The 1125R is a pretty impressive bike. Very responsive handling. Power in every gear/range. Very impressive braking once you get use to them. I didn't care for the styling, though with the aftermarket fairing kit, the bike looks great. I'm 5'8", and the bike absolutely fit me like a glove. Ironically, other test riders who were 6' foot and over said the same thing. I really enjoyed being a test rider for Buell. A great company and a great team. GM Desert Proving Grounds, Mesa AZ.
I bought a Buell last year as I fell instantly in love with the brutal looks of the XB. They definitely aren't the fastest out there , but they show a great deal of character which the designer is responsible for. I'm sad that HD shut them down. They weren't bad , just different and either you love them or hate them.I love my Buell !
It's ironic now that Harley Davidson can't capture the minds of younger riders today. At the time the Harley CEO closed down Buell for short term gains but it had huge long term consequences that are obvious now. How many factories has Harley closed?!
It is sad that they don't make 'em anymore . Maybe theres a chance a very slight chance he can make the split and build bikes in his own company utilizing the Rotax built engines . I'm still holding out hope that I'll be able to get my hands on an 1125R . Call it ugly if you want but with the aftermarket side plastic the bike cleans up nicely !
I will miss them. I love a company that isn't afraid to think outside the box and do things their own way. All the japanese sport bikes are almost the same. The 1125R stands out.
I have two Buells, XB9SX and the XB12R that I converted into a "Lightiningbolt" with that EBR Race ECM and EBR solid rotor mounts the XBs are ROCK SOLID RIDES..every bit as good and in some ways BETTER than the air-cooled Ducati Monsters and Supersports. You can pull those motors from the frame in under an hour in your home garage and big bore kits are a snap. The fuel economy is fantastic for the amount of power and torque they make.(50mpg 96hp 75 lb-ft for the XB9), the weight can get real low on these bikes about 375 if you do the right mods. There are XBs out there with 150,000 miles on them (original motor). Buell was proved right in the end. The 1125 I always thought it was ugly.. the 1125r has a pretty ugly nose on it but they have aftermarket stuff form airtech that looks a lot better. The 1125cr doesn't photograph well, in person it looks real mean, and a black CR with red radiator covers looks fucking wicked in person.. you can make a CR look like a total badass with just a few cosmetic mods. 1125CR is next on my list.
Bryan Chapman you don't gain that much.. big bore isn't really the way to go unless you build a totally new engine with tweaked internals and even after all of that you only gain a few more horse... its making about all it can make.. make more and it starts being unreliable
just got an xb12s. first bike coming from riding scooters. i am in love with my bike. only complaint is not having a 6th gear. on the highway especially the interstate can feel like its really exhausting for the motor being in the upper half of the rpm range at 75mph. but for me i dont ever see myself planning any long haul touring rides anyway, so really i cant complain. but im in the same boat as you. i always thought the 1125 was hideous. but would consider buying one here in the next couple seasons if i happen to want a 6th gear that bad.
It's ironic now that Harley Davidson can't capture the minds of younger riders today. At the time the Harley CEO closed down Buell for short term gains but it had huge long term consequences that are obvious now. How many factories is Harley closing now?!
I love my Buell Blast, it was a shame when Erik crushed them, especially considering Mac motorcycles uses the same engine. Happy to see Erik Buell Racing is in business
Erik crushed the Blast because he was forced into making them under orders for Harley but Harley would not put their own name on them. Buell didn't want to make a "school bike" at that price level. I was a good little bike, tame with good handling but the quality of the components was not good.. the best Blasts are custom builds because the motor as you said was real good.. it was "not the same engine" as you said though.. Blast motor only had one cylinder and was carbureted. Tuned very mild.. the XB motor was a V-twin fuel injected and in a higher state of tune.
I find it crazy that hardly anyone like Buell styling, I think they all look fantastic personally, and also did anyone see the Buells they wanted to make but never got round to in Bike magazine?
I wish I could have a Buell XB9SX (or R) right now. When is MCN going to do a full history on Buell's (including their impressions of each bike they've tested from Buell)?
I've watched a lot of vids from MCN and I've never seen a good weather it's always bad when they ride. Just thought to let everyone know this in case no one ever notice it :D
What good things have you heard about them? I used to work as a Buell dealership as the representative, and people that had just bought their bikes a few months ago and are already bringing them back for major repairs. I continued to see them come in regularly too! Needless to say that was not fun being a rep, so i left.
