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Erik Buell Racing 1190RR with Turn Signals and Radiator Fans

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Erik Buell Racing 1190RR with turn signals
Erik Buell Racing 1190RR with turn signals

The developments continue at Erik Buell Racing, and a few are more interesting than others, like an 1190RR race bike with turn signals and radiator fans, just the sort of thing you might see on a race street bike. Let’s see, how long has it been since Erik Buell was shown the door? How long before he can set up shop in the street bike business? Rumors of a street bike have been floating around for a while and these photos and video certainly add to the anticipation. I think it’s just a matter of time, … but how much time? Inquiring minds want to know.

Video below:

Comments

  5. Go get’m Eric!
    Can’t wait…..I’ll be lined up but buy one LONG before I’ll throw a leg over any Hardley Ableto except perhaps a free one.

  9. Buell 1190RR Streetbike? This will be HUGE! It could have been a Harley-Davidson supported success. Now it just serves to inform HOG investors of the bewildering incompetence of HDI’s leadership.

    Should we look to Victory or Bombardier to partner with Erik Buell Racing and produce the first American race replic superbike ever?

    Count me as an eager investor!

    Blake

  10. What Blake said. Seriously. HD killing Buell still strikes me as just as inexplicable as their purchase of MV Augusta.

    I really hope Mr. Buell manages to make a serious go of this.

  11. A partnership with Victory would be AWESOME. I have always wanted Victory to make a sportbike or a standard.

    I think the Victory engines look better than the Harleys too.

    Victory cafe racer….

  12. I wish it was Erik’s personal bike. I never understood why he did not own a late model Buell. Believe in the product…Own the product…Ride the bike.

  13. Very nice to see. Looks to follow the design cues of the proposed “Barracuda” bike that was being tested just before HD pulled the plug on Buell.

    Very promising indeed!

  14. If Erik wants to produce bikes he should do it on his own ; possibly with investors. NO partners….its already been shown a partnership is an unhappy ship. Anyone interested in history should check out the fate of the last person with the name Harley to be involved with HD. Shows what an a**hole of a company the motor company evolved into.

  15. Did not take long for this to turn into a HD bash sess. Maybe they deserve it. I would argue it was the best for all involved. But most folks can’t see the forrest because of the trees inthe way.

    Erik can build the bikes he wants. Good, bad or ugly. and HD can do what they do best. Build and sell lots of profitable cruisers and make a big profit. Stopped down the local HD shop, sold our of 2010 Roadkings!!

    give credit where it is due, to Mr Beull and the motorcompany!! I wish him a tenth of HD sales!

  16. Woodman, I have to agree. Whatever anyone thinks of the HD and Buell split, it’s done. I hope that any remaining restrictions on Erik Buell stemming from the breakup will be over and done with as well, ASAP. For the Motor Company to stand in the way of anything Erik would like to do is just wrong and at the same time, Harley should concentrate on serving their core market, however they may want to define it. I wish both parties the best and hope Buell gets that American superbike on the street and Harley gets back to profitability.

  17. My feelings exactly. Harley’s were never my thing, but up until Oct. 15th I respected them. The sooner Erik is back on his feet, the sooner I can go back to appreciating Harleys for the way they do what they do.

    I hope there will soon be a day when XR1200 fans and 1190RR fans can enjoy a day at the track together and watch what used to be a very rare sight – American bikes out there on the tracks that used to be dominated by foreign brands.

  18. This certainly looks promising, I hope a street legal 1190RR becomes a reality. This also brings up a few issues that aren’t easily resolved. I don’t doubt that EBR has a good inventory of left over parts, perhaps enough to sell a number of fully assembled street 1190RR’s, but these will be very expensive bikes, built in limited numbers, not really the under $15K world beater we were hoping to see.

    In order to sell this bike at the original price point, EBR would have to produce a fairly large number, similar to the 1125R numbers, and to do that would require a huge capital investment. Even if that happens, how is EBR going to source engines from Rotax unless HD gives up their rights to the engine, or EBR purchases those rights which HD just spent a fortune securing for themselves?

    As much as I hope to see a street legal, affordable (relatively) 1190RR built by EBR, I just don’t see how they can resolve those issues.

  19. If this a sign of what is coming after Erik slips the leash of that non- compete clause with “The Motor Company”, then look the f out is all I can say. I have been waiting for this for awhile and will trade my beloved R1 against one of these at the first oppertunity.
    Hmmmm, how can I work 1190RR into my internet handle?
    Go Erik

  20. I wonder how well EBR will succeed without the brand panache backup that was H-D? I imagine many people who bought “Buells” did so because they were a Harley sport bike. Now Erik is nearly back to ground zero, especially if he can’t keep this motor for a street bike. The EBR brand will not pack the same punch, not much more than VRoehr and certainly not as much as Victory, what with the huge Polaris behind the curtain.

    I wish EBR all the best, mostly because it stands for a US produced sports motorcycle, not because I drank the Erik-ade.

    -todd

  21. “I wonder how well EBR will succeed without the brand panache backup that was H-D? I imagine many people who bought “Buells” did so because they were a Harley sport bike.”

    I think you would find most Buell buyers purchased the bike DESPITE being sold in a HD dealership. HD sportbike? Um, no. American sportbike, yes.

  22. I think we’re going to have to brace ourselves for a VERY high initial price (I’m thinking $40,000 or higher), but you have to start somewhere.

