Do not adjust your computer monitors. Don’t worry about the date, this is not an April Fools joke. What you are seeing is real. Buell is back.
The Buell Motorcycles name is returning back to business, as Erik Buell Racing has acquired the name from Harley-Davidson, and plans to relaunch its motorcycle business under the moniker.
With that news, Buell Motorcycles has big plans, as the American company hopes to release 10 motorcycles by the 2024 model year.
When Erik Buell Racing shutdown last year, the American sport bike manufacturer had bikes sitting on its assembly line, waiting to be completed and shipped to dealers. This was a point of fact that Erik Buell touted when EBR went into receivership, as a way of showing how easily EBR could restart its business quickly.
This statement of course failed to take into account that dealers were struggling to sell the bikes they already had on their showroom floors, and few (if any) were interested in receiving more units from Erik Buell Racing.
Part of the reason EBR had such a hard time selling motorcycles was because of the pricing on the EBR 1190RS, EBR 1190RX, and EBR 1190SX – all of which were priced against European models that had more features, technology, and craftsmanship.
Now under the ownership of Liquid Asset Partners (LAP), Erik Buell Racing is again selling its machines for the 2016 model year, though now the company has adopted more reasonable prices. As such, the 2016 EBR 1190SX and EBR 1190RX will cost $12,995 and $13,995, respectively.
Erik Buell Racing resumed production today, with the first motorcycles from the East Troy, Wisconsin factory set to roll off the assembly line on March 17th.
Owner Liquid Asset Partners is touting that the new company – EBR Motorcycles, LLC – has a new multi-year plan, as well as financial stability, and it will begin courting dealerships to carry its line of American sport bikes.
For now though, production in East Troy is limited to the EBR 1190RX and EBR 1190SX models, picking up where Erik Buell Racing left off in the receivership process, presumably finishing the models that were left in mid-production when EBR closed its doors.
The announcement seems more symbolic than anything, as it is not clear where these newly produced EBR motorcycles will actually be going once they roll-off the assembly line. This is because EBR’s dealership network is virtually non-existent at this point in time and past EBR dealers are still trying to clear motorcycles from their showroom floors.
Good news for California riders who want Erik Buell Racing’s latest motorcycles, as the EBR 1190RX and EBR 1190SX have been certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
A necessary step to selling in the Golden State, the news means that Erik Buell Racing can begin shipping RX and SX models to its California dealers, who in turn can now begin selling the bikes to the eager Californian biking public.
While debuting its EBR 1190RX street bike last week at the AIMExpo, Erik Buell Racing announced its intent to begin racing in the World Superbike Championship. At the time, details were light on that intent, though while talking to Greg White, Geoff May let it slip that he and another rider would be forming an American team entry into WSBK for next season.
Using the EBR 1190RX as its racing platform, Erik Buell Racing would be the first American marques to compete in WSBK since the series’ inception in 1988. However one of the big unanswered questions for Erik Buell Racing is how the company plans on meeting homologation requirements.
The Erik Buell Racing 1190RX is one of the sport bikes that we have been anxious to see this year, as it is EBR’s encore model to the EBR 1190RS superbike. A more consumer-oriented machine, the EBR 1190RX is an important release for the small American brand, and it is debuting this week at the inaugural AIMExpo in Orlando, Florida.
Leaking ahead of the show, we can see that the EBR 1190RX doesn’t stray too far from the lines of the EBR 1190RS, though it does feature a pillion and a slightly modified exhaust can. Minus the race-ready suspension, wheels, bodywork, etc the 2014 Erik Buell Racing 1190RX looks ready to come off the track and head for the street. We will know in due time whether the headlight has been revised, as EBR teased a very aggressive front lamp only two months ago.
Heavily teased, we now know that Erik Buell Racing will debut its EBR 1190RX sport bike in mid-October, at the AIMExpo in Orlando, Florida. Tipped to be a more affordable version of the Erik Buell Racing 1190RS, the 1190RX has been spotted with a seat for a pillion, has an uber-aggressive headlight, and will likely come without its premium suspension, wheels, and braking components.
“This is the culmination of decades of dedication, innovation and teamwork,” said EBR Founder Erik Buell. “We have been working to create a pure rider’s machine and a true world brand. From the heartland and the heart of America, these are extraordinary motorcycles that discerning riders everywhere will be passionate to own.”
Erik Buell Racing continues to tease its upcoming models on the company’s Facebook page, and to compliment the two-seater ass shot from several weeks ago, EBR has posted up a shot of a bike hiding in the shadows, with its LED marker lights illuminated.
Though Erik Buell Racing has purposefully doctored the photo, so we can’t decipher more of this bike’s details, the big reveal here is the new headlight design for EBR that replaces the very Roehr/MV Agsuta setup found on the EBR 1190RS.
On its Facebook page right now, Erik Buell Racing is teasing a two-seater bike, which looks suspiciously similar to the EBR 1190RS homologation-special racing machine.
With EBR teasing the names of three future machines on its website: the RX, SX, and AX, those who are capable of putting two-and-two together can deduce that the Milwaukee-based company is getting ready to bring another version of its 1190cc street bike to market, complete with a pillion.