Harley saw the writing on the wall. The future is headed towards a sport bike design. Every manafactor is there or headed there. They saw the market slipping away from the street cruser, and they didn't want to promote any bike that would take away from their bread and butter. Shame on you HD.
@Pezdetz666 I've never seen an mv augusta on the road, Does that mean they don't deserve exist? I see more buells on the road than ducati's or aprillia's. It wasn't demand it was Harley Davidson being greedy. They stoped funding them because Harley's sales droped, not Buells. From what i've read Buell's sales were actually up alot compared to previous years before they got shut down.
@TristanBrankin 2 reasons: they are on the track and not on the street. The belts are phenomenal on the street, not as durable with the abuse the track gives them (but doable), and more importantly 2) for quick gearing changes (made possible by quick sprocket changes on chain drive).
Completely EPIC and innovative design ideas went into making his bikes. Buell was truly a genius, well ahead of his time. The whole story to his life designing bikes is really something amazing. If only he could have found someone better than Harley Davidson to field his line ups.
Well hopefully some good used ones will still stick around for the next few years. I was really looking forward to owning an american made sports bike, especially one that i've heard nothing but good things about. Too bad we couldn't pull our crap together and compete with the other brands.
The CEO Keith Wandell is responsibility for closing Buell, Talladega Test Facility and Florida Proving Ground. Harley made over $600million profit in 2008 and $70million in 2009 because of the closures. Obviously $600million profit was not enough for the share holders. The best part is that Wandell received a bonus that year of $6.4million for all his hard work. Wandell was taught to ride when he started with Harley and now he’s a bad ass biker employing his buddies from Johnson Controls.
I own a BUELL and initially tried to treat it like a dirt bike; however, they do not operate that way. EVEN so, this is a great bike to STAND right up on the seat, LAY DOWN on, and RIDE with ARMS WIDE OPEN!!!! I did my time on this bike and I am KEEPING my BUELL, it has many flaws and I have had better, parts are a bitch to get, but yes, I RIDE A BUELL!!!!!!!!!! It is a fun bike to play on...
What do you mean by Quirky? Innovation? The engine? The handling? The brakes? The frame? Do you mean Quirky as in single sided swingarms? High reving engines? Unusable powerbands? I don't understand?
'The Buell Problem' still hasn't been addressed by HD. Search 'Buell 1125 System Voltage' before you think about buying the '09 model. It's an amazing bike till you hit the 2,500 mile mark then it becomes an expensive paperweight.
They actually didnt sell that bad. Sales wasnt why harley closed them. To bad they refused to sell the them...Guess it wouldnt look good if someone else bought them and made them into a successful company
Buell were shut down because Harley were in deep shit again. Rather than keep a bike that was successful, they stopped production so that they could concentrate on their own bikes that got them into the shit in the first place. I dont mean to knock the cruisers, but you cant survive with just one product.
@an50331 I have heard that their highest profit section is merchandising, i looked into harley brand jackets and they are 400-600 dollars. I can get a nice riding jacket with free breathing mesh and joint protection for less than 200 at s&s powersports and even cheaper online. If you got a harley helmet, harley glove, harley helmet, harley boots, harley riding pants and harley jacket You could potentially spend 2000 dollars.
I have 6 Buell's.... Including a 09 red CR. Lots of smiles for price & built in East Troy, Wisconsin!! Thanks Eric & Elf's for great bikes! Fu*k H.D. & Willy G!
OK...I'll mak a comment. I would like to buy US designed products, I am a Mech Engr in usa...but....the Buell styling always lookeds half baked, the engines were low performance until the Rotax, and they were relatively expensive. The look was the biggest turnoff for me.
F Harley, this will be their downfall Not enough folks wanting their kind of bikes anymore, and while I will be buying a Buell, there isn't a single Harley I'd ever care to buy
buell came up with tons of tech stuff listen to this guy in first 15 .....before you slam.......... eric buells products the stuff he came up with is now common place in the race world ........
Cant say I enjoy a buell. Sad yes. its they're own fault that they went under. An ugly hard to ride bike isnt gonna last. its a reason most japanese bikes are so close to the same. BECAUSE its a platform that works.
if that company made weak shit.. then good riddence... survival of the fittest. Buell and harley.. Two words that equal old technology / always fucking breaking down.. ask any harly tec, harley = hardly on the road / broke down. If buell made a better product then they would still be around.. That has to hurt.. because there is no other reason why they would go out of business.. Let the vultures devour them, and hopefully someone in the us can build a quality street bike.