    The AMA doesn’t currently have any specific limites on production numbers for homologation, but I’d think something in the ballpark of 200 bikes would be enough to get things started, get homologated, get some CASH coming in the door (and that’s the big problem now – all the money is going out and nothing is coming in), get a small production line set up, get a small distribution network in place, get some of the legal concerns handled, EPA and DOT certifications etc. etc. etc.

    I’d guess that the closer you are to East Troy, the better your chances of getting your hands on one of these in the short-term.

    Once he gets started, he can build on that, produce more bikes, bring the price down offer more models etc.

    Eventually we’ll have a $15,000 bike, but I don’t expect it to start there. There is a lot of work that has to happen before that.

  23. If you want to help Erik Buell Racing do what they need in the short-term, you can donate toward the race effort here: http://www.ebracingteam.com/index.html If you’re interested in investing, there’s also an option for that (though I’d guess they’re still in the initial stages there and probably not ready to take checks yet).

  24. It’s not quit as simple as just producing more bikes to eventually get the price down. It requires mass production and mass buying power. Let’s assume EBR had the ability to source parts from all the same vendors, without purchasing these parts in the same quantities as the Buell Motor Co. did previously, the costs would be substantially higher.
    The only way to get close to the original target price is to set up the operation to produce and source parts in similar numbers as the Buell Motor Co. did. This will essentially require a huge investment, essentially starting all over again. I have no knowledge of Erik’s financial clout, but my guess is that he doesn’t have that kind of capital, and would have to find a partner or joint venture of some sort to accomplish this.
    I don’t think a company like Polaris would be too interested in investing in this sort of venture, given that they already have the capability of building a bike like this on their own if they decided to, and wouldn’t need Erik to do it. Additionally, HD spent a fortune securing their rights to the bike and don’t think they will give these up easily, especially not to a competitor brand.

    The best hope of seeing a competitively priced 1190RR in the future, would be if HD decided to get smart and re-launch it as and HD and build it themselves. Based on who’s running the show their these days, I’m not holding my breath.

  25. I think Todd may have a point in that some Buells, at least the Sportster based ones, may have sold because of the “Harleyness” (nothing to do with Arlen). But the Rotax 1125 was a totally different thing in that regard. I bought one (1125) the day after the shutdown because the price then was WAY too attractive. But I emphasize to people there is not one Harley based part on it.

  26. As to the video and pictures of this bike…maybe it’s simply an 1190 someone put blinkers and a fan on…to fan the rumor flames.

  27. I read in the Swedish bikemagazine MCM that Eric “got 15 months” under wich he was not allowed to compete with HD . . Hmmm, if the company Buell was shut down november 2009 . . the something might happen may 2011?

  29. Trust PJ, he’s in the know… but that is the same blinker/license plate holder that was on the preproduction Barracuda II.

  30. for me its a study in irrelevence, buells have always been muddleheaded with questionable engineering principle, this is no different but hey more power to them, hope they succeed

  31. Check out the interview with Erik in the Sept ’10 Roadracing World. He talks about his future plans once the shackles are off.

  32. Funny…if Eric Buell isn’t allowed to “compete” with HD for 15 months, the question is with which bike does the 1190RR compete within the HD portfolio?

  33. Erik has already been released from HD non-compete, this was talked about heavily at the Buell Homecoming event back in June of this year.

    As for the motor contract with HD – since the motor contract is for the 1125 Helicon, maybe the loophole of sourcing more motors would be to have rotax bore it out at the factory to 1190cc?

    I cant remember exactly who said it, but it was said that the first streetbikes will be limited production and a bit pricey. Sucks, I wish I could afford one, but like said above: they wont be close to the 15k we would like.
    You all keep this in mind – he currently has about 8 people on staff (maybe a few more??) at EBR. When Buell started it was less that than and look where he got. Now he has made a name for himself, proven himself at all of this.
    I dont think he will have a hard time excelling in the streetbike world again.

  34. I try to be amicable, but I’m really upset with the whole fiasco between Harley and Buell. I’d have NEVER given Harley a second look in the first place, but I had at least grown to respect them thanks to Buell. Now I will never own a Harley product as long as I live, and I hope Erik Buell sneaks back up and shows Harley what he’s really capable of. GO ERIK, and DOWN WITH HARLEY!

  35. Hopefully if it does go into production they will offer a naked version for all the Lightning fans.

  36. Youc can’t stop someone like Erik Buell. Harley made a stupid decision and can’t stand them, worse than before. I hope Buell rises up and shows them how stupid they were; I mean..just look at Harley’s failed Superbike effort. What a joke.

  37. Hilarious whining continues…

    Just where were the throngs of (newly minted) Buell fans before they closed?
    Fair weather fans who think they understand why Buell was shut down.
    Buell made no profit. Period. No matter what your “emotions” run on the moco- without H-D pouring millions every year into it, Buell would never have gotten as far as it did. Love H-D or hate it- business realities have to be dealt with. Anyone who lives on a budget should understand that.

    Yeah- it sucks. Buells are great bikes and they were only getting better. But the knee jerk and ignorant cheap shots that show little understanding of business reality only prove the stupidity of the comments. Wonder why H-D didn’t sell it? Think they may have wanted to retain the rights to things Erik developed?

    Next time you rant about the moco remember that the Buell you know got to where it was because of millions and millions invested- and lost- by H-D.

    • 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.

  38. 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.

  39. 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.

  40. 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.

  41. 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 ?