2008 Buell 1125R

Less than a year has gone by since the introduction of the 2007 Buell models was held at the blast furnace otherwise known as Buttonwillow Raceway in Bakersfield, California. One of the highlights of that event was an eye-opening ride aboard the fire-breathing Buell XBRR race bike. As the preconceived notions of what the XBRR would feel like were melted out of my mind, it was impossible not to ask the question: Why doesn't Buell build a bike like this for the street? At the time all I could get were cynical smiles out of Buell's press people. Obviously they knew something I didn't, because on the eve of the company's 25th anniversary, an all-new liquid-cooled sportbike bearing Buell nomenclature has arrived. It's called the 2008 Buell 1125R.

Our first impression of the newest Buell included both street and track time under near-perfect conditions in Carmel Valley. On day one it was put to task on a leisurely tour of traffic-jammed Highway 1 past Big Sur before heading up the notorious canyon road known as Nacimiento-Ferguson then returning to Laguna Seca for the last leg of a grueling 200-mile hooligan-style street ride. The next day was spent pounding laps on the 2.2-mile Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca circuit to see how well it performs on the track. Pirelli Diablo Corsa IIIs, the spec tire for the FIM World Supersport class, are standard equipment on the 1125R and a few sets of these DOT-approved buns provided the traction we needed during both street and track testing.

The 1125R is being billed as a rider's bike, a street bike for all intents and purposes. Throughout the technical presentation it was pounded into our heads that from the moment the project began four years ago, the needs of the rider come first and that it was 'built from the rider down' to be a fun, comfortable and easy-to-ride motorcycle, The 1125R also offers an affordable entry into the exclusive Performance Twin club, which has been dominated by Italian machinery for so long. At the time the 1125R project began, the Ducati 999 was the hottest Twin around, so the Buell set its sights specifically on that bike and they are confident they have the old Duc covered in terms of outright performance on the track and even more so on the street. Although the triple-nine was the benchmark, the 1125R is no clone. It's a Buell through and through.

From the moment I climbed aboard this black stallion it was clearly a showcase of the design elements which give Buell motorcycles its identity. The riding position is very neutral and the reach to the bars isn't much of a stretch, although the grips are spaced out pretty wide and give the bike a similar feel to its Firebolt sibling. The seat is a comfortable place to do work from and, since the pegs are not too low, it did not cause my knees to ache at any point during two days of hard riding. Since it has a relatively low 30.5-inch seat height, it is easy for shorter riders to touch the ground. I can tell you that the bike feels smaller than it looks. Its midsection is fairly thin, the faux-tank region doesn't interfere with the rider movements but the front bodywork is imposing when you are looking through it from the saddle. It certainly provides plenty of aerodynamically-correct wind protection for the rider, but the front fairing is humungous and takes a while to get used to. In the head-on images it evokes visions of a Cold War-era F-4 Phantom, with its two big air scoops and unique nose.

Make sure to check out the 2008 Buell 1125R video

Tucked behind the windscreen you get a clear view of its slick-looking instrument panel, positioned directly in the center of the cockpit. An analog tach features an LCD display below it which includes a digital speedometer, dual trip meters, lap timer with splits, outside air temp, motor temp, clock, a low fuel light in lieu of a gas gauge and the usual idiot lights. It also serves as the Onboard Diagnostic Instrument System (ODIS). This particularly useful bit of technology is an excellent tool for race technicians, although the bike isn't intended to for motorcycle racing. The aesthetic elements are once again going to be the first thing that polarizes opinions about the bike. The next will be the performance characteristics of its big 1125cc DOHC 72-degree V-Twin powerplant.

The beast wakes from its slumber with a growling, whirling, gear-driven melody of mechanical noises and vibrations that is pure Buell. The compact layout offered by the acute vee-angle allows the motor, which serves as a stressed member of the frame, to produce a healthy amount of vibration. No less than three counter balancers, two to reduce the rotating imbalance and a single balancer to reduce the rocking couple, were necessary to keep it from feeling exactly like the air-cooled Buells at idle. I still don't know what rocking couple means exactly, but I am certain it doesn't refer to Ozzy and Sharon, and the fact is the motorcycle still vibrates enough that there's no mistaking it's an American Twin.

