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Another Test Ride?
I‘ve been looking at Buell’s web site since the new models were rolled out, and looking up some information on the 1125R. I’ve also been watching that young Eslick fellow sweep the Daytona races around the country.
So, I stopped off at Biggs Harley-Davidson today to look at one in person. All I got to do was sit on the bike–they have a white one on display, as well as a couple of CR variants. The CR is too much of a naked bike for my taste, but the R model looks sweet. I know the looks are controversial, but I like them.
Just sitting on the bike, I could tell that the ergos are far more forgiving than the Kawasaki Z-Bikes, and way more comfy than the R1 or R6. You aren’t forced to lean as far forward, and the pegs aren’t set quite as high, so you aren’t crouched into a full fetal position. This is a sportbike I might actually be able to ride for more than 30 minutes at a time.
Surprisingly, the Biggs guys are open to letting me take one out for a test ride. So I’ll probably have a test ride report on the Buell 1125R in the near future.
It’s fantastic, but it isn’t easily described. It takes a bit of time to ‘steep’ in you. Highly Addictive.
On the “Book of Buell”. I like it – it’s their marketing storyboard. Like it or not it focuses the brand and pushes Erik Buell’s (and his company’s)  ‘loner’ iconoclasm.  Who are they tweaking with “We don’t ride to hang out it bars, we wear helmets, we don’t feel obligated to wave to every drooling biomass that bought the same brand bike”, etc.?Â
They’re carving out a new space.