Buell Motorcycles

About Buell

The Buell Motorcycle Company was an American motorcycle manufacturer based in East Troy, Wisconsin, and was founded in 1983 by ex-Harley-Davidson engineer Erik Buell.

The first Buell motorcycle, the RW750, was built in 1983 purely for competition in the AMA Formula 1 motorcycle road racing championship. At that time, Erik Buell was a top contending privateer motorcycle racer. After completion of the first two RW750 racing machines, one of which was sold to another racing team, the Formula 1 series was canceled. Erik Buell then turned his focus towards racing-inspired, street-going machines using engines manufactured by Harley.

Most Buell motorcycles use four-stroke air-cooled V-twin engines, originally built from XR1000 Sportster engines. After these were depleted, a basic 1200 Sportster engine was used. In 1995, the engines were upgraded with Buell engineered high-performance parts and further upgraded in 1998.

In 1998, Harley-Davidson bought a majority stake and took control of Buell Motorcycle Company, and the company became a subsidiary. Since then, Buell has used modified Harley-Davidson engines, primarily from the Sportster, to power its motorcycles.

In 2003, Buell decided to make some improvements and introduced an efficient engine which left behind all the emissions test requirements. On the same list of innovations were the ZTL perimeter floating disc brake system found on the new models, then the fuel-in-frame technology and the dual use of the swingarm as an oil tank.

On October 15, 2009, Harley-Davidson announced the discontinuation of the Buell product line as part of its strategy to focus on the Harley-Davidson brand. The last Buell motorcycle was produced on October 30, bringing the number manufactured to 136,923.

Moto blog

2014 WSBK Provisional Entry List – 27 Riders and 9 Manufacturers

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) released a provisional entry list for the 2014 World Superbike Championship. The provisional list includes 27 riders riding motorcycles from nine different manufacturers. Of these riders, 12 are riding in the new EVO sub-category which limits engine upgrades and electronics to Superstock class rules.

2015 Hero HX250R – The Indian Sportbike Developed by Erik Buell

Indian manufacturer Hero MotoCorp revealed a new 249cc sportbike developed with the help of Erik Buell Racing. Hero is calling the HX250R for now, though the name may change before it enters production in the second half of the year. Whatever the name, the HX250R will be Hero’s flagship model and the company’s weapon against former business partner Honda and its CBR250R.

Larry Pegram To Race EBR 1190RX In 2014 AMA Superbike

Larry Pegram and Erik Buell Racing will be partnering up in 2014 to race an EBR 1190RX in AMA Superbike. This will be Pegram’s third different OEM in as many years, as he rode a Yamaha last year, BMW before that and Ducati in 2011. Supporting Pegram will be his long-time title sponsor, Foremost Insurance Group, along with EBR sponsors AMSOIL and Hero MotoCorp.

FIM to Revise WSBK Homologation Requirements

The International Motorcycling Federation is considering modifying its homologation requirements for the World Superbike Championship following Bimota‘s somewhat surprising plans to re-enter the series. Under current regulations, manufacturers must produce a minimum number of motorcycles for it to be eligible to compete in the production-based WSBK championship. The official regulations currently require a minimum of 125 units produced for an initial homologation inspection, 500 units produced by June 30 of the current year, 1,000 units by the end of the current year and 2,000 units by the end of the following year.

Erik Buell Racing Opens European Office

Erik Buell Racing opened a new office in the Netherlands, making the first step towards establishing a foothold for distribution to Europe. Located in Alkmaar, a suburb north of Amsterdam, the new office will help increase brand awareness in Europe while laying the groundwork for eventual expanded distribution across the continent. The office will also play a key role in supporting EBR’s World Superbike Championship team and riders Geoff May and Aaron Yates.

AMSOIL Giving Away a 2014 Erik Buell Racing 1190RX

Synthetic lubricant company AMSOIL has been a sponsor of Erik Buell Racing for a few years now, backing the fellow Wisconsin-based company’s racing efforts since 2011. Now that EBR has started mass production of the 1190RX streetbike, AMSOIL is continuing the partnership by giving one away. A 2014 EBR 1190RX is the grand prize of the AMSOIL Building Legends Sweepstakes, which runs now through Nov.

New EBRs Rolling Down The Assembly Line

On its Facebook page recently, EBR posted this picture of what are presumably 1190RX models in the first four stations of the assembly line. While maybe not Earth shattering news, it is uplifting to see Erik Buell back in business, with models we can’t wait to ride in the new year. From the photo we can see the 1200cc V-Twin engines in place, with swingarms mounted.

Aaron Yates Joins Geoff May on Team Hero EBR WSBK Team

Aaron Yates is joining Geoff May in making the jump to the World Superbike Championship with Erik Buell Racing. The two Americans will ride the Team Hero EBR 1190RX for the bike’s debut season of international racing. Yates and May finished 8-9 in the 2013 AMA Superbike Championship for Team Hero EBR, with Yates edging out his teammate by a single point.

AMA to Combine Daytona Sportbike and Supersport Classes in 2015

AMA Pro Racing announced plans to combine its Daytona Sportbike and Supersport classes into a single category by the 2015 season. The two classes currently share many similarities including engine displacement regulations, minimum weight limits and eligible machines. The Supersport class has more restrictions on modifications and are limited to a maximum top speed of 165 mph while Daytona Sportbike machines are allowed to reach speeds up to 170 mph.

Hero MotoCorp Forms Joint Venture with Magneti Marelli

Indian manufacturer Hero MotoCorp is teaming up with electronic fuel injection expert Magneti Marelli in a new joint venture. Hero will hold a 60% share in the company with Magenti Marelli controlling the other 40%. The two companies are initially investing a combined US$8.5 million into the joint venture, with a planned  investment of US$27 million total over the next ten years.