Much like the Mission RS post last week, this week’s Sportbike Saturday looks at the future of American Motorcycling: Erik Buell Racing.
Erik Buell stands over the 1190RX
Erik Buell. A name most of you are familiar with. Most likely, you’re familiar with his motorcycle brand that became affiliated with Harley-Davidson as the motorcycle giant looked to enter into the sportbike world. The two parties have since mutually separated and after a brief hiatus from the motorcycling world, Buell is back building ultra-exquisite and ultra-fast machines under his own brand.
Buell was born outside of Pittsburgh and was raised on a farm in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania. He raced dirtbikes throughout his teens and early-to-mid-20’s. He took his love for motorcycling a step further as he worked as a motorcycle mechanic during the day and studied engineering at the University of Pittsburgh in the evenings. After graduation, Buell landed a job at Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In 1984, while working for Harley-Davidson, Buell developed and began selling his first production-racer dubbed the “RW750” – the RW standing for “Road Warrior.” At a price that was half of what the competition was offering, Buell found buyers and the buyers found success. Unfortunately, just one year later, the American Motorcycling Association decided that the Formula One class, the class which Buell’s machines were racing, would be discontinued and all of Buell’s hard work was for naught.
The 1190RS saw only 100 production units and received rave reviews
Buell wasn’t fazed and used his Harley roots to create another racer that was also of production quality. In 1989, Buell introduced the RS1200, an extremely light motorcycle that used the 1200cc engine variant from the Sportster, the most popular racer from the Harley stable. In the 1990’s Buell formed his first motorcycle company, dubbed “Buell Motorcycle Company.” 51 percent of this company was owned by Harley-Davidson until 2003, when Harley bought the remaining 49 percent and began selling the motorcycles in their massive dealership network. During this time, Buell focused on the commercial end of the sportbike world and developed bikes like the Blast, Lightning, and Firebolt, all of which were sold under the Harley umbrella and could be found at Harley dealerships. These motorcycles were rather inexpensive, good quality, and American-made. In 2009, due to the economic conditions and the lack of overall motorcycle sales, Harley decided to pull the plug on the Buell Motorcycle Company and announced that it would no longer sell the motorcycles.
The 1190RX will see action overseas in WSBK in 2014
Once again unfazed, Buell immediately launched Erik Buell Racing in 2009 and introduced his most technologically advanced motorcycle yet, the 1190RR. This bike was strictly used for racing and had no commercial production. The next evolution came in 2011 with the 1190RS, a street model based on a massive 1,190cc V-twin engine pumping out 175 horsepower. A mere 100 were made. A third evolution of the 1190 has been released as a 2014 model and is titled the 1190RX, a production-racer that will find a home in one of the most iconic racing series in the world, the World Superbike Championship.
The 1190RX will feature the same 1,190cc’s in V-twin form, but will bump the power up 10hp to 185hp total with a max torque of 101.3 lb.-ft. at 8200 rpm, which is 3 lb.-ft. more at 800 less rpm than the other powerful V-twin, the Ducati 1199 Panigale R. A perfected chassis places the 55.5 inch wheelbase at the top of the pack, giving the RX incredibly quick steering. By comparison, the Panigale comes in at 56.6 inches, while weighing 417lbs., a mere two more than the RX. Another notch for the case of the 1190RX? The price. Buell posts the limited-edition RX for $18,995 compared to the $29,995 it costs to purchase the Panigale.
The 1190RX comes in yellow, black, and red liveries
Buell is confident that his machine and racing operation are on par with the rest of the manufacturers and bikes and has advanced his racing program from the American Motorcycling Association to the World Superbike Championship. This series is a place where many of the best riders in the world race superbikes that are close to their production brothers that you can purchase at a dealership. Fittingly, Americans Geoff May and Aaron Yates will be at the helm of the two RX’s in competition and will face off against the very best from BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Triumph, Aprilia, and Ducati. Keep an eye out for the happenings of EBR across the pond in WSBK in 2014.
More information about Erik Buell Racing can be found here.
More information about World Superbike Championship can be found here.