Posted on Thursday, September 16, 2010 - 11:57 pm:
Guys, why argue with someone who is obviously set against a bike in which he knows nothing about other than reading some negative aspects of the bike and taking a short test ride. Quite frankly, its a waste of time because he will not change his mind and should be entitled to his opinion. I have raced a CBR 1000RR and it kicked my but. But, if you take in consideration that they have a huge advantage in horse power then it should be obvious that the CBR will get the jump in a straight line. That same bike couldn't come anywhere near catching my R while we raced through the canyons. So, I can only imagine that the new 1190RS is faster and handles better than any CBR, GXR1000 or most any other street 1000's out there on the roads right now. This from a guy (me) who really enjoys the CBR1000RR. Remember, performance motorcycles do more than go fast, they need to handle well too.
>>> The 1190RR laps only hundreds of a second off of the Pegram Ducati 1098R which has the full Corse kit on it, not to mention consistently beating the two BMW S1000RR race bikes in the AMA Superbike race this year.
There is no 1190RR racing in AMA against Pegram. That would be the 1125RR.
If you want a Japan Inc IL4 please go for it. This ain't the forum for lauding those machines. We're here to talk Buell. If we wanted to talk Japan Inc repliracer, we'd be on another forum, not this one.
IMHO, blake, that's what I qualified my statement with. The trend of conversation is comparing the 1125 vs. other sportbikes and in this light the trap speeds are important as that relates more to absolute accelerative differences.
Thanks for correcting me on the 1125RR and not the 1190RR. So following my same logic, the 1190RS (as a slightly detuned 1190RR) should be that much better than a Duc 1098R.
Not trying to be negative just asking a question...... Why would Harley shut BUELL down than let them reopen in a yr or 2. I mean if I understand correctly Harley owns the rights to Buell right?????
Why would Harley shut BUELL down than let them reopen in a yr or 2.
Right now, Harley Davidson is doing well to find their rear end using both hands. But at least now they know how much trouble they are in, so there is probably hope.
I think they also fundamentally misjudged public opinion... they assumed that since Buell only had 1% of the motorcycle market (or whatever), that closing Buell would only make 1% of the motorcycle community mad.
Well, it turns out that there are a lot of riders that didn't have (or maybe even want) a Buell, but that had a LOT of respect for the brand and the people making it. Combined with a decision making process that lead to the closing that is somewhere between "incredibly stupid" and "literally criminal", HD has a PR disaster on their hands that they are barely keeping a lid on.
Their best bet at this point is to do damage control and be gracious and polite and publicly wish Erik Buell Racing the best, and let Erik Buell Racing use the Buell technology without fussing, and hope the whole sequence of events (that started with MV Agusta) that lead to the closing of Buell never see the full light of day.
Cant see anyway he can make the 1190RS by hand and compete unless his bike it mass produced.
$44k for RR and a RS would be almost if not more time consuming to build. It would need to be in the $13-15K range to be a success and draw Japanese bike riders onto the brand.
BRP has their own money issues of late as NOTHING in the motorsports market is selling. There was some insider speculation that HD and BRP would somehow merge to survive, but that was a longshot.
The positive thing about BRP is that they already make the motor and need another bike for their lineup....and the 1125 motor for the spyder (or something bigger).
The 1125 as an adv bike? I have a KTM adventure and can't see (yet) if the 1125 would be a good fit for that. Take out the FI issues, bump up the charging system, and space out the gearing...THEN you have a contender for the ever expanding ADV bike market.
Hey, Trojan, what drip fed press releases? There has been a grand total of one which went out the day before the video showed up, and it was half to thank the people who helped, and simply said we were working on a street bike. No details, because they are not ready to be released. ONE press release from Erik Buell Racing.}
In that case there are some pretty slow to respond press people out there, as I keep seeing the same information reported as 'new' for around 6 weeks now, starting allegedly from a twitter release from Erik Buell Racing. This information includes at least 4 whole pages in MCN over the past month including an alleged interview with EB himself in which he states exactly the same thing.
So far nobody knows anything but everyone is saying that this will happen or that will happen, when in fact no information has been forthcoming about anything.
Trojan, So far the absolutely tiny publicity effort, one actual press release and a few mentions of the product by those "in the know" has led to a landslide of press and internet speculation about the product.
