Easy rider Erik Buell is the inspiration behind a new generation of superbike, which is exciting riders around the globe.
By Ian Armitage
Designed from the rider down, the 1125R is a great way of making your journeys fun
Founded by ex-Harley-Davidson motorcycle engineer Erik Buell, the Buell Motorcycle Company is based in East Troy, Wisconsin and is the only significant manufacturer of sporting motorcycles in the United States.
Like its founder, the Buell Motorcycle Company is no-nonsense; it doesn’t mess around. It’s all or nothing. Commitment and dedication are mandatory. “Why bother if it isn’t going to be the best?” asks Erik, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of Buell Motorcycle Company. “After all, you achieve nothing if you come second.” This attitude has served Erik well and his company, America’s premier designer of sport bikes, continues to revolutionize the industry using this same approach.
According to Erik, a man committed to making the riding experience fun, Buell’s motorcycles are modeled on a single philosophy – delivering superior performance for real riders on real roads. “Most riders don’t spend all of their riding time on the race track, so we don’t design our motorcycles exclusively for the track. Instead, we design them to give riders the ability to extract the most fun from every ride – whether that is the ride to work or a run around the track,” he says
The first Buell motorcycle, the RW750, was built by Erik in 1983 purely for competing in the AMA Formula 1 Motorcycle Road Racing Championship. After the completion of the first two machines, the Formula 1 series was cancelled and this forced Buell to turn his attention to racing-inspired, street-faring machines that utilized engines manufactured by Harley-Davidson.
In 1993, Harley joined in partnership with Buell, as a 49 percent stakeholding minority partner. This saw the company renamed Buell Motorcycle Company. In 1998, Harley purchased majority control, and in 2003 Buell became a wholly-owned subsidiary.
A new era
In July 2007, Buell unveiled the 1125R, a sport bike which departed from the company’s history of using Harley-style power plants. The all-new Buell 1125R, a ground-breaking machine in the superbike category, delivers a true balance of street and track performance. Designed with a passion for bikes, which has defined Buell motorcycles for 25 years, the 1125R joins the XB and Blast as a third Buell motorcycle platform. The first 1125R’s have already arrived at US dealers and demand for the bike is extremely high.
“This is the start of a new era for everyone at Buell,” says Erik. “The new bike is designed and built from the rider down and takes us to a new performance level. Going forward, we will continue to embrace our vision of designing motorcycles that offer the ultimate riding experience.”
The Buell 1125R is really all about power, and adds an artful combination of engine performance, precise-and-agile handling, advanced aerodynamics and superior rider environment and control. Packaged with distinctive styling that leaves most mechanical components exposed, the bike provides superior aerodynamics, rider comfort and efficient airflow. It also delivers race-inspired agility and handling, while holding to the three principles of the Buell Trilogy of Technology – chassis rigidity, low unsprung weight and mass centralization.
“A lot of high performance bikes are hard to ride – ours isn’t. It is easy to ride! That makes our product different to anything else available on the market,” says Buell. The bike is a great looking machine that has caused a stir amongst bike enthusiasts.
“Our goal is to build bikes, which are fun and at one with the rider,” says Erik. “They also have to look great. Using innovation we have delivered a superior riding experience in the form of the distinctive Buell 1125R. It is a powerful, high performance bike, which features precise handling, advanced aerodynamics and superior rider control.
Importantly, it holds our main principles. We wanted to bring the Buell way to this new market – and boy is it an exciting time.”
Erik always looks at the rider experience and how to enhance it. His team works hard to create machines which do exactly that.
Project Elvis
Demand for this revolutionary bike has been so high that it is stretching this small company to the limit. The company grew fast, but its systems, unfortunately, weren’t growing at the same rate. This has led to “Project Elvis,” a massive information systems initiative designed to help Buell respond to product issues in a more timely and uniform manner.
“We have developed a place where data is never repeated, and is accessible to everyone who needs it. I wanted to put all the information in a web-based database so that the little comments made about a particular part or issue aren’t lost and so the next guy who comes along and notices the same issue will have immediate access to it,” explains Erik.
His goal, and the aim of “Project Elvis”, is to use feedback from customers and dealers to boost quality and improve motorcycle development. “We have to focus on developing bikes that guarantee customer satisfaction; Elvis helps us do just that without wasting time in meetings,” he says.
“Production has increased as a result of demand for the new bike, so we are focused on becoming super-lean. Elvis is very powerful in the way it can help us in the development process. Although it is only at 25 percent, Harley has already incorporated it into its systems. We’re really looking forward to seeing it at 50 percent; 100 percent will be unbelievable – I can’t wait.”
Despite his achievements, particularly in what has become an exciting 2007, Erik is still a biker at heart. He will continue to push the boundaries of performance, creating powerful bikes that are easy to ride. “We do some amazing things,” he says. “I love riding motorcycles and I’m so proud of what we have all achieved here. There is a new breed of rider out there today and the future looks good.”
With this new corner in the superbike industry, motorcycles have never been so popular and the new breed of rider is one Buell is targeting. The efficiency of the machines is to be envied, and as this niche market opens up Buell is well-placed to make serious in-roads in a growing industry. “There will be significant change in the future,” admits Buell.
Happy birthday Buell
Buell will celebrate its 25th Anniversary in 2008 with a special motorcycle badge, as well as a variety of events July 2-6, 2008 in Wisconsin. “When you start something like this you never think about milestones like your 25th birthday, you just suddenly arrive there,” explains Buell.
“It has been a great journey, but it is one we are only just starting out on really, especially when you consider we have just launched the 1125R. Our 2008 homecoming is going to be very special and I couldn’t be more thrilled with what we are and where we are going.”