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Buell’s Plans
I’ve communicated with the people at Erik Buell Racing to see if they could give up any more information about the 1190RS street bike, their schecule for producing it and making it available, etc. Their response is essentially as follows:
Currently there is no information available from us on the 1190RS, other than that it is in development. What surprises us is how many people are already publishing specifications, business plans and limitations, and more. Even though the information they have is incorrect. Not sure what to do about that other than to let time take its course and as the facts are released then people will know them. There is much information that simply cannot be released yet.
In other words…nothing.
As far as the speculation goes about EBR’s “specifications, business plans and limitations, and more”, well, all you can really say is that this sort of thing inevitable happens when you’re unwilling–or unable–to provide any solid information. Under the press of deadlines, reporters will often publish something that they hear from someone who they trust, who has been reliable in the past with inside info…and it’s still wrong.
About all you can do is ignore it, and release information as you’re able.
Yesterday I got an official press release from EBR that specifically mentioned the 1190RS again, saying once more that it is “under development”. Other than that, it looks like we’ll have to wait until February for hard and fast–and reliable–news about Buell’s plans.
There is this, however:
Erik Buell Racing 1190RS
Click for the hi-res version. I’m hoping that won’t be the production exhaust.
Got a guess…
Where’s this 1190 cc powerplant comin’ from?
I’m not sure if it’s a modified 1125 motor, or something completely different.
Piecing bits and pieces of things I’ve seen from various sources, here’s my best guess: The 1190RS will be similar to the “Barracuda” but more of a race-bike with headlights than the original Barracuda. The swing-arm and other components seem to be right off the race-bike . . . and that would make sense for a low-volume manufacturer. It seems that (through some set of events which we probably won’t know about for quite some time) Erik has been able to get the rights he needs to make these bikes and it seems that he now owns the necessary patents and designs. There has been talk about investors, but here’s an interesting little detail that I just happened to notice because I’m obsessed with finally getting a real American ass-kicking bike . . . on the racing team web-site: http://www.ebracingteam.com/ there was originally a tab for investors to contact EBR and express interest . . . but I noticed that tab disappeared a month or two ago – leading me to speculate that they may have the money they need.
I don’t know if this is worth any more than all the other internet speculation, but I think he’s ready to get up and running. He’ll probably have to start small just to get the infrastructure in place, but I think those practical limits are the only thing holding him back for now.