New Buell roadster – first look

Erik Buell Racing has released another teaser picture of what we believe to be its new 1190RS sportsbike.

It promises to be the first new road-legal machine produced by the legendary designer, Erik Buell, since parent company Harley-Davidson pulled the plug on Buell Motorcycles at the end of 2009.

Soon after, Buell left Harley and founded Erik Buell Racing to hand build race-only machines as the terms of his departure prevented his manufacture of road going Buells for a period of 12 months. That stipulation has now, however, expired.

Predictably, the 1190RS is based on EBR’s $44,900 (£27,841) 1190RR racer, itself a development of the last of the ‘old’ Buell’s: the Rotax-engined 1125R.

Developed with help from former MotoGP riders Jeremy McWilliams and Alex Barros, as well as a host of top US racers, the 1190RR track machine boasts an explosive power-to-weight ratio, weighing in at just 164kg and making 185bhp and 93ftlb of torque at the rear wheel.

Think the power of an S1000RR, the grunt of a Ducati 1198SP and the weight of a BSB bike.

With its road legal exhausts, road bodywork, lights and indicators, the 1190RS is bound to weigh a more, although judging by all the carbon fibre in the latest picture, not by much.

An earlier leaked picture also showed the new bike’s nose, which seems to closely resemble that of the 1190RR racer, also pictured. The 1190cc V-twin is likely to be detuned slightly for reliability too, but should still deliver mouth-watering performance.

In typical Erik Buell style, the machine mixes the normal with the unconventional and has a rim-mounted front brake disc and its fuel cell located inside the aluminium beam frame.

The 1190RS is expected to be unveiled at either this weekend’s Indy Dealer Expo in the US or at Daytona Bike Week in early March. Check back for more details as we get them.