More Afternoon Moto News - Pretty Buell, Harley 48 & Aspire

A builder and designer in the U.K. has actually managed to turn the Buell 1125R into something which has a far superior aesthetic value than the stock model. The bike is called the Magpul Ronin, and it just may be a model for future products. As it is now, it is merely a prototype, but the Buell owners will likely push them to produce some of the cool bits on this machine for the public to buy. If Magpul does not, they will be losing some serious money.

http://tinyurl.com/ykvge96

And, it is from the same source that we get the first real look at the new Harley-Davidson 48. It is based on a Sportster 1200 (the second most common H-D) and it has fatter tires and a single seat. Not sure what is supposed to be so special, but then I am not an obsessive H-D fan like some are...

http://tinyurl.com/ykljt9u

US review: http://tinyurl.com/y93gugm

And, here is some important news for U.K. residents; the Aspire charity group which does work for people with severe spinal injuries, allowing them to live normal lives. They will be having what they call a D-Day Ride Out, which will take place in France on 12 - 13 June 2010. Head on over to the website for more details.

http://www.aspire.org.uk/bikers/

Canadian H-D Importer Deeley Harley-Davidson will Support Racing in 2010

Even though the Buell brand is dead now, Deeley Harley-Davidson will continue to race them in the Canadian racing series. The Deeley Racing/Ruthless Racing team will compete in Canadian Pro Superbike, Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike, the new Sports Twins Pro/Am Classes, and the Western Canadian Championships. One question remains, though, racing rules usually stipulate homologation - and a dead motorcycle marque cannot do this...

http://tinyurl.com/yjrt66a

United Kingdom Bike Sales Go Naked!

It seems that the motorcycle market is still on a downward trend, unfortunately. Of course, things could be improving, but people are getting themselves necessities instead of purchasing big-ticket items. Plus, it is winter and the Christmas season is upon us - that could be a factor as well. The interesting part of this report is the sales of naked sportbikes - that segment is leading all motorcycle sales presently. What is even more sad is how popular the Buell 1125CR and R are in the U.K. - too bad the company is gone...

http://tinyurl.com/ygv89an

Erik Buell Not Only Lives, He Thrives

Buell is now announcing that Erik Buell Racing will be providing race-spec 1125R for DMG / AMA Pro Racing Daytona SportBike and 1125RR for racing in American Superbike. Such good news to know he is doing what he loves again. I hope it all works well for him...it will not be easy, but he is used to that. There will also be a Euro-spec 1190RR - not sure for what series, exactly, but it may fit in many.

http://tinyurl.com/yzupe28

Erik Buell Starts Erik Buell Racing - Good News

It is nice to see Buell stepping away from Harley and moving back to doing something on his own. He will start by providing race-only parts for racing Buell motorcycles and will build race-spec 1125R motorcycles under license from H-D (the least they could do for him). It will, of course, be known as Erik Buell Racing and will be based in East Troy, Wisconsin. For more info, take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/yg7xn9k

So Buell is Dead, What About Erik Buell?

According to the author of the linked piece, Erik Buell is a true innovator of the motorcycle industry. I agree with his position, up to a point. I do not think that Mr. Buell contributed a great deal to the industry overall, but I think that he brought out ideas - which had been used before - and put them into the mainstream. For that, we should all be thankful. I do most wholeheartedly agree with the fact that the industry needs people like Mr. Buell - individuals who push the mold and change our perspective - and it needs them now!

http://tinyurl.com/ygfa3rg

P.S. I'm available - someone hire me!

Harley-Davidson Paying Dealers US$5000 for Each Buell Sold

If you are in the market for a Buell sportbike or road machine, this is the time. H-D has said that parts and service will continue to be available even after the Buell factory closes, so there should be no worries about that. So, if you have some spare money lying around and you want a decent motorcycle - go get your Buell today! They may never be this cheap again...

http://tinyurl.com/yz4o3eo

Is That a Silver Lining? Buell May Come Back

It is a bit far off to say for sure, but this has happened before. Now that Harley-Davidson has killed Buell, the local county where the brand was (is) based has sent a letter asking Erik Buell if he would be interested in forming an investment group to keep the brand alive. Most sources, though, say that Buell is so very integrated within H-D that it might be impossible to buy it away and start it up again. However, Erik Buell has been told things were impossible before - and that never stopped him.

http://tinyurl.com/yk2q4kf

P.S. If you are reading this and you have the ability to assist in this process, contact Mr. Buell and see if you can help out...it certainly could not hurt.

Buell is Gone. Why is That? Well, Here's One Opinion

Buell has been closed by the accountants at Harley-Davidson. This was Eric Buell's lifelong project - to make H-D a road racing powerhouse. The technology which was used in the Buell motorcycle was impressive in many cases - though, some of it had been done before - and, I always thought it was good to have them there if only to influence other manufacturers. The problem came when they tried to turn an engine based on a nearly half-century-old design into a race bike - it just vibrated to pieces. But, they had finally gone out and had a very modern engine created to fit into a racing chassis. Along comes DMG and, suddenly, the Buell 1125R is legal to race against 600c.c. Japanese fours; this essentially made it look like DMG and Buell had set up 'cheater' rules for them. And the final nail in their coffin came from H-D's accountants after reporting a huge sales drop...

It will be sad to see the marque disappear as I really hoped they would continue looking outside of H-D for powerplants and they just might build a motorcycle I would buy - something very different and very well-designed...

So, this leads me to the article. It is an opinion piece, and I am not in total agreement with the author, but it is worth reading for yet another perspective on the demise of Buell.

http://tinyurl.com/yjtmfqo

P.S. I just hope that Harley opens their minds enough (I know, not likely given their conservative bend) and learns some design and engineering from the Buell line of motorcycles...

The Buell 1125R Wins 2009 AMA Daytona SportBike Championship

Yes, it is true, a 1125c.c. machine which competes with 600c.c. (mostly foreign made) machines actually beat all of them to the championship. This has incited some serious controversy, and with good reason. Buell also supplies the 'pace bikes' for the AMA Pro Racing sanctioning body, a visible reason to ask why they are allowed to race against motorcycles which have about half their displacement. I guess that if they raced bikes closer in displacement, it would be 'unfair' to the Harley-Davidson ownership? As they say, "when idiots rule...cheaters have their way."

http://tinyurl.com/mxtaph