We all know the name, and most are familiar with the story of Erik Buell. From his first days as an AMA racer and engineer for Harley-Davidson, to the early days of the Buell Motorcycle Company where he began building his own race bikes, Erik Buell has always been a force in the motorcycle industry. With last year’s announcement by Harley-Davidson that it would be cutting the Buell line many of us were left wondering, what will become of the father of the American sportbike?
Speculation that Erik Buell would once again reemerge was quickly answered with the news of Harley-Davidsons inclusion of a non-compete clause in the separation. Erik’s answer was to focus on racing, and another of his lifelong passions, music. With the severing of ties with Harley-Davidson a new company was formed allowing Buell enthusiasts to still have an outlet, Erik Buell Racing.
The new company currently manufactures 3 models of track only race bikes, the 1125R DSB, 1125RR ASB, and the 1190RR. Three machines for the racer in all of us, but none are street legal. So what about those of us who love the innovation and engineering advancements of Erik Buell’s designs and do not ride the track? Our time is almost here.
There has been speculation for months that the guys over in the shop at EBR may be working on a street version of the 1190RR. Speculation fueled by a marketing campaign through Erik’s record label, Rat Pak Records, promoting the 1190RS through apparel sales. The release of the teaser video of the 1190RS only helped to fan the flames.
Recent interviews published on the record labels website finally answer the year long question of will Erik Buell make a comeback in the street bike world. The long awaited answer, yes. According to the site there is not a specific release date yet for the 1190RS but plans are for spring of 2011. We should also expect to see more pre-production footage as spring comes closer. As for how this all affects the non-compete clause, we will all have to see how that plays out, there are several unconfirmed rumors that the clause is either set to expire or that it has been or will soon be dropped.
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