Comments on: Buell is Back With a Made-in-USA Street-Legal Superbike (Bike Reports) (News)

By: Dave Tweed

Dave Tweed — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:58:05 +0000

I love reading the comments from some of the I4 crowd. 50 of the 100 are already promised in Europe I’ll bet there are several celebrity types who will own 1 as well. The Bikes when the actual production for the public starts should come in in the high teens and for that knowing what I know I will buy one. I have owned and liked some of the other liter bikes available and I even really liked a couple of them. But I love my Buell it is the funnest bike I have ever owned only my 1978 RM 250 C2 was even close.
GO ERIK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:25:44 +0000

Lots of posters are missing the big picture wrt the price. This is a race bike that is one slightly thinner base gasket and a fuel map away from being an AMA Superbike class machine. It was not built to be ridden on Sunday morning, it was built to race in AMA Superbike. Buy an R1 or a GSXR1000 and count the dollars you’d need to spend to make it competitive. 40K is a bargain.

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By: Sid

Sid — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:15:19 +0000

The above comment is mindless. It shows no understanding of small volume production, regardless of the bike (e.g. Bimota). Ducati doesn’t sell a $30-40k bike that the new Buell can compete with?

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By: Scott

Scott — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:37:41 +0000

In addition to the frame and most other bike specific parts (I’m not sure, but I’d bet the fairing and nearly everything except the suspension and tires – which are off the shelf rather than designed specifically for the bike – are made in the USA) we should also probably add the engine as a primarily US component.

Even though the engine is based on the Rotax, it’s bored out and US sourced valves, valve-springs, camshafts etc. are used to turn it into a completely different engine.

Let’s put it this way, I’m willing to BET that this bike has more US content than Harley, Victory or any other bike that is considered to be “American”. If you’re going to crap on this bike because it’s not “American” enough, than you better not buy any motorcycles at all.

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By: Benji

Benji — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 08:16:08 +0000

And Harley Davidson has been using Showa forks for decades. Big deal.
Who cares where its made, I dont. I’m just cheering for the little guy.

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By: Wilson R

Wilson R — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 01:10:28 +0000

OK, whose going to be the first to pony up $45,000 for CBR1000R performance with less reliability?
Uh, huh. That’s what I thought.

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By: Cajun58

Cajun58 — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:10:39 +0000

I don’t think those frames are made in Italy any longer. And as with any product this complex it is sourced from parts and sub-assemblies from all over the world. You’d be hard pressed to find anything made completely in one country.

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By: Scut Farcus

Scut Farcus — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:26:06 +0000

Wow, once he gets the AMA to add 100 kilos to the 600cc Japanese bikes,(for all their unfair advantages) he’ll be ready to Dominate the Daytona Sportbike class all over again with this thing!
I still remember back in the 80s when dirt-track started really becoming popular. So much so the Japanese started to enter the frey. Harley fixed that though, through the AMA. Maybe pretty soon AMA Pro roadracing can go down the drain too. Probably well on their way.

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By: Zuki

Zuki — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:41:27 +0000

Hmmmmm… you should read all of the comments and do some research before making out-of-date comments. The frame, subframe, and wheels are all made in the U.S. I’m sure there are many other components too that I don’t need to mention. The engine?… the Helicon was co-developed between Rotax and Buell, specifically for use in Buell motorcycles so it’s got plenty of U.S. blood in it. It wouldn’t have even been designed and built without the existence of Buell and their input into the design specification. Besides this, all the race-spec engine work is done at the Buell facility starting from a stock engine, no?

How common is it for vehicles to be 100% sourced raw material and manufactured from their mother country these days anyway? To say even the tires are foreign is taking it a bit far. What do you expect in today’s world? You can’t ride up the canyon on single components alone. The motorcycle you see above is a complete machine. An American superbike, made in the USA.

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By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:09:54 +0000

I can’t convey with words how cool this is. I’ve been waiting my whole life to be able to point to an American motorcycle and be able to say: “That’s one of the best bikes ever made.”

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