Buell holds a special place in the hearts of many motorcycle enthusiasts thanks to its extravagant style. Buells are instantly recognizable thanks to their distinctive styling and use of a unique brake setup with perimeter discs up front. Undoubtedly a polarizing feature that no other manufacturer has adopted, it gives Buell motorcycles just a little more character. Unfortunately, this brand disappeared in 2009, when Harley Davidson decided to break away from it. Since then, Erik Buell has already tried several times to relaunch his brand.
Erik Buell is definitely not decided to let his brand die, which is once again coming to the forefront with great promise. Bill Melvin, CEO of Buell Motorcycle, announced in February that around ten new models would be marketed by 2024. It seems that these plans are slowly taking shape, since Buell recently unveiled the Hammerhead 1190RX. While not an entirely new motorcycle per se, the new Hammerhead is based on Erik Buell's 1190RX, launched in 2017.
The new Buell Hammerhead 1190RX features a 72-degree V-twin engine that is an evolution of the Rotax Helicon found in previous Buell machines. The Rotax engine has also been used in the past in other motorcycles such as BMW, Aprilia, KTM and Can-Am. In the Hammerhead 1190RX, this develops 185 hp, which places the machine in the sports car segment.
To complement its powerful engine, the Hammerhead is built around a twin-beam aluminum chassis fitted with Showa inverted front forks and a central rear monoshock. It continues to use the Buell peripheral disc brake setup with a massive 386mm disc paired to an eight-piston caliper.
Besides the new Hammerhead 1190RX, Buell is also expected to introduce the new Streetfighter 1190SX, as well as the Super Touring, both based on the same platform as the 1190RX.
