Several sources have now confirmed that Erik Buell Racing is considering making a 250cc learner-style motorcycle to compliment its EBR 1190RS race/sport bike. Presumably filling the niche left behind by the crushed Buell Blast, the 250cc bike would be geared towards new and first-time riders, and would likely be MSF RiderCourse friendly. With bikes like the Kawaaski Ninja 250R / EX250 topping the sales charts as the best selling sport bike in the US, the folks at Erik Buell Racing are surely eyeing the market potential of a smaller, lightweight sport bike for the company’s growing product line.
With fuel prices only expected to get higher, the entry-level/around-town market for motorcycles is also expected to increase, especially as consumers rethink their personal urban transportation. Likely realizing the company needs to be more than just a sport bike brand, a similar concept Ducati realized several years back, a 250cc learner would round out EBR’s product line-up, and add some needed volume to the company’s production figures.
The road block for Erik Buell Racing going forward with this plan though is the fact that the small Wisconsin company doesn’t have the resources to develop a 250cc motor in house, and the options for building off an existing motor, like how the Erik Buell Racing 1190RS uses a modified Rotax lump, are extremely limited to the company. Of course if there’s one thing Buell & Co. have shown over the past couple of years, where there’s a will, there’s a way. More info as we get it.
Source: Bothan Spies
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