2011 Buell 1125RR?

[whodom]

Photo from RoadracerX:



Brad, is THAT good looking enough for you?  

Several hints have been posted at Badweb (based on info gleaned at the "last ride to the factory" last month) about a new model to be introduced next year which would have shed significant weight and added power compared to the existing 1125R.  Two features that appear to match up with the photo are an ultra-light tail section and chain drive.  The bike looks too complete to be a home built.  

Original page here:  http://www.roadracerx.com/features/road-racerhead/honda-road-racerhead-46/
Photo is at the bottom.

[st2sam]

   WHOA, thats sharp! I hope your on to something, for all the Buell lovers!

[falconati]

looks nice...it appears they were just hitting their stride.

[garry]

Buell started offering a lower fairing kit for the 1125. I wonder if that's it?

[Schneegz]

This should piss off the Bueller's even more.

Since the announcement of the Buell shutdown, some folks who would know, have been talking about a new Buell model that was in development. Details from those folks are mixed with lots of speculation, so it's hard to separate fact from fiction.

Someone tipped me to this photo of what they say is the bike in those rumors. It was shot by John Hanson, a contributing photographer for Road Racer X, somewhere near Milwaukee. It's not what most people expect to see when the name Buell is mentioned.

Speculation about the bike indicates a displacement of 1199cc and much less weight and more horsepower than the current 1125R, it's the kind of bike you would build if you were planning on World Super Bike competition, or more to the point, the bike you would build as a true, no compromise, world class American sport bike.

Let me repeat, though there is a lot of speculation and rumor about this, until confirmed, it is just that. But, ... the plug was pulled, the lights are out, so it may not really matter except as a sad reminder of what might have been.

[R Doug]

I would have loved to see that bike come out and see Buell compete in SBK.  I was also looking forward to a potential new Uly.  

[whodom]

Buell started offering a lower fairing kit for the 1125. I wonder if that's it?

Definitely not- here's the accessory fairing:  

[scramblerracer123]

I hope someone can keep the line going.

[veefer800canuck]

I would have loved to see that bike come out and see Buell compete in SBK.  I was also looking forward to a potential new Uly.  

Maybe that's why Harley killed the company?  

Because Eric might have succeded in AMA superbike where the VR1000 failed????  


(ahhh memories of Laguna Seca 2000, watching AMA superbike practice from the inside pit wall, DuHamel roaring in from a hot lap, hearing Peter Goddard ripping on the Benelli Tornado Tre in WSB, etc....)



Dayum nice bike, BTW.....

[Brad1445]

The bike in the picture is too marketable for Buell.  

That was the dream bike (and color) I would have bought.  I don't  believe  Erik Buell was smart enough to make a bike that mainstream that people would have liked and bought.  ie 1125r

It's way to logical.

Ruthless engineering, crushed Blast, pods, poor build quality is what he delivered after all that time and research $$$$$$.  That was how they played their cards.

Hopefully Buell we be remembered for the XB Bikes and not the rough beginnings and the embarrassing failures at the end.

[Brad1445]

Photo from RoadracerX:



Brad, is THAT good looking enough for you?  

I would have paid full sticker plus in a heartbeat.  

[Mastros2]

Very nice!

[xbud]

 I would have liked to see the CR version of that bike as well.

[falconati]

Just an FYI to certain members who continue to post in the Buell threads: the 1125s sold faster than the XBs.

[Schneegz]

Just an FYI to certain members who continue to post in the Buell threads: the 1125s sold faster than the XBs.

Really?  Where'd you get that info?

[falconati]

Really?  Where'd you get that info?

From all the dealers I called (around 20).  It's obviously an informal data source - I don't think Buell or HD will be releasing any formal sales data for the last few months...

[st ryder]

"...so it may not really matter except as a sad reminder of what might have been."

If anything, I think the yellow bike shows that a design can be different and identifiably unique by using subtle styling cues, rather than polarising extremes.  The lines of that bike remind me of an American muscle car.   Too bad Harley pulled the plug. Makes one wonder even more what they were thinking. That bike could have been a sales success IMHO.  

[st ryder]

Just an FYI to certain members who continue to post in the Buell threads: the 1125s sold faster than the XBs.

Not in my neck of the woods.

[Rogue]

It's not a cruiser so H-D pulled the plug.

H-D, and most of its customers have always been sport-bike haters.  You can see and hear that with most of its owners.  Many Buell owners certainly noticed it from their experiences at the dealerships.  

[st ryder]

It's not a cruiser so H-D pulled the plug.

H-D, and most of its customers have always been sport-bike haters.  You can see and hear that with most of its owners.  Many Buell owners certainly noticed it from their experiences at the dealerships.  

And yet, when I first heard of Buell 15 years ago, I was speaking with a Yamaha/TR dealer from whom I bought my '89 V-max, and stated to him at that time I wished HD would make a sport bike, "Now that would be cool." He said, "Well, there's that Buell thing." and suggested I stay away. So did just about all the reports I read on the early tubers. I *wanted* a HD sport bike, but due to the negative reports on the early tubers, I stayed away, waiting for things to change. They never did. That being said, I'd love to pick up a mint Thunderbolt S2 or 3 if I could steal it. The XB bikes were interesting, as the reliability seemed to improve greatly, but then again, most reports spoke of their quirky handling, that the suspension had to be set up just right to get them to work. Though I really liked the Firebolt, once again, I was hesitant to buy what I perceived to be a squirrley wheelie machine. Then the 1125r came out, and I lost all faith. Harley owners and dealer attitudes had nothing to do with my hesitation. It was the product that didn't win me over. (But like I said, I do like the Thunderbolts, but I'd have to steal it price wise to be interested)