Buell Motorcycle

How was Buell born?

The story of Buell is inseparable from that of one man: Erik Buell. Born in 1950 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this farmer’s son learned mechanics from childhood. A passionate motorcyclist, he financed his engineering degree at the University of Pittsburgh by working as a motorcycle mechanic by day and attending classes at night. Meanwhile, he raced AMA Superbike on a Ducati and Formula One on a Yamaha TZ750. A truly remarkable character.

After graduating in 1979, Buell was hired by Harley-Davidson where he worked on chassis development, notably the FXR series, acclaimed for its superior handling. But his ambition to create a world-class American sportbike never faded. In 1982, he left Harley to pursue racing full-time. In 1983, he founded Pittsburgh Performance Products (later renamed Buell Motorcycle Company) and built his first motorcycle: the RW750, a pure racing machine powered by a 750cc two-stroke square-four engine purchased from British manufacturer Barton. During testing at Talladega, the RW750 hit 178 mph. Unfortunately, the AMA cancelled the Formula One class shortly after, rendering the machine obsolete.

Inventing the American sportbike

Refusing to give up, Erik Buell pivoted. He acquired a batch of 50 unsold Harley-Davidson XR1000 engines and installed them in chassis of his own design. In 1987, the Buell RR1000 became the first American production sportbike. The world’s first Buell dealership, Rockville Harley-Davidson in Maryland, sold the initial machines. Fifty units were produced.

From the start, Erik Buell imposed his racer-engineer philosophy, built on three revolutionary principles: mass centralization (concentrating weight as close to the center of gravity as possible), frame rigidity, and minimizing unsprung weight. These concepts gave birth to innovations that became his signature: fuel stored in the frame (fuel-in-frame), the exhaust routed beneath the engine (underslung exhaust), a perimeter front brake disc (mounted on the rim rather than the hub), and oil stored in the swingarm. Radical solutions, often ahead of their time.

The range expanded with the RR1200 (1988), then the Thunderbolt S2 (1994), Lightning S1 (1996), and Cyclone M2 (1997). The Lightning is widely considered a pioneer of the naked bike movement in the United States.

The complicated marriage with Harley-Davidson

In 1993, Harley-Davidson acquired 49% of Buell Motorcycle Company for $500,000. In 1998, Harley increased its stake to 98%, leaving Erik with just 2%. By 2003, Buell became a wholly owned Harley-Davidson subsidiary.

On paper, the partnership gave Buell the resources for volume production: access to Harley’s dealer network, development budget, and supply of Sportster V-twin engines. In practice, the relationship was often frustrating. Harley forced Buell to follow its rigid product planning processes and viewed the brand as a “starter bike” meant to funnel customers toward Harleys. The liquid-cooled V-Rod engine, originally an Erik Buell project designed for a fully faired superbike, was taken over by Harley for a cruiser and became, in Buell’s words, “too big, too heavy, too expensive and too late” for his own motorcycles.

Despite these tensions, the Harley era produced remarkable machines. In 2002, the Firebolt XB9R introduced the fuel-in-frame concept on a production model, an industry first. The XB range (XB9, XB12) in Firebolt (sportbike) and Lightning (naked) versions earned genuine critical acclaim. In 2007, the 1125R marked a turning point with the first non-Harley engine: a Rotax-built 1,125cc liquid-cooled V-twin producing 146 hp, designed in large part by Erik Buell himself.

The brutal end and a cruel irony

In 2008, the global financial crisis hit Harley-Davidson hard, with sales dropping by a fifth in a single year. New CEO Keith Wandell, who had never ridden a Harley before being hired, referred to Buell as “Erik’s racing hobby” and publicly questioned “why anyone would even want to ride a sportbike.” On October 15, 2009, Harley-Davidson announced the permanent shutdown of Buell production. The last motorcycle rolled off the line at East Troy, Wisconsin, on October 30, 2009. In total, 136,923 Buell motorcycles had been manufactured.

In a cruel twist, 2009 was also the year Danny Eslick won the AMA Daytona SportBike Championship on a Buell 1125R — the brand’s first major national title. Too little, too late.