OMG they're driving on the wrong side of the road! lol jk.. yeah I don't know if I wont personally miss them but I know there are some that do. Sucks though when a company has to stop everything.. Fucking economy!
NO all bikes will have there markets not everything is going to be a sports bike Harley probably wanted to diversify but this arm was not brining home the money so cut it
I’ve just bought a Buell!
The 1125R is a pretty impressive bike. Very responsive handling. Power in every gear/range. Very impressive braking once you get use to them.
I didn't care for the styling, though with the aftermarket fairing kit, the bike looks great.
I'm 5'8", and the bike absolutely fit me like a glove. Ironically, other test riders who were 6' foot and over said the same thing.
I really enjoyed being a test rider for Buell. A great company and a great team.
GM Desert Proving Grounds, Mesa AZ.
It's 2012 and I have a 2009 Buell 1125r with 700 miles on it. It had 260 when I got it. Be jealous, be very jealous...
I bought a Buell last year as I fell instantly in love with the brutal looks of the XB. They definitely aren't the fastest out there , but they show a great deal of character which the designer is responsible for. I'm sad that HD shut them down. They weren't bad , just different and either you love them or hate them.I love my Buell !
It's ironic now that Harley Davidson can't capture the minds of younger riders today. At the time the Harley CEO closed down Buell for short term gains but it had huge long term consequences that are obvious now. How many factories has Harley closed?!
It is sad that they don't make 'em anymore . Maybe theres a chance a very slight chance he can make the split and build bikes in his own company utilizing the Rotax built engines . I'm still holding out hope that I'll be able to get my hands on an 1125R . Call it ugly if you want but with the aftermarket side plastic the bike cleans up nicely !
Man MCN needs a Part 2 of this. Maybe bring back all these bikes and add in the EBR RX and SX. Maybe the RS if they can get a loaner.
I will miss them. I love a company that isn't afraid to think outside the box and do things their own way. All the japanese sport bikes are almost the same. The 1125R stands out.
I have two Buells, XB9SX and the XB12R that I converted into a "Lightiningbolt" with that EBR Race ECM and EBR solid rotor mounts the XBs are ROCK SOLID RIDES..every bit as good and in some ways BETTER than the air-cooled Ducati Monsters and Supersports. You can pull those motors from the frame in under an hour in your home garage and big bore kits are a snap. The fuel economy is fantastic for the amount of power and torque they make.(50mpg 96hp 75 lb-ft for the XB9), the weight can get real low on these bikes about 375 if you do the right mods. There are XBs out there with 150,000 miles on them (original motor). Buell was proved right in the end. The 1125 I always thought it was ugly.. the 1125r has a pretty ugly nose on it but they have aftermarket stuff form airtech that looks a lot better. The 1125cr doesn't photograph well, in person it looks real mean, and a black CR with red radiator covers looks fucking wicked in person.. you can make a CR look like a total badass with just a few cosmetic mods. 1125CR is next on my list.
Bryan Chapman you don't gain that much.. big bore isn't really the way to go unless you build a totally new engine with tweaked internals and even after all of that you only gain a few more horse... its making about all it can make.. make more and it starts being unreliable
Bryan Chapman k&n, ecm map and pipe.. that's all you need
just got an xb12s. first bike coming from riding scooters.
i am in love with my bike.
only complaint is not having a 6th gear. on the highway especially the interstate can feel like its really exhausting for the motor being in the upper half of the rpm range at 75mph. but for me i dont ever see myself planning any long haul touring rides anyway, so really i cant complain. but im in the same boat as you. i always thought the 1125 was hideous. but would consider buying one here in the next couple seasons if i happen to want a 6th gear that bad.
have you picked up your 1125cr yet? I just got my 4th buell a red mint cr I love it fits right in with the buell blast,xb9r,and xb12ss
It's a complete crime that HD shut down Buell. These are awesome bikes.
It's ironic now that Harley Davidson can't capture the minds of younger riders today. At the time the Harley CEO closed down Buell for short term gains but it had huge long term consequences that are obvious now. How many factories is Harley closing now?!
@phoenixme74 The funny thing is the best buells they made weren't even harley powered, the 1125r has a rotax 72 degree helicon v-twin.
