It begins with the story of an incredible enthusiast, who built and raced original and extremely rare motorcycles, mainly with Harley engines.
In 1983, Erik Buell left his engineering job to pursue his dream of building racing motorcycles. From 1985 to 1992, Erik designed a line of road-going sports motorcycles using Harley-Davidson engines. The success of this business led Harley-Davidson to purchase a minority stake in the Buell Motorcycle Company in 1993.
In 2002, the XBR9 Firebolt was a motorcycle with an aluminum fuel-containing beam in the frame, and a peripheral brake disc. The XB chassis and engine derivatives saw significant distribution, reaching nearly 90 units.
As for competition, in 2009 Buell won its first championship in the AMA Daytona Sportbike category with Danny Eslick as driver. In 2013, Erik Buell Racing, in partnership with Hero, arrived in the World Superbike Championship with the EBR 1190RX, which was based on the 1190RS platform. In 2016, EBR Motorcycles was established to continue the legacy of Erik Buell.
Even if Erik Buell's final chapter didn't result in economic success, the final years of his work with the Wisconsin V-Twin certainly mark the pinnacle of his attempts to build the ultimate American Sportsbike. From 2013 the racing program accelerated internationally with the EBR 1190 RS and John Dimbylow's Splitlath at the Isle of Man TT and Macau GP. For the 2014 season, EBR announced it would join the World Superbike Championship, where riders Geoff May and Aaron Yates completed the inaugural WSBK season for Erik Buell Racing.
For 2015, the team announced Niccolò Canepa and Larry Pegram as riders, but in the middle of the season, with the bikes ready for the following round at Imola, team investor and sponsor Hero decided to terminate cooperation in 2015, so Team Hero EBR was forced to withdraw from the World Championship overnight.
The British Splitlath Motorsport team launched and continued in 2015 and 2016 as a factory racing team with American drivers Mark Miller, Cory West and Shelina Morena on the Isle of Man, Macau and with great success in China.
NCCR in Sweden, owned by the Krüper family, well known for their involvement in the Buell world for over 2 decades, now offers motorcycles and other parts from the latest racing programs of Erik Buell Racing. Prices start at €35 for the RS and €000 for the WSBK.
Erick Buell (in 2015) : “Unfortunately, in the end we tried to do too much with too little funding, but that doesn't diminish the accomplishments. We showcased the stunning world-class American 1190RS, 1190RX and 1190SX, while doing groundbreaking work for Hero on the HX250R, Leap, SimplEcity, iON, RnT and many others, plus concepts never before seen publicly. But in the end, it all just overwhelmed us, and we are sorry and saddened. »
Jens Kruper from NCCR : “It’s a unique opportunity to have this stock of motorcycles and parts on hand. The Buell world has John Dimbylow of Splitlath Motorsport to thank for keeping these things together all these years. It's simply incredible, these 10 bikes and the huge quantity of parts are the essence of Erik's work with V-twins and exceptional pieces of motorsport history. »
John Dimbylow of Splitlath Motorsport: “I really didn't want the equipment to go away, especially the motorcycles, because I had such an affinity with the brand and the guys. It has been such a pleasure to work with them and be a part of the development of such an incredible pioneering machine. Motorcycles were a part of me and it was the most enjoyable few years of racing I had. We are very proud of what we and Erik Buell achieved, but the bikes were just gathering dust and I decided they would have a better life with owners who would use or cherish them better than me. »
Shelina Moreda and her Buell in June 2016
Photos © NCCR, EBR Racing
Sources: Roadracingworld.com, NCCR, EBR Racing
