First Ride: EBR 1190RX

The world of motorcycling is littered with tales of talented, driven geniuses who are intent on following their dreams and idiosyncratic designs no matter the cost, financial or otherwise.

Most of these stories end in bankruptcy, with half-finished projects cluttering up the sheds and garages of eccentric inventors and engineers across the globe. Some, but not many, do create something that has a significant influence on the course of motorcycle design, but even then there’s no guarantee of an appropriate monetary reward. I’ve been spending some time with a quite lovely V-twin superbike whose very existence exemplifies exactly this kind of backstory.

The EBR 1190RX is testament to the determination of a man who has had an unduly large effect on sports bikes, despite a series of setbacks that would have crushed a lesser individual. EBR stands for Erik Buell Racing, and is, let’s face it, a bit of a mouthful. Those of you with a motorcycling background will probably recognise the name Buell, because for many years Erik designed, built and sold his innovative bikes under that brand name.

In fact, he was so successful at developing an American sports bike brand that Harley-Davidson (already supplying air-cooled engines for some of his street models) decided they’d like to get involved. Then, the worldwide financial crisis of 2008 gave us all a big smack, including H- D, who then decided to cut costs by shutting the Buell operation a year later. Although Buell has since said he understands why they did so, the sight of him tearfully announcing the closure of his company via an emotional video address shows how difficult it was for this proud man.

But, being the fighter he is, he rehired some key personnel and embarked once again on his lifelong quest — to build a world-beating American sports bike. Unfortunately for him, Harley-Davidson wasn’t able, or willing, to return the brand name Buell to its eponymous owner, and so he has risen from the ashes with a product that is better than ever, but with a name that isn’t.

The first bike to make it into production under the new EBR label was the 1 190 RR race model, essentially a development of the Buell 1 125R previously sold under the H-D umbrella. In 2011, the EBR 1190RS was announced as the company’s first street-legal model, an expensive racer on the road, produced in a limited production run of just 100. Last year, the EBR 1190RX was released, and it is that model that is tested here, courtesy of South African EBR importers Cayenne Motorcycles.

The purchase of just under 50% of EBR by the hugely successful Indian bike manufacturer Hero in 2013 ensured some financial security for the US company. Enough security, in fact, to prompt EBR to enter this year’s World Superbike championship, a perfect arena to provide a worldwide audience.

The WSBK championship was always going to be a tough nut to crack, populated as it is by the planet’s top manufacturers, all with many decades of experience in hand over the upstart US entrant. Despite all the setbacks, the EBR team has made gradual, but noticeable improvements throughout the season, and this writer at least thinks there’s hope for them to make a more significant impact in 2015 when the dumbing down of the championship rules should level the playing field.

You don’t need to spend too much time with the 1 190RX to realise that it is much closer in terms of performance to its competitors on the road than it is in WSBK. It can’t hold a candle to the other V-twin in that championship, the Ducati 1 199 Panigale, yet in road trim it is right in the mix. There is a claimed 138kW being pumped out by the 1 190cc V-twin, which when combined with 137Nm of torque provides an eye-widening level of thrust. It can’t quite compete with the latest four-cylinder super- bikes in terms of outright horsepower, but with the inherent advantages of a V-twin — a broad spread of torque and more easily accessible acceleration — it actually feels quicker on the road.

As for the handling, well, that’s always been Buell’s forte, and his genius continues with the RX. This is a sweet-steering chassis that requires little effort to hustle around and rewards with plenty of useful feedback from its Japanese Showa suspension. Other signature elements of Buell’s design philosophy are maintained with the fuel being carried in the frame rails (the actual ‘‘fuel tank’’ is a dummy housing the air box) and braking being sorted by a single rim-mounted disc at the front. Both are unusual ideas, both work well.

As far as the looks go, the RX is more restrained and generic than any of Buell’s previous models, and that’s probably a good thing. The EBR 1190 RX is priced at R199 900, which makes it cheaper than the equivalent Ducati, but then hand on heart, it still isn’t quite as good — in terms of features, finish or performance. But it does offer a package that could be considered a more enjoyable road bike, if cutting the ultimate fast lap isn’t what your sport riding is about. On top of which you are sure to stand out from the crowd with a bike that says you’re not some brain-dead follower of fashion, but an individual thinker intent on creating your own path, just like Buell himself.

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-Mat Durrans