m looking for.
Scott says
As with many of you, I’d love the idea of a smaller, lighter (450 single?), but still very sporty bike. I’d also love the idea of a 750-850 cc version of this bike (similar to what Ducati did with the 848). A sport tourer and adventure bike would also be cool.
But those things can wait. What I’d really like is to be able to say, for the first time in my lifetime is: “You know that really cool bike that is one of the fastest in the world? That was made right here in the good old USA.”
Harley needs to know that they can bridge the rift they created with us and go back to peaceful coexistence if they’ll simply let Erik Bull make this bike for the track and street. That wouldn’t cost them a dime, but the value of the good-will (or maybe more appropriately the cancellation of ill-will) they could get from that simple gesture would be large.
Once he’s able to do that, he can start working on all those other cool bikes. And from what I know about him, given the resources, I think he’d like to make all those bikes.
J says
I wasn’t one that claimed about Buell styling in the past. If anything, I applaud them for having looked unique in some way.
This bike, as a street bike, would throw that out the window.
I’m not looking for a streetbike, but if I were — there’s no way I could pick this over the quality reputation and undoubtedly lower price of some competing Japanese bikes.
Thom says
Technically, if Mr. Buell, makes sport bikes, he’s not competing with Harley (since they’ve not made anything resembling one)…. So I think they should just drop the ill will and let him build whatever he wants. Also, I know he can’t make bikes under the Buell (since Harley now owns it) name any more, but that doesn’t mean he won’t make street bikes under some other name. Worst case? We wait and see. I have a pretty good feeling Mr. Buell has some tricks still up his sleeve.
And as my own little jab, I think it would be so decidedly poetic if Harley gets bought out and cut up, and Erik Buell starts a successful street bike company while Harley folds. As long as I live, I would never buy a cruiser-style bike anyway. (And I’m not so young, either.)
todd says
Since I can get similar performance out of much smaller and less expensive bikes where I ride, I’ll stick with what I’ve got until I can out-perform them. I don’t know that I could get any more than 1/4 throttle out of this bike on anything other than a wide open, straight freeway. I wouldn’t want to be burdened with all the performance compromises that go along with all the huge tires, extra weight, massive forks, and power this thing has. Same goes for most other bikes out there…
Now if I was a professional racer with access to a lot of free track time, SURE. But then, what’s the point of the lights and license plate?
-todd
Sanders says
Cool looking bike, doesn’t appear to be designed for comfort. Guess that’s why it is a race bike. Maybe I should drop my Buell off with them and see if they’ll shoe horn a 1190 in it. Might have to find a doctor that will do a grin-ectomy afterwards…
AJ says
Why would people buy an american made sport bike? they don’t buy anything else american have you seen wal-marts numbers for this year, it’s staggering how much money they make selling chinese goods to middle america, this country is screwed we don’t make anything. Sorry for ranting,bad days are coming.
Davidw says
Great looking bike; Add street trim it still would look great. If they’d ditched the ‘weird harold’ styling years ago sales would have been better and maybe HD wouldn’t have been so quick to pull the plug. Hindsight is a wonderful thing though.
Schneegz says
Hopefully this means that Buell is finally unshackled from the stifling influence of the soul-sucking, innovation-killing behemoth that is Harley.
Hawk says
Well that is a much better looking version of the Buell. Looks do count. The 1125 was just ugly, to much front and no lowers. I test rode the 1125 and thhought about it but could not get past the looks and it was a bit high in price for what you got.
Now this version might be fun and has better looks. Who knows erik is still young enough if some one with vision, not Harley, will give him a real shot. I think he is a smart guy and good engineer.
The 600 racinf issue you need to read what Erick had to say about the rules and restrictions on his bike. It was even the way it was setup and they won. Good job.
mike says
im glad to see eric moving forward. if this was street production, price was competitive, and i was looking (a lot of ifs) then i would seriously consider it. Cant outperfrom other bikes, but like others have said most of us cant even come close to handling what most sportbikes can dish out anyway especially on the street. i like the styling and i love the silver stripe the frame and swingarm make. As for it not being a smaller displacement & more economical, thats not even a response to the question that was asked.
aaron says
I’m still a little suprised everytime I see “blah blah blah, american made sportbike” espicially when it’s mixed in with statements like “massive horsepower, awesome handling, totally reliable (v-twin, of course) for xxxx dollars”. (usually less than any bike made that meets only one of the above criteria). what the world really needs is a lower east slovovian made cruiser/dual purpose/schlong extension with 7 wheels that makes 34 catpower at the rear wheel. it should explode after 17 revolutions of the engine, have 3.14 cylinders, be ugly as sin and cost more than a war for oil (sorry, WMD’s)
having said that, yay for eric buell, and may he actually manage to deliver the bike people seem to be clamoring for.
