Buell Motorcycles Is Back

[Admin]

Buell has announced its return to the motorcycle world, and plans to produce 10 models, one being the EBR 1190SX. (Buell Motorcycles/)

Nearly a dozen years after then-owner Harley-Davidson pulled the plug on the Buell brand in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the firm is making a comeback with big plans for a new model range reaching into every corner of the market. The new incarnation of Buell is a rebrand of EBR Motorcycles, the direct descendant of the original Buell company, with EBR Motorcycles boss Bill Melvin as CEO. The recent surprise announcement that the Buell name was making a comeback was accompanied by an outline plan for 10 new models to be released between now and 2024.

A superbike based on the same EBR 1190RX platform is also said to be in the works. (Buell Motorcycles/)

The first models will come in the form of a superbike derived from the EBR 1190RX, as well as a continuation of the naked EBR 1190SX, along with a 185 hp “Super Touring” adventure model based on the 1190SX, said to be joining the range in 2023. That has long been the plan of EBR, which promised an “AX” adventure model as far back as 2014. A fourth model, the 1190 HCR, is a crazy-looking hill climber based on the 1190′s 185 hp V-twin, and has already proved its mettle by winning the 2020 AMA National Pro Hillclimb title. It’s due to be developed into a shorter-wheelbase desert racer—the 1190 Baja—in the near future.

The reborn brand also says it plans on releasing an 185 hp adventure model based on the 1190SX. (Buell Motorcycles/)

But those are just intended to be the start. The firm says it has plans to make tourers and cruisers as well as dirt and dual sport machines to go with its stable of superbikes in the future and, what’s more, says the range will include “medium- and small-displacement motors” as well as the 1190 V-twin.

Melvin said: “We are excited to bring Buell back with this awesome assortment of superbikes and performance motorcycles. We start with the fastest American production motorcycles, handbuilt in the USA, so that’s a nice start! We’re building out those platforms for more touring and adventure models, then we’re expanding our displacements to be competitive with other global brands. The passionate Buell Nation can grow and thrive again.”

Buell’s 2020 AMA National Hillclimb title-winning bike will be the inspiration for a shorter-wheelbase desert racer in the future. (Buell Motorcycles/)

Unlike some revivals, the reborn Buell brand is the direct successor to the original company that Erik Buell founded back in the mid-’80s. Having taken a minority stake in the firm in 1993, H-D became majority owner in 1998, launching a development onslaught in the mid-’00s that saw Buell finally get its own engine in the form of the water-cooled, Rotax-developed DOHC V-twin used in the 2007 1125R and 2009 1125CR. In the face of the financial crash, Harley made the decision to refocus on its core products, closing Buell and selling MV Agusta—which it also owned at the time–in 2009.

The story didn’t end there. While H-D wouldn’t allow the Buell brand name to be used, it agreed to allow Erik Buell to build and sell the successor to the 1125R under a new company, Erik Buell Racing, or EBR. Initially, the agreement only allowed racebikes to be made, but that was relaxed to allow road models in the years to come. The first EBRs—the 1190RR and the road-going 1190RS that followed—were effectively the second-generation version of the 1125R, which had been on the verge of being launched when the plug was pulled on Buell.

RELATED: 2015 EBR 1190SX- First Ride

Despite a deal that saw Indian firm Hero MotoCorp take a 49 percent share in EBR in 2013, the firm went into receivership in 2015, with Hero snapping up the R&D arm of the firm and the rest ending up in the hands of bankruptcy specialist Liquid Asset Partners. Under the new name “EBR Motorcycles,” production restarted in 2019, with Liquid Asset Partners boss Bill Melvin at the helm. EBR Motorcycles acquired the rights to the Buell brand name, at least in the USA, in early 2020, although European trademark registers show that the Buell name is still registered to Harley-Davidson in that part of the world.

On Buell’s website it’s called the Hammerhead 1190RX and will be available in Carbon Fiber or Heritage liveries. (Buell Motorcycles/)

A recap of the forthcoming models from Buell:

2021 Buell Hammerhead 1190RX

A rebranded version of the EBR 1190RX, itself the direct descendent of the Buell Barracuda II prototype that was lost when Harley-Davidson closed the original iteration of Buell in 2009. Dubbed the Hammerhead 1190RX on the firm’s website, it features Buell’s 185 hp, 1,190cc V-twin with a compact 72-degree V-angle, mounted in the unusual fuel-in-frame chassis that’s been a Buell signature since the XB9R Firebolt of 2003. It also features the firm’s rim-mounted brake discs and an impressively light 419-pound wet weight.

The naked 1190SX is built on the same 1190RX platform, and will be available in Carbon Fiber or Black Mamba versions (shown). (Buell Motorcycles/)

2021 Buell 1190SX

A carryover of the EBR 1190SX, Buell’s unfaired offering is effectively the same as the RX, simply fitted with less enveloping bodywork and wider, flatter bars. An even lighter claimed 414-pound wet weight is the result.

A dedicated adventure bike from Buell has long been in the works, and it’s expected to have the signature fuel-in-frame design. (Buell Motorcycles/)

Buell 1190 Super Touring

Initially Buell is promising to offer a touring accessory package for the 1190SX, which it says will be available later this year, before launching a dedicated adventure bike in 2023. From the renderings seen here, the chassis is again the fuel-in-frame design, allied to off-road tires and a more upright riding position.

This purpose-built HCR hill climber will serve as the platform for upcoming dirt racing and adventure bikes. (Buell Motorcycles/)

Buell 1190 HCR

An out-and-out competition bike designed for the sole purpose of hill climbing, the HCR features the usual Buell engine bolted to a steel tube frame with a massively extended swingarm. With 185 hp and a skimpy 355-pound wet weight the performance is understandably impressive. A shorter-swingarm Baja version based on the same platform is also planned for off-road “Baja Race” and “Baja Adventure” forms.

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[Copycat73]

A niche market .. expensive and V twins attract as many as they repulse ... 

[Trooper74]

And they where never seen again ...................

[fastbob]

I rode an early Buell and I have never experienced engine vibration like it . I could literally not see properly at junctions because my eyeballs were jiggling in their sockets .  I can only assume that that was part of the appeal of the thing . Good luck to the latest incarnation but it's only a Buell in  name since they moved away from sticking Sportster engines in a Naked Sportsbike . 

Edited February 20, 2021 by fastbob

[Bender]

5 hours ago, fastbob said:

I rode an early Buell and I have never experienced engine vibration like it . I could literally not see properly at junctions because my eyeballs were jiggling in their sockets .  I can only assume that that was part of the appeal of the thing . Good luck to the latest incarnation but it's only a Buell in  name since they moved away from sticking Sportster engines in a Naked Sportsbike . 

Mate has a buell, it's very vibey, it's more of a leftover harley Davidson parts bin special.