I love my Buell Blast, it was a shame when Erik crushed them, especially considering Mac motorcycles uses the same engine. Happy to see Erik Buell Racing is in business
Erik crushed the Blast because he was forced into making them under orders for Harley but Harley would not put their own name on them. Buell didn't want to make a "school bike" at that price level. I was a good little bike, tame with good handling but the quality of the components was not good.. the best Blasts are custom builds because the motor as you said was real good.. it was "not the same engine" as you said though.. Blast motor only had one cylinder and was carbureted. Tuned very mild.. the XB motor was a V-twin fuel injected and in a higher state of tune.
I just picked up a 06 blast 4 days ago lol, love buells my one friend rides a 1203 firebolt, boss rides a 1203 lightning, amazing bikes
I find it crazy that hardly anyone like Buell styling, I think they all look fantastic personally, and also did anyone see the Buells they wanted to make but never got round to in Bike magazine?
Buell had a 1098 like bike in the works which looked ace. Sad to see them go.
I wish I could have a Buell XB9SX (or R) right now.
When is MCN going to do a full history on Buell's (including their impressions of each bike they've tested from Buell)?
I've watched a lot of vids from MCN and I've never seen a good weather it's always bad when they ride. Just thought to let everyone know this in case no one ever notice it :D
What good things have you heard about them? I used to work as a Buell dealership as the representative, and people that had just bought their bikes a few months ago and are already bringing them back for major repairs. I continued to see them come in regularly too! Needless to say that was not fun being a rep, so i left.
Eric Buell is supposed to come back out with his own company. But long live my XB12r!
Harley saw the writing on the wall. The future is headed towards a sport bike design. Every manafactor is there or headed there. They saw the market slipping away from the street cruser, and they didn't want to promote any bike that would take away from their bread and butter. Shame on you HD.
@callumfreeman91 If you still have that magazine, I'm interested in a copy. A link to an online article would also be appreciated.
Anyone who would champion the demise of *any* motorcycle company is obviously a complete squid.
Its not the last of them.. i have one and love it #XB9R
Its kinda good, more competition on the market means better quality and lower prices. :)
@Pezdetz666 I've never seen an mv augusta on the road, Does that mean they don't deserve exist? I see more buells on the road than ducati's or aprillia's. It wasn't demand it was Harley Davidson being greedy. They stoped funding them because Harley's sales droped, not Buells. From what i've read Buell's sales were actually up alot compared to previous years before they got shut down.
what top espeed buell 1125R?
@TristanBrankin 2 reasons: they are on the track and not on the street. The belts are phenomenal on the street, not as durable with the abuse the track gives them (but doable), and more importantly 2) for quick gearing changes (made possible by quick sprocket changes on chain drive).
Completely EPIC and innovative design ideas went into making his bikes. Buell was truly a genius, well ahead of his time. The whole story to his life designing bikes is really something amazing. If only he could have found someone better than Harley Davidson to field his line ups.
Buell were great bikes! Why, oh why have they shut down? : (
Well hopefully some good used ones will still stick around for the next few years. I was really looking forward to owning an american made sports bike, especially one that i've heard nothing but good things about. Too bad we couldn't pull our crap together and compete with the other brands.
but since buells aren't sold anymore wouldn't it be pretty difficult to get parts or it will get difficult eventually
The CEO Keith Wandell is responsibility for closing Buell, Talladega Test Facility and Florida Proving Ground. Harley made over $600million profit in 2008 and $70million in 2009 because of the closures. Obviously $600million profit was not enough for the share holders. The best part is that Wandell received a bonus that year of $6.4million for all his hard work. Wandell was taught to ride when he started with Harley and now he’s a bad ass biker employing his buddies from Johnson Controls.
I'm going to buy one soon as I get home,Looking at 07 or 08 XB12R firebolt.Wayne from OZ"
I own a BUELL and initially tried to treat it like a dirt bike; however, they do not operate that way. EVEN so, this is a great bike to STAND right up on the seat, LAY DOWN on, and RIDE with ARMS WIDE OPEN!!!! I did my time on this bike and I am KEEPING my BUELL, it has many flaws and I have had better, parts are a bitch to get, but yes, I RIDE A BUELL!!!!!!!!!! It is a fun bike to play on...
Love my BUELL
Yes...nice bikes!
What do you mean by Quirky? Innovation? The engine? The handling? The brakes? The frame?
Do you mean Quirky as in single sided swingarms? High reving engines? Unusable powerbands?
I don't understand?
You can never go wrong with a Ducati ! Period .