Dan says
First of all, the bike is Aweseome. Someone said “sex on wheels,” I say “sex on racetrack” Beautiful bike Eric! Wait to see her in action.
Secondly, that bike doesn’t need to come in street livery, the simple fact that its an 1125R derivative and could compete with the big boys is enough. Though I’m not so niave or scared as to say I’d rather have a 250 in my street bike, I would rather have the 1125R with some body rework if you like (though I think mine is beautiful just the way she is) for everyday riding. Then if Buell wants to sell a street legal 1190R with all the race parts for over $50,000 after they win a few races, ala Desmocedici, then maybe it would be ok to put this out for public consumption.
Thirdly as far Harley’s supidity….. Harley probably has a larger buget for leather-clad suffed toy pigs than it ever had for Buell, so cutting Buell for economic reasons just doesn’t jive. Buell was counter to the Harley tradition so I’m guessing that the suits who never liked the little subsidiary finally go their way with a convenient economic excuse to save face in the showroom & more importantly in the boardroom.
The real loss for Harley was the fact that they had the perfect bridge to bring young consumers into their brand. Every other bike company out there spends money racing so that they can sell sportbikes to kids for 40years of their life and then cruisers and accessories to those same adults in the subsequent 40years. Win on sunday sell on monday. Somehow Harley had managed to survive without that for years, and apparenlty thinks they can continue to turn away whole demographics of customers. When Harley shut down Buell it burned its best bridge to a young crowd that would one day be old and want a comfortable bike with a radio & a throne for the old lady. Because her back WILL start to hurt from riding sportbikes. As long as Harley continued to build XC1200R type bikes and Buell had the XB’s the tie in the line would be there, even if it was the 1190R that was raced. I had always said I’d buy a harley one day when my back & knees can no longer take a week long trip on the XB12R (& now 1125R) but not any more. When I need a cruiser it will be a VICTORY. Harley would have to do more than “Free Eric Buell” if they ever want to get me back into the showroom for more than 1125R warranty service or a free burger.
I don’t think the XB will ever be back, it will be heart breaking when the wife finally makes me sell my XB12R beacuase I bought the 1125R. C’est la vie
Dan says
Sorry couple corrections: “CAN’T wait to see it in action” & it a sportster XR1200 not an XC1200R, see… I’m still crossing my buell & harley lingo, mostly because I don’t know harley lingo 😉
joe says
Hopefully Eric will do some very indepth research before he sinks his life savings into a bike that the public say they will buy if he puts it in production.Thats what Yamaha tried before they launched the MT-01. Apart from being overpriced, very few of the would be buyers stuck to thier word and showed up when it hit the show rooms. After the first year they dropped the price hugely,and still no one bought. My local dealer just sold 6 unused 2006 MT-01’s for much less than it cost him a few years ago.No small company can take a massive loss like Yamaha did,on a bike that the motorcycling public say they will buy. I think to start with , if Eric built bikes for individual order with a large secured deposit, he could grow his company from that base and be in with a fighting chance.
FREEMAN says
How about everyone give it a rest? HD dropped Buell. Big whoop. As joe hints at, all of you claiming to buy a Buell motorcycle if he only did this or did that would never have bought one to begin with. I’m sure you’d find some other reason not to buy it, whatever that reason would have been. I hear the same comments on all the other new lines from other manufacturers. Talk is cheap. If you were serious about obtaining a certain motorcycle, you would have one already.
Fred M. says
FREEMAN wrote:
“How about everyone give it a rest? HD dropped Buell. Big whoop.”
It’s just 180 people who lost their jobs at Buell and tens of thousands of Buell customers who are affected. Yeesh!
“Talk is cheap. If you were serious about obtaining a certain motorcycle, you would have one already.”
I own two Buells: A 2006 Lightning Long (XB12Ss) and a 2009 1125CR. So, unless you own a Buell, perhaps you should leave the talking to those of us who do.
Lincoln says
Maybe this is the bike Buell should have had on the show room floor instead of that 1125R. I think you either loved the 1125R styling or hated it and I hated it.
I own two Buells, (S1, XB). HAve been a fan for a long time but not with the 1125. There were issues with that engine that just shouldnt have been.
The low speed ECM mapping on the first 1125R (Aussie bikes) were just awful!
I cant remember how many calibration upgrades it took to get them sorted.
That cost them sales over here.
Also finding neutral (its there somewhere) and that whole procedure for checking the oil level. Incredible
Small points maybe but points that should have been addressed before production.
