The Legacy, Erik Buell - the man and the machines! Part 1 of 3

ESR Editor's note: You may have heard Buell Motorcycles is back, but not under Erik Buell's leadership. In February 2021, Erik Buell set the record straight in his letter to Michael Gougis at Roadracing World Publishing Inc. (you can find a link to the story at the bottom of the page). Erik Buell recently got personal with the team at © Moto Kulture Magazine in this first of a three-part interview. Read more and subscribe at www.motokulture.ca

In this article, we take a look at Erik Buell’s legacy. His name lives on in the form of the newly-founded company Buell Motorcycles.

The Buell Motorcycles website currently showcases four models. The 1190RX Hammerhead, the 1190 Super Touring, the 1190SX  and the 1190HCR. The 1190RX and 1190SX  are both instantly recognizable to anyone who  has ever seen the motorcycles produced by Erik Buell Racing - the previous incarnation of  the company when Erik himself was still in  charge. But just to be clear, Erik Buell is not involved in this iteration of Buell Motorcycles.

Perhaps the most significant model in the  planned line-up is the 1190 Super Touring  adventure bike. Even though this bike won't be  on the market until 2023, it's premature  announcement was provided just a few days  before Harley-Davidson unveiled its Pan America adventure-touring motorcycle.  Coincidence? We think not! 

With the American Motorcycle manufacturers not exactly known for their leading-edge levels of innovation, it seems that Buell Motorcycles want to try to redress that global stigma. 

With the new models, much has been carried  over from the previous Buells. This includes the  aluminum frames that carry fuel inside them,  the perimeter front brake rotor and the liquid cooled, 72-degree V-twin engines. Buell  Motorcycles is quick to point out that there’s a  lot more to come from the company, not just  185 bhp street bikes.  

It’s intended that there will be four different engines in production, including a small off road motorcycle. This will make it the most  diverse lineup of Buell-branded bikes in the company's history.

History

It was Bill Melvin’s family that purchased the assets of EBR (Erik Buell Racing) in 2016. Initially, they focused on selling parts but they  also produced a very small number of  motorcycles for sale. 

The new company moved to Grand Rapids,  Michigan, and they now have a 120,000- square-foot facility for production. The Buell  brand was acquired in 2020. 

It’s worth mentioning that Buell has a loyal  global following. They intend to grow and  become a competitive sports-bike company -  focused on both road and adventure bikes.  

The bikes will be targeting the high-end of the  market and will doubtless have a price to  match. However, there are plans to address the  more affordable end of the market too. 

Buell are a standalone brand. They feel that  they can fulfill a segment of the market that the other American companies don’t.

Buell & the Adventure Market

It’s interesting to see that Buell are focusing on the adventure market. This is not at all surprising  though as this is one of the fastest-growing  segments of motorcycling. Even Harley-Davidson,  with no track record to speak of, have found the  allure of this genre simply irresistible. They have  entered the market with their all-new Pan- America  to take advantage of the opportunity.

Bill Melvin is so confident in the abilities of his  company that he believes he can go head-to-head  with the new Ducati Multistrada V4. That is, indeed,  a bold statement to make and some would even  dismiss the prospect. However, Melvin does go on  to qualify his statement by positioning the Buell as  more of a ‘riders bike.’ He’s really implying that this  bike is for the advanced riders. Far more so than for  beginners and intermediates.  

We wonder what the market leaders would have to  say about that! 

Industry-leading, heavy-weight adventure bikes  - such as the BMW R1250GS, KTM 1290 Super, Adventure, Triumph Tiger 900, and the Ducati  Multistrada V4 - are all incredibly sophisticated and  loaded with tech. For advanced riders this tech can  be personalized (or disabled all together) so  Melvin’s statement may seem a touch fool-hardy or  even naive. But then again, the Yamaha Ténéré is a  ‘back to basics’ bike, and it’s absence of tech has  not prevented it from selling well to hardened off road enthusiasts.  

Ultimately, the success of the Buell 1190 Super Touring lies in the hands of the buying public_,_ and  their reaction to it. Bearing in mind that the bike is  not expected until 2023, there’ll be a lot of future  technology that Buell’s competition will have  introduced by then.  

At the end of the day, you have to admire Buell’s  ambitious outlook. The more companies that dream  big, the better the motorcycle market will be. We  will be keeping a careful watch on Buell as they  shake up the market a bit. 

In part 2 we take at look at Erik Buell’s latest venture in the world of Electric Bikes.

Special contribution to EatSleepRIDE by © Moto Kulture Magazine 2021 www.motokulture.ca

ESR Editor's note:  In February 2021, reacting to online reports and comments from around the world, Erik Buell sent an e-mail setting the record straight about what he's doing. Erik Buell set the record straight in his letter to Michael Gougis at Roadracing World Publishing Inc.