Buell Motorcycles: Reviews, Prices, Photos and Videos

Buell Motorcycles

Buell motorcycles include the 1125R sportbike, the 1125CR café racer, the Lightning family of streetfighters including the XB9Scg and XB9SX CityX, and the Ulysses line of sport touring motorcycles such as the Ulysses XB12XT. Erik Buell Racing is producing racing-only trackbikes such as the 1125RR and 1190RR as well as the 1190RS streetbike.

Buell Motorcycle Company was discontinued by Harley-Davidson, Inc. in 2009, but in its short history the Buell brand managed to make an indelible mark on the industry. Company founder Erik Buell left an R&D job at Harley-Davidson in 1982 to build his own race bike. H-D bought a minority interest in the company in 1993. His efforts include short-lived RW750, RR1000 (Battle Twin), the S2 Thunderbolt and XB9R Firebolt. Buell, however, built more than racing motorcycles, introducing the Ulysses adventure sportbike in 2005. More recently, Erik Buell has started a new company – Erik Buell Racing. The first Erik Buell Racing motorcycle was introduced in 2011 – the 1190RS.

Read more about the History of Buell Motorcycles.

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2011 Erik Buell Racing 1190RS Preview

Eric Buell rolled out his new 1190RS at the Powersports Dealer Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Erik Buell Racing 1190RS will be the first streetbike produced to bear the Buell name since Harley-Davidson shuttered the brand in October 2009.

2009 Buell 1125R Daytona SportBike Review

Buell recently stole headlines with the announcement of a specially modified 1125R joining AMA Pro Racing's American Superbike class. The 1125RR is a purpose-built racebike that has created waves in the AMA Superbike paddock.

2009 Buell 1125CR Review

Buell’s latest line-up includes a sleeker naked version of a model introduced last year, lean and mean, the 1125CR is a force to reckon with. More than just “Harley’s sportbike”, this Café Racer is ready to compete against the Japanese.

2009 Buell Motorcycles Unveiled

Consisting of six models and three lines, Buell’s street, adventure and sportbike models vary by model and engine configuration but continue the melting pot culture that has grown to exemplify the “American” idea.

2009 Buell 1125CR Introduction

The Buell 1125CR, this nearly-identical sibling of the racier-looking 1125R loses the big fairing/windscreen found on that bike in favor of a minimalist flyscreen sitting atop on new, single piece headlight for the 21st century café racer.

2008 Buell Ulysses XB12XT Review

Of the nine bikes Buell makes, six of those carry the letters XB; of those, the Uly is the strongest seller. We take a look at how the Ulysses model is expanding as we ride the 2008 Ulysses XB12XT. It has new suspension and a lower seat. Hurray!

First Ride: 2008 Buell 1125R

Has a partnership with BRP-Rotax given Buell lovers what so many have clamored for: A modern liquid-cooled V-Twin superbike? Motorcycle.com rides the 1125R in Monterey, Calif., and around Laguna Seca to find out.

Buell 1125R First Look

Buell’s new 1125R could be stiff competition for Ducati and Aprilia in the world of sporting V-Twin superbikes. We take a look inside the American company’s first liquid-cooled sportbike and compare it to its rivals.

Firebolts, Lightnings and an XB-RR: Buells in Bakersfield

Motorcycle.com travels to Bakersfield, Calif., for the launch of Buell’s 2007 line-up including the Firebolt series sportbikes, the Lightning streetfighter line and XBRR series racebikes. But doe Buell have more up its sleeve than new tires and graphics?

2007 Buell Lightning XB12STT

Erik Buell’s love for what he does and has done comes through in bursts of exuberance at overcoming the challenges of designing a motorcycle, or rather a sportbike, like no other. It’s that passion that fueled the creation of the Buell Lightning Super TT.

2005 Buell and Harley Davidson Line-up

The riding position is athletic. Agility is uncompromised. The torque is unreal. Compact and narrow in profile, the Buell Thunderstorm – V-Twin engine is the perfect powerplant for serious street performance.

2004 XB12S: Cheddarheads Strike Again

John Burns crashes out and takes out a Canadian motojournalist as he tests the 2004 Buell Lightning XB12R and XB12S sportbikes at Road America. JB took a handlebar in the chest but hey, he was going faster than Don Canet at the time.

2003 Buell XB9S Lightning

As a general purpose motorcycle, the Buell XB9S Lightning is hard to fault. It’s fun around town, fun on the freeway and fun in the canyons. Riding the 9S in traffic is an absolute joy. If it wasn't for the clutch it would be the ultimate commuter.

First Ride: 2003 Buell XB9S Lightning

After spending a significant amount of time on the XB9R Firebolt, we were pretty sure that Buell had something up its sleeve. The naked XB9S Lightning version shares many of the same parts but after riding it, you would think it's a different bike.

