Buell's New Partners (?)

[Schneegz]

From Motorcycle USA:

Erik Buell Racing & AMSOIL Partner in AMA
Courtesy of Erik Buell Racing
Thursday, February 17, 2011

Erik Buell Racing and AMSOIL INC have announced a new partnership. AMSOIL will develop and supply lubricants for the new Erick Buell Racing motorcycles, as well as enter a three-year sponsorship of the EBR racing effort in AMA Pro Racing.

Geoff May will pilot the EBR-prepped bikes for the 2011 American SuperBike season. The team will begin this year’s campaign aboard the Buell 1125RR at the Daytona opener, with plans to debut a racing version of Buell’s 1190RS planned for Infineon in May – the second stop on the 2011 schedule.

OK, that makes sense.  A manufacturer of lubricants sponsoring a race team is pretty standard fare, and good news for Buell, but check this out.

From JS Online:

Motorcycle-maker plans new limited edition line
By Rick Barrett of the Journal Sentinel

Feb. 16, 2011

...

S&S Cycles of Viola is working with Buell to develop the new street bike.

"We definitely want to support him any way we can," said Scott Sjovall, S&S vice president of product development.

Huh?    Why is S&S involved in developing "the new street bike"?  And how are they involved?  Does Buell plan to manufacture a new "XB" - type line with S&S engines (though not my cup of tea, they were/are much loved by their owners)?  

Whatever the case may be, I wish Mr. Buell lots of luck, and hope that sometime in the near future he can build an 1190 I can afford.

[custodian]

From what I see... S&S Cycles has no liquid cooled motors... that would mean another XB type model.

I wonder if EBR is receiving new BRP motors... or is using up old stock from the 1125 program for HD?

[Rogue]

The 1190 is based on the 1125R Helicon engine but is bored and stroked, uses different internal parts, but definitely shares a direct lineage.  Makes sense to do that because the Helicon has a lot of future potential.

[whodom]

Speculation (inside knowledge?) on Badweb is that S&S is handling the machine work for converting the 1125 engines into 1190's and they're handling the EPA certification testing as well.

Working with S&S would seem to make an EBR air-cooled bike at least a possibility in the future.

[Schneegz]

Speculation (inside knowledge?) on Badweb is that S&S is handling the machine work for converting the 1125 engines into 1190's and they're handling the EPA certification testing as well.

Working with S&S would seem to make an EBR air-cooled bike at least a possibility in the future.

That makes sense.  S&S definitely has a lot more capacity than Buell does right now.

[Zixxerpilot]

S&S wrote the book on worldwide emissions certification. The engineers there have it down to a very exact science! S&S is lending their engineering talent to Buell to help them certify, nothing more. he is still using the Rotax engine, albeit in a 1190.