Erik Buell is back with his own superbike. He can't use his own surname on the bike because Harley-Davidson owns the Buell brand name, so the new bike is called the EBR 1190RS. It's quite a machine.
The bike you're looking at is the launch model that'll cost £24,000, or £27,000 if you go for the full carbon-dressed version. Only 100 will be built before Erik and his team get down to building bikes that rather more of us can afford.
There's no Harley motor hiding away behind that bodywork. Instead the EBR 1190S uses a V-Twin engine from Rotax that EBR bores out to 1190cc. Power output is a seriously strong 175bhp, which with a bike weight of 176kg means that the EBR will be seriously quick. A match for Ducati's incredible 1198R you'd imagine.
The EBR 1190RS is dripping with top-quality components: Ohlins suspension front and back plus magnesium wheels are just the highlights.
Cheaper versions are likely to come with slightly less high-end components, however. Erik Buell is keeping mum about exact details of the bikes that will follow on from the limited edition RS launch model but has hinted that a line-up not dissimilar to Ducati's is on the cards with a streetfighter (read Hypermotard) and more adventure-styled bikes (Multistrada).
It's good to see Buell back. The build quality of the Harley-engined Buells was often a bit suspect, but I loved the bikes themselves. Short, squat, manoeuverable and a lot of fun. I'm not sure Harley-Davidson ever understood Buell, which is probably why the company so willingly killed off the brand.
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