2002 Buell XB9R

Buell’s “Trilogy of Design” since day one has meant optimal mass centralization, minimal unsprung weight, and chassis rigidity. This theory has taken the XB9R Firebolt down an interesting road that creates new problems by so creatively solving others.

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Buell Motorcycle Videos

2009 Streetfighters Shootout: Aprilia Tuono 1000 R, Buell 1125CR, Triumph Speed Triple

For reasons we don’t quite understand, American motorcycle buyers don’t give naked standards the love they deserve. We grabbed three streetfighters, the Aprilia Tuono 1000R, Buell 1125CR, Triumph Speed Triple, and show you just what you’ve been missing.

1997 Open Bikini Shootout They're fast. They're sexy. They're impractical. They're temperamental. They look great in a thong. They're demanding, expensive and -- if you're lucky enough to climb on board -- they're a helluva lot of fun to ride.
2000 Valuebike Shootout "Can I buy you a drink, or do you just want the money?" You, being the avid biker with the suave ghetto-smooth moves that you are, naturally end up with a date for the evening with a pick-up line like this.
Streetfighter Shootout MO decided to test three of the funkiest Streetfighters we could find. The victor was quite surprising (to me at least,) and will go on to challenge...
2008 Oddball Literbikes Comparison: Benelli Tornado Tre 1130 vs. Buell 1125R vs. Ducati 1098S We assembled three machines that go beyond the class-typical 998 or 999 cubic centimeters summed up from four cylinders, all in a row. No, instead we give you the Ducati 1098S, Benelli Tornado Tre and Buell 1125R in an Oddball Literbike shootout.

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2009 Streetfighters Shootout: Aprilia Tuono 1000 R, Buell 1125CR, Triumph Speed ...

2008 Oddball Literbikes Comparison: Benelli Tornado Tre 1130 vs. Buell 1125R vs....

We assembled three machines that go beyond the class-typical 998 or 999 cubic centimeters summed up from four cylinders, all in a row. No, instead we give you the Ducati 1098S, Benelli Tornado Tre and Buell 1125R in an Oddball Literbike shootout.

2007 Air-Cooled Twins Naked Comparo

We went back to basics with a look at four liter-plus-sized air-cooled naked Twins to see which would make the best all-around do-it-all motorcycle. Enter the BMW R1200R, Ducati Multistrada 1100, Moto Guzzi Breva 1100 and the Buell XB12X Ulysses.

Big, Naked and Beautiful: Open-Class Standards 2006

Motorcycles are bad. Not in a negative way, but in a nasty, I'm a bad MOfo kind of way. And the nastiest are the big-motored, unfaired, out-in-the-wind, high-performance naked standard motorcycles we label "Hooligan" machines.

2005 Sport Touring Comparo

Sport Touring is the dream of many motorcyclists. A capable machine, miles and miles of winding roads, perfect weather and an attractive companion behind you.

The B-Team: Value Supersport Shootout 2005

Value Supersports -- those aging designs and "new-old-stock" machines that you can usually get such screaming deals on -- how much value is really in them?

Streetfighter Shootout

MO decided to test three of the funkiest Streetfighters we could find. The victor was quite surprising (to me at least,) and will go on to challenge...

2003 Funky Twins Comparo

If you're a magazine tester, it's hard to get your hands on a decent selection of sport bikes in late summer. The new bikes aren't available yet and most of this year's bikes are long since departed to the big OEM employee sale in the sky. What's a mag...

2003 Naked Twins

Spending all that quality naked time has JB torqued up and in vintage form. Here, we find him blaspheming the holy name of the SV650 to anoint the first American king since Kenny Roberts. Controversy, thy name is Burns!

Buell XB9R vs. Ducati 900SS

It seemed only natural to compare the old 900 SS to the all-new Buell XB9R, to us at least. The old Italian L-twin must still have some adherents, obviously, since it makes up a big chunk of Ducati sales...

2000 Valuebike Shootout

"Can I buy you a drink, or do you just want the money?" You, being the avid biker with the suave ghetto-smooth moves that you are, naturally end up with a date for the evening with a pick-up line like this.

Twin Touring Sportbikes

Two Twins Tour Test.

1997 Open Bikini Shootout

They're fast. They're sexy. They're impractical. They're temperamental. They look great in a thong. They're demanding, expensive and -- if you're lucky enough to climb on board -- they're a helluva lot of fun to ride.

Open Warfare, 1996

What do you choose to ride if you need to be in Denver tomorrow?

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Choose your Buell motorcycle to build, configure or compare

Looking for a specific make, model or year of Buell motorcycle, and how it compares to the competition? Looking to design your own Buell motorcycle? Use our Motorcycle Finder, below, to get everything you need on 2004 to present Buell motorcycles.

