Though the pre-production unit I tested last summer at Laguna Seca had a few kinks that were being ironed out, overall I was impressed with the Buell 1125R, the company's first liquid-cooled bike. It turns out the 146 horsepower superbike is quite capable on the track indeed, as it captured the 2nd and 5th place spots at the Hockenheim 1000's Class 4 competition. The 1,000 kilometer (621 mile) endurance race included a field of 32 bikes, among them four BMW HP2s, five KTM RC8s, and various Ducatis and Aprilias.
I couldn't tell you whether or not the 1125R is a sales hit, but it certainly looks like it's got the right stuff for the track.
Photo © Buell
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Amazing what happens as soon as they loose the 1929 vintage motor, frame, brakes, suspension & controls…the bike works. Go figure!
Kudos to Mr. Buell!
Pete,
Yes, it’s an impressive debut. Buells were always a bit of a contradiction– air-cooled Harley v-twins combined with fuel-in-frame design and underslung exhaust. Though a few die hards protested the 1125R’s Rotax engine, it was obviously an appropriate powerplant for this application.
I’m happy for Mr. Buell.
Basem
Yes, a contradiction indeed.
Nice to see they had good results
I’ve never owned an American bike, but I wanted to know what hardware(nuts and bolts) is used on a Buell. Is it in metric or imperial units? (mm or inches.)