The steep slope of the cylinders has a number of benefits that are key elements to the Helicon engine design. It affords a direct line of sight from the gargantuan 61mm DDFI throttle bodies down the intake tract for an unobstructed shot at the valves and combustion chamber, while also being as compact as possible. Inside the Rotax-built motor are a number of innovative technical features, starting with the chain-driven intake cams that in turn control the exhaust cams through a gear drive with a subsequently more compact head design than a traditional DOHC set-up. The valves are actuated by Formula 1-inspired 'finger followers' which 'convert camshaft rotational motion into linear motion for the valves.' Rotax claims the design offers a number of performance advantages including less friction, faster revs, and effectively eliminates valve float. This simplifies the maintenance program by eliminating the need for shim buckets and extends valve adjustment intervals to 20,000 kilometers or 12,500 miles. The Helicon mill features a Hydraulic Vacuum Assisted (HVA) back-torque limiting slipper clutch which takes advantage of the presence of vacuum sourced from tiny ports strategically located on the intake manifolds to actuate the clutch under deceleration. This is one of the few similarities between the Rotax-built Helicon and Mille motors. Check out the Buell 1125R First Look article if you want to get the gamut of the technical details so we can get on with the riding impression.

Take a look at the rest of the 2008 Buell 1125R photos

Pull in the adjustable clutch lever with vacuum-assist action and you'll appreciate another of the creative Rotax design elements. Click the 6-speed transmission into first gear with an equally light dab of the adjustable shift lever (which can also be rotated to accommodate GP-style shifting) and the Buell 1125R is raring to go. First gear is a little tall but not too bad, so it accelerates off the line just fine. There's a load of low-rpm grunt which allows the bike to accelerate hard enough that the front end will loft without effort in first or second gears. Crack open the throttle further and the eco-friendly exhaust emits a muted burble from the low-slung dual stainless steel muffler orifices which grows to a low decibel purr at higher rpm. The intake howl really provides personality as it overwhelms the exhaust note when the butterflies are past half open. It's important to note that this system meets California emission requirements without the need of a catalytic converter, so it's not only fast but it sounds good and is environmentally friendly.

At the presentation it was reported that the 1125cc displacement was chosen specifically for its ability to produce the wide, flat torque curve Buell was looking for. A large 103mm bore affords plenty of room for the quartet of tiny valves, 41.3mm intake and 35mm exhaust, to combine with a short 67.5mm stroke which allows the bike to rev into the double digits. The allure of the two-cylinder power delivery has always been at the heart of Buell and the 1125R is the company's low-cost, low-maintenance alternative to the more exclusive and expensive European sportbikes. After just a few minutes of the street ride there was no doubt the motor has what it takes to be a contender in the sporting Twin class. However, after a lap of Laguna, the notion that it can challenge a superbike was put into question. Although it is plenty fast, it doesn't feel like it accelerates at the rate of an open-classer, but it is in the ballpark versus the Twins. The previous week was spent at the track testing the Ducati 1098S and Aprilia RSV1000R Mille for two consecutive days, so seat-of-the-pants performance comparisons were fairly easy to make. I believe the Buell 1125R power delivery is somewhere between these two thoroughbreds and that should be plenty chutzpah for the mortals among us.

Make no mistake, the 1125R hauls ass. It doesn't feel like it's strung out, has a wide enough spread of power that it's not bouncing off the rev-limiter all the time and, most importantly, it is very easy to ride fast. Buell's sportbike is a legitimate high-performance Twin with decent power available everywhere, which compliments the IRC (Intuitive Response Chassis) perfectly.

Read the Complete 2008 Buell 1125R Article at Motorcycle-USA.com