@mtblackwell if belt drive was good for them, why do they convert all the race bikes to chain drive?
my mind kept telling me "those guys are nuts there in the wrong lane" *sigh*
What kind of horrible camera did you use back in -10? ;D
omg did you see that brake??? wow. anyway RIP Buell you had a good run. and maybe Harley will do a little better now............
Are those testers giants? were they all 7 foot tall? if not, then that is a very little bike and I don't think I would feel comfortable on it at all.
'The Buell Problem' still hasn't been addressed by HD. Search 'Buell 1125 System Voltage' before you think about buying the '09 model. It's an amazing bike till you hit the 2,500 mile mark then it becomes an expensive paperweight.
what's the problem with voltage?? I have 9000 miles on mine oil changes only...
Its not a buell problem it's a rotax problem. The aprilia rsvr had the same issue
They actually didnt sell that bad. Sales wasnt why harley closed them. To bad they refused to sell the them...Guess it wouldnt look good if someone else bought them and made them into a successful company
Buell were shut down because Harley were in deep shit again. Rather than keep a bike that was successful, they stopped production so that they could concentrate on their own bikes that got them into the shit in the first place. I dont mean to knock the cruisers, but you cant survive with just one product.
Go Buell! Go Buell! Great bike! High tech!
Buell took my soul away!
i am very jelous :P im acutally getting my firebolt tomorrow :D
@an50331 I have heard that their highest profit section is merchandising, i looked into harley brand jackets and they are 400-600 dollars. I can get a nice riding jacket with free breathing mesh and joint protection for less than 200 at s&s powersports and even cheaper online. If you got a harley helmet, harley glove, harley helmet, harley boots, harley riding pants and harley jacket You could potentially spend 2000 dollars.
i just bought a used buell xb9sx..
this is better than Robot sos
They didn't go out of business they were shut down by Harley.
You can buy one for like $5000-$7000 New!
I have 6 Buell's....
Including a 09 red CR.
Lots of smiles for price & built in East Troy, Wisconsin!!
Thanks Eric & Elf's for great bikes! Fu*k H.D. & Willy G!
This guy sounds like Terry Tibbs from facejacker.
@choopdewoot
+1. I think erik was just getting started too :[
I wouldn't count him out just yet though.
now we americans have no sport bikes of our own.. sad
I think that if he wants to keep racing he has to make x amount of production bikes.
yeah, I could be uploading videos of cooking instead...
OK...I'll mak a comment. I would like to buy US designed products, I am a Mech Engr in usa...but....the Buell styling always lookeds half baked, the engines were low performance until the Rotax, and they were relatively expensive. The look was the biggest turnoff for me.
F Harley, this will be their downfall
Not enough folks wanting their kind of bikes anymore, and while I will be buying a Buell, there isn't a single Harley I'd ever care to buy
buell should have tried to escape th eold school harley engine. never understood why the v-rod engine was not used in his bikes
buell came up with tons of tech stuff listen to this guy in first 15 .....before you slam.......... eric buells products the stuff he came up with is now common place in the race world ........
Anyone hear a tractor??
very quiet
I don't like, how Buells sound :(
really harley davidson is a sham of a company. they dont sell bikes, they sell an image
to you even have a bike mr knowledge
Too bad it sucks, they had one problem sales!!! They were fugly not many wanted to buy them. They have lots of cool Teck but too damn fugly!!!
Cant say I enjoy a buell. Sad yes. its they're own fault that they went under. An ugly hard to ride bike isnt gonna last. its a reason most japanese bikes are so close to the same. BECAUSE its a platform that works.
Yeaah but his bikes are dirt expensive.
if that company made weak shit.. then good riddence... survival of the fittest.
Buell and harley.. Two words that equal old technology / always fucking breaking down..
ask any harly tec, harley = hardly on the road / broke down.
If buell made a better product then they would still be around..
That has to hurt.. because there is no other reason why they would go out of business..
Let the vultures devour them, and hopefully someone in the us can build a quality street bike.
OMG they're driving on the wrong side of the road! lol jk.. yeah I don't know if I wont personally miss them but I know there are some that do. Sucks though when a company has to stop everything.. Fucking economy!
well if its not a cruiser i guess its not a motorcycle to HD. meh
Weak! The only Harley powered bikes that didn't look like ten pounds of crap in a five pound bag. Oh well.
NO all bikes will have there markets not everything is going to be a sports bike Harley probably wanted to diversify but this arm was not brining home the money so cut it
Buell compromised true sport bike performance for "innovative" design.
I have an XB12r. Check it out on my channel. Excellent bike
Good riddance to bad rubbish.