Cycleguy says
It almost hurts to see this bike and think of what could have been. Buell was truly on the verge of a breakthrough in the market. For Buell to have been able to turn the corner and become a legitimate player in the sportbike world it needed a bike to compete at the highest level (AMA SuperBike & World Superbike) for the mass market sportbike crowd, those 20 – 35 year old’s that are the majority of the Japanese sportbike buyers to accept it as viable alternative. Just as Ducati has done in this segment, albeit, to the more higher income bracket of this group. The rule in this market is very simple, what wins on Sunday, sells on Monday!
This was the bike Buell had to build, and it did. It’s a crying shame that HD management was so completely ignorant of 1/3 of the entire motorcycle market, to not realize what Buell was about to achieve with this bike. HD has single handedly set back the American sportbike dream for decades, and for that, I’ll never forgive them!
todd says
I’m Jones’n more for a street legal Aprilia RS125 or 250. I’d put money on those being faster than the 1190RR on the type of roads I like to ride on. Sure, the 1190 will pass me on the freeway but I only ride the highways to get to the real roads. Last thursday I was stuck behind some guy on his 1000cc CBR(?) going through Redwood Road. He wouldn’t move over for me on my ’81 650 seca and I didn’t want to pass on blind corners. If he was a better rider then maybe I would have never caught up to him. Apparently his 150 hp, huge brakes, upside-down forks, 180 rear tire, and Acropovic underseat exhaust couldn’t keep him out of the way of a 29 year old Shaftie commuter bike.
BUT, I wish Erik Buell all the best. He did have a great opportunity, no doubt, but how frustrating it must have been to work behind those bars (and shield) all those years. Maybe next year Rotax will give him untold millions to come work for them and we’ll see the great Can Am name on a proper motorcycle once again.
-todd
Lohmann says
What a shame that Harley didn’t wanted to sell Buell to Bombardier! Think of this lineup:
Keep the Rotax powered 1125. Make a road bike of the one in this post. Make a half-faired version with the radiator under the seat/tail (like the Britten V1000) to clean up the look.
Get rid of the Harley powered models, and make a true sportsbike based on the BRP E-Tec 600cc or/and 800cc two stroke snowmobile engine. That would be a super light, torque monster with a soundtrack made in heaven (think Kenny Roberts TZ750 flattracker). That would be a real Blast (pun intended) and the sportsbike of the decade!
I surely hope that Bombardier snap up Erik Buell and make a bike with an E-Tec engine, call it Can Am or whatever I don’t care, just build a bike like that!
hoyt says
@todd – yeah, those 180 tires, upside down forks, & huge breaks get in Ben Spies’ way too. For every newb rider that you come across on too big of a bike for his/her skills, there is another skilled rider that is plenty happy with those parts.
kneeslider: “hoyt, I’m not suggesting HD be involved in any way other than to remove the non compete clause that Erik is evidently under.”
I didn’t think so, but I wanted to state that it would be preferred to buy a Buell bike with no strings attached at all to HD. They blew it. I didn’t believe it when I read that the HD CFO or whatever publicly admitted that HD hadn’t a clue as to how much killing Buell would save the company. But, it looks like it is true since they were foolish to not have separate financials for Buell. Stockholders should find that alarming & incompetent
todd says
exactly Hoyt. The sort of equipment that the 1190RR provides will not make anyone a better rider. If Erik was able to put this bike on the street and I bought one, I would be no faster than I am right now. I’ve tried faster bikes and they’re no faster than what you already ride – unless we’re talking about fast in a straight line. Skill and practice is what it takes to go faster and until someone can start bolting that on to a bike we’re going to have to go about it the hard way.
-todd
FREEMAN says
@ Fred M: “It’s just 180 people who lost their jobs at Buell and tens of thousands of Buell customers who are affected. Yeesh!”
How about the near ten thousand employees at HD? Harley haters do not seem to care if HD keels over and all those employees go home empty handed. Where’s the justice in that?
I do currently own a Buell; doesn’t mean I have any more of an opinion.
Scott says
Freeman, if you’re concerned about Harley jobs, you should blame Harley management – like all of us do. Not some phantom “Harley haters”. We’re not the ones destroying the company.
Harley management didn’t just “drop Buell”, they dropped them and refused to let anybody continue the brand. It’s the difference between somebody dropping their girlfriend and someone killing her so no-one can have her.
Now that we know BRP wanted to buy them, we know that Harley management murdered Buell.
Nobody wanted Harleys in the eighties, but they were allowed to survive to become what they are today.
Ofir says
Erik Buell so much better without HD, the spirit of racing is back in his sails. YOU GO BOY!!!
klr-dude says
i would not last 2 minutes in that position !
John says
So awesome. I wish this would’ve made it to the street. I hope this bike kills the competitors.