As far as I, with my meager PR knowledge, can tell this has been brilliant, a PR guys wet dream. The goal of a press release is not to inform the public; although ti does some of that, it is to drum up interest in a product and stimulate sales. Seems like the teaser is working perfectly!
E-B-R's supply chain issues are not as big as they appear. E-B-R is likely 'piggy backing' with HD's parts commitments on all but the newest bits/better pieces.
I run my own marketing business, and no I'm not on Buell's payroll ... Most companies would KILL to get the attention Erik Buell Racing gets with a simple YouTube teaser video. Perfect!
Advertising to people that aren't going to buy your product because of the advertisement is wasted money. Get your fans excited, and they'll do most of the work for you.}
>>>Why would Harley shut BUELL down than let them reopen in a yr or 2.
No one is "re-opening" Buell.
Most the information, save for Dave Gess's spot on observation about the semi viral Buell marketing, is inaccurate and no more than internet fodder.
Erik Buell needs nothing that Harley-Davidson has, had or ever saw to launch a very successful effort.
I continue to be amazed at how myopic folks become . . . think outside the box . . . what would you do, if suddenly, all constraints were effectively removed.
Would you strive to seek the safety of a "committee approved" product for which you can't get parts or would you spread your wings and do those things you have always dreamed up.
The 1125R is a wonderful piece of machinery. In fact, it was incredible from the day, in 1986, when Erik first sketched it up and started building prototypes.
The good news is that Erik did not stop thinking, dreaming and designing 24 years ago.
Think big.
Getting back to "where you were" with Harley-Davidson, at least to me . . is not big . . it's surrender.
ok so the day buell shut its doors it had 8 main models, 1 disowned model (unbadged blast), and 2 specialty models (125rr, xb12xp) to come to a grand total of 11 different bikes you could buy from buell. Pretty cool for a company that was up until 14 years ago making only one model at a time. Also add to that the fact that these were just the bikes that H-D let them make not all the ones they tried to do that H-D would shoot down.
I say this because Erik Buell Racing is fixing to make this new bike and I am sure they are going to start out with only one model this new 1190rs, but who knows the next year or so they may expand the models and even start throwing in different engines besides the one they are fixing to put in this bike and for all we know they may start throwing in some dirt bikes, sport touring bikes, adventure bikes, super moto type bikes. I mean the sky is the limit now (well that and money) that they do not have H-D tell them what they can and can't do.
The 1125 as an adv bike? I have a KTM adventure and can't see (yet) if the 1125 would be a good fit for that. Take out the FI issues, bump up the charging system, and space out the gearing...THEN you have a contender for the ever expanding ADV bike market.
Kirb
Gear/tune it properly for the task
As for the engine the 990 and the 1125 aren't that far apart. ( are the KTM stats rear wheel or crank like Buell)
Me id be waiting on tip toes for the 1125 powered Adventure bike. I rode Can-Am dirt bikes as a kid and would own one in a second I also rode a Can-am as a kid and sill do as a BIG kid!
The 990 with FI is miles ahead of the 1125 right now on low end response (still not as good as the 950 w/carbs). I suspect if you reduce the size of the throttle bodies and spend some time with the map that you could have a fantastic motor. More HP isn't always useful on an adventure bike as the 100HP I now have is a handfull.
Controlling that beast at low RPMs is ideal...the KTM and for sure the 1125 have somewhat of a problem with that now. I'd love to be able to putter around a sloppy trail using the right grip only without having to rev up and feather the cluth.
The biggest problem with the 1125 right now is the low end SUCKS. My 990 has a 10.5k redline and runs 5k at 80MPH in 6th gear. You need good respond between 2-4k..right where the 1125 falls short.
Posted on Thursday, September 23, 2010 - 04:42 am:
@court: do you get tired of straightening out the interweb speculation and stories?? thanks, by the way; both you and dave; for realigning this thread. the majority of this thread is an exercise in futility worth of speculation and bench racing and dreaming. im excited to see what happens in 2011 with erik, but i can definitely wait until then without creaming my pants over the virals and not losing sleep over it~!
If your 1125 falls short in the 2-4k range, get it fixed. Both of mine never see above 4k in a normal day of riding.
i need to interpret this... did you just say that you dont get your 1125 above 4000rpm on a regular day's ride?
if so, you sir, should hand your bike(s) over to me...obviously you belong on your blast. dont worry, ill take care of your bikes out at my local tracks
(Message edited by pizzaboy on September 23, 2010)