This is an EBR 1190RX, it’s one of the 667 examples of the model built by Erik