Erik Buell Racing and the wilderness years

In November 2009, Erik Buell announced the creation of Erik Buell Racing (EBR), an independent company producing race and street versions of the Buell 1125. The engine was bored out to 1,190cc, producing 185 hp. The 1190RS, 1190RX, and 1190SX models represented Erik Buell’s vision finally freed from Harley’s constraints. In 2013, Indian giant Hero MotoCorp purchased a 49.2% stake in EBR for $25 million. But Hero failed to meet its financial commitments, and EBR was liquidated in 2015 by Liquid Asset Partners (LAP) — the very same firm that had been hired to dismantle Buell in 2009.

Buell today: resurrection without Erik

In 2021, LAP purchased the Buell brand from Harley-Davidson and announced the relaunch of production from Grand Rapids, Michigan, under CEO Bill Melvin. Erik Buell is not involved in this revival — he co-founded FUELL, an electric vehicle startup, and has publicly asked LAP to stop using his personal name.

The new Buell currently offers two models: the Hammerhead 1190 (sportbike, 185 hp, 419 lbs dry, approximately $18,000) and the 1190SX (naked streetfighter), both based on the EBR 1190 platform with improvements including carbon fiber bodywork and a 3-year warranty. The Super Cruiser, developed in collaboration with designer Roland Sands, is a muscle cruiser promising 175 hp at 450 lbs wet. With over $120 million in pre-orders announced, production is slated for late 2025 in the $20,000-$30,000 range. The SuperTouring (sport-tourer) is nearing completion.

By end of 2024, Buell had established 52 dealer partnerships with a target of 100 service centers by 2025. International expansion is targeting Canada, the UK, Australia, and Germany. In 2024, a $10 million loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank signaled federal confidence in the brand’s manufacturing plans.

In summary

Buell embodies the American sportbike dream: a brilliant racer-engineer’s vision, revolutionary innovations, an industrial drama with Harley-Davidson, and an uncertain but exciting resurrection. The original Buell motorcycles remain cult machines, celebrated for their unique character and mechanical ingenuity. The reborn brand must prove it can honor that legacy without its creator at the helm.

RR1000 (1987)

The very first American production sportbike. Erik Buell took a batch of unsold Harley-Davidson XR1000 V-twin engines and installed them in a chassis of his own design, complete with aerodynamic bodywork and an underslung rear monoshock. Fifty units were produced and sold through the world’s first Buell dealer in Rockville, Maryland. The RR1000 proved that a genuine sportbike could be built in America with an American engine. It was the birth certificate of a philosophy that would define the brand for decades.

S1 Lightning (1996)

The motorcycle that put Buell on the map. This muscular naked roadster powered by a Harley Sportster 1,203cc V-twin is widely considered the pioneer of the naked bike movement in the United States. Its underslung exhaust, aggressive styling, and nimble chassis made it radically different from anything on the American market. By 1998, Buell had become the second-largest non-Japanese sportbike manufacturer in the U.S., behind only Ducati. The Lightning remains one of the most iconic Buell models ever produced.

XB9R Firebolt (2002)

The ultimate expression of Buell’s engineering philosophy. The Firebolt introduced the fuel-in-frame aluminum chassis concept on a production motorcycle, a world first. Oil was stored in the swingarm. The front brake disc was mounted on the rim (perimeter brake), dramatically reducing unsprung weight. Every component served multiple functions: lightness, mass centralization, compactness. The 984cc Sportster V-twin produced 92 hp in a package weighing just 385 lbs dry. This was radical, brilliant motorcycle engineering that remains influential today.

1125R (2007)

The first non-Harley engine ever fitted to a Buell, and what an engine it was: a Rotax-built 1,125cc liquid-cooled 72-degree V-twin with dual overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, producing 146 hp. Designed with major input from Erik Buell and dubbed the Helicon, this powerplant represented the brand’s future. The 1125R finally combined Buell’s chassis philosophy with a modern engine that matched its ambitions. The street-oriented 1125CR variant (2009) added cafe racer styling to the package. Tragically, Harley shut down Buell the very same year.

Hammerhead 1190 (2021)

The symbol of Buell’s resurrection. Based on the EBR 1190RX platform developed by Erik Buell after his departure from Harley, the Hammerhead retains the liquid-cooled 1,190cc V-twin producing 185 hp and 102 lb-ft of torque, the fuel-in-frame philosophy, perimeter front brake, and aluminum chassis. At 419 lbs dry with 185 hp, it ranks among the lightest and most powerful V-twin sportbikes available. Built in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with carbon fiber bodywork, it marks the concrete return of the Buell name to the road — even without Erik at the helm.