FREEMAN says
@ Scott, the difference is that HD owns the Buell Motorcycle Company. It’s not a girlfriend-boyfriend relationship as you put it, which is as dramatic as it is inaccurate. It’s their choice what to do with what they own. I agree it sucks, but it’s not fair for anybody to tell others how to manage their own property or to lose their job just because you don’t like how they do business.
Anonymouse says
Many of the parts on this 1190RR, such as the die-cast magnesium tail, are straight from the 2011 streetbike that died in November 2009. The fairing/radiator combination is good for 12 mph in top speed at Daytona just by itself . . .
hoyt says
todd : “If Erik was able to put this bike on the street and I bought one, I would be no faster than I am right now. I’ve tried faster bikes and they’re no faster than what you (he) already ride”
That’s your problem, not advancements in engineering
RBJ says
This has nothing to do with “fairness”. It has come to light that H-D’s micro-management, poor decision-making, interference, and bad attitude towards Buell from the very start is the root cause for Buell’s limited success. Now, after seeing the product that would have changed everything- it should come as no surprise that people are upset. What you are witnessing is a REACTION to H-D’s management of Buell, and that reaction is taking the form of disgust and anger- and the collateral economic ramifications. I have owned three Harleys and four Buells (’08 XB12R in the garage now), and I am proud to say, without reservation- FUHD NEVER FORGET 10-15-2009 BUELL FOREVER… HARLEY NEVER!
taxman says
A very impressive bike. The position is a little to aggressive for me and I don’t need that much power. So I would not buy one, I’d just have a lovely screen shot of it as my desktop on my pc.
However, with a smaller version say around 80-95hp and a little bit friendlier ergo’s I would have a hard time choosing another bike over it. And I am looking for a new bike. I had a Buell xb9r. It was a good bike. Bought it new in 2003 and kept it until I was in an accident and it was damaged beyond repair. The HD dealer was no longer a Buell dealer but they treated me well so I bought my second bike from them, a sportster. It’s not quite what I want, but didn’t know it at the time.
The 1125r, and this new bike, are just more bike than I want.
todd says
Yes, it is my problem. I was asked if I would buy it. This bike would be a big waste of money for me. It would not make me a better rider. I do believe that this bike will not make anyone a better rider. I don’t see any advancement in engineering on this bike that could make anyone a better rider. When I get to the point at where I am beginning to reach the limits of the capabilities of my existing bike then I will get something better. I imagine we are all currently in that process. There may be some people here, like Ben Spies, who are only limited by their bike. For the other 99.999% of us it’s best to stop thinking a “better” bike will make us a better rider.
-todd
Kurt says
Great for Erik and EBR! Its interesting to note that any Buell related articles on KneeSlider brings out some interesting conversation. The 1099 looks to be a sweet bike and I hope Erik sells a bunch of them. As for a street version, why not? I own two Buells and enjoy them both, great bikes. Did HD screw the pooch on this one, sure, poor management decision that will haunt them for a long time. Lousy management of a great asset, and a failure to the Buell community for not selling it. While Buell does belong to HD, the passion for the product belongs to us Buellers and the creators of these machines! Angry? Yes Best of luck to Erik and his new venture. May he show the naysayers that he is a Do’er!
hoyt says
“I don’t see any advancement in engineering on this bike that could make anyone a better rider.” Todd
Many riders are better riders because of their time put into riding bikes that push the performance level beyond a 1981 Seca 650.
todd says
apparently we agree on this then.
-todd
buellboy says
willey what possition do you mean. i hope you don’t mean upright.
from what you say you have never ridden a Buell, otherwise you will know that specially the 1125r chassis is one of the most confortable. i have done 16 hours stright and no back bike like it would be on any japanese spotbike.
and at he track you just tuck down like aby sportbike.
there is a reason why people respect erik buell. he thinks about the rider not about the profit liek the 4 japanese brands.
the rider 1st is buell core believes
buellboy says
phoebey, how can this bike to big. unless you were under 5’1
hoyt says
Todd, we don’t agree on anything except that it takes time to improve skill.
There are riders that can do things on bikes like the Buell because of their skill AND because of the bike’s engineering whether you believe it or not riding down the road on your Seca
todd says
Right. And for every person who can get the most out of this Buell there are countless thousands of others who can’t. The fact that I often get “stuck” behind or out-run some guy on his super sports bike when I’m on my Seca, GB500, XR650, or R75/5 suggests that fact to me. Apparently all that modern technology can’t help him keep up. I also understand that, judging by the 1/4″ or so of chicken strips I have left, I still have quite a bit of room to improve on my existing bikes before I could assume something more modern will make me any faster.
This is why I wouldn’t buy one of these if it became available for the street.
-todd
joe says
I really like the buells and I think that the 1190 is a bad ass bike they need to start selling them again
is there anyway I could get a 1190