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Buell Motorcycles Featured Specs

2010 Buell 1125 CR

2010 Buell 1125 R

2010 Buell Firebolt® XB12R

2010 Buell Lightning® XB9SX

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Find a great deal on a Used Buell Motorcycle

Looking to find the perfect deal on a previously-owned Used Buell Motorcycle For Sale? Use our Buell Motorcycle Classifieds to find the perfect bike to suit your budget. Our motorcycle classifieds feature over 1000 used Buell Motorcycles.

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Using our database of Buell Motorcycle Dealers you can quickly find the nearest source for the latest new and used Buell Motorcycles. Just enter your state or ZIP code and you'll be one-step closer to buying a new bike!

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View all Buell News Buell Motorcycle News

Three-Time World Champion Wayne Rainey Honored At Quail Motorcycle Gathering Saturday, May 4 marked the 5th annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering in Carmel, California. With such a diverse collection of historical, rare and outrageous motorcycles, the Quail is an event we thoroughly enjoyed attending last year. To commemorate the occasion, this year’s guest of honor was none other than three-time 500cc Grand Prix world champion, and [...] more
RoboCop Remake Has RoboCop Riding A Motorcycle The semi-futuristic 1987 film, “RoboCop,” starring actor Peter Weller, told the tale of fatally injured Detroit cop effectively resurrected to life, but in the form of mostly metal, cyborg-like being. RoboCop was the ultimate crime-fighting tool, and the public loved the premise of the movie to the tune of two sequels, lots of merchandising and [...] more
Erik Buell Featured on Entrepreneur.com Entrepreneur.com, the web presence of Entrepreneur magazine, has a feature article on Erik Buell and his Erik Buell Racing (EBR) company. While the article reveals some lack of knowledge of the two-wheeled world by overusing the term “crotch rocket” as the generic description for sportbikes, this is forgivable considering it’s coming from a publication specializing in [...] more
US Motorcycle Sales First Half 2011 Results The U.S. motorcycle industry saw a 4.6% decrease in year-on-year sales over the first six months of 2011, thanks mostly to a 17.3% drop in ATV sales. Motorcycle and scooter sales however saw a 1.7% bump in the first half . Unfortunately, most of that gain in two-wheeled vehicle sales was due to a strong [...] more
Marisa Miller Takes Harley-Davidson Riders Edge Training [Video] If there’s one thing I like more than motorcycles, it’s hot supermodels, such as Victoria’s Secret Angel, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covergirl and Harley-Davidson spokesmodel Marisa Miller. Miller has appeared in a number of promotional spots for The Motor Company in recent years, most notably for the Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle and to support Harley-Davidson’s U.S. [...] more
Erik Buell Racing Reveals 1190RS Details, Hints at Three New Models Erik Buell Racing has released new information about its upcoming 1190RS streetbike including pricing and hints of three new models, the RX, SX and AX. But first the 1190RS. First revealed back in February, the 2012 EBR 1190RS is the first new streetbike to carry Buell’s name since Harley-Davidson discontinued the original Buell Motorcycle brand. [...] more
YouTuber pokes fun at Harley-Davidson [video] Here at Motorcycle.com we generally have nice things to say about Harley-Davidson products. But we also like a good joke. Especially when it’s full of biting sarcasm. This YouTuber and motorcycle enthusiast shows his support for Erik Buell and hisâ€¦ erâ€¦umâ€¦ obvious disappoint with Harley’s decision to shutter Buell. We don’t endorse the tainted view [...] more
Buell Assets Liquidation About to Begin In what is sure to be a painfully long and tortuous process for the former Buell Motorcycle Company (from Eric down to the graveyard shift janitor), the final act of its disassembly will be handled by Grand Rapids, Michigan – based Liquid Asset Partners. In a release from Liquid Assets, the company states the â€œliquidation [...] more
Top Motorcycle News of 2009 The year is coming to a close so let’s take a look back at the top stories of 2009 in the world of motorcycles after the jump. Buell Motorcycles Shut Down Harley-Davidson made the shocking announcement Oct. 15 it would discontinue Buell Motorcycles. Though Harley-Davidson’s financial struggles weren’t a surprise, the decision to shut down [...] more
Last Buell Motorcycle Rolls Off the Line The mournful expressions on the Buell workers’ faces in this photo say more than words can. So long old friend. Harley-Davidson announced yesterday that the final bike built by Buell, a Lightning XB12Scg, rolled off the production line on October 30. This marked the 136,923th motorcycle built by Buell in its 26 years of operation. [...] more

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Buell Motorcycles Visit the Buell section on Twowheelforum.com for information on the latest Buell motorcycle news, events, tech advice, & more.
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