HEAVY BIKES

The Buell motorcycle brand might be dead, having been closed down by parent company Harley-Davidson in October 2009, but founder Erik Buell is planning a comeback.

That’s right, Buell is back. Sort of…

Erik Buell Racing, or EBR, has been making several intriguing noises over the past few months, hinting at the development of a new motorcycle for production.

An affiliate of the company has launched a new teaser video that all but confirms the presence of a new sports bike, which will be based on EBR current race bike, the 1190RS. That bike, in turn, is based on the Buell Barracuda 2, a motorcycle developed during the H-D era but which never saw the light of day due to the closure of the Buell brand.

But all that research, development and testing has not gone to waste, as this new video shows. See bottom of page for the short vid.

“You know the name,” teases the trailer, “You know the power,” it blurts across the screen (185hp approx.), ending with “Will you be ready?”

The new 1200cc V-twin sports bike will not be released until early 2011, expected to be around February at the earliest, as that’s when EBR non-competitive contract with Harley-Davidson ends.

It’s not yet known whether EBR will offer the bike only in the United States, or whether it’ll export the new model around the globe, to places like Australia and European countries.

Likely to rival motorcycles such as the Ducati 1198 for pace and potentially dynamics, the 185hp (138kW) twin-cylinder sporty will likely start out as a niche model. If demand increases, we could see a lower-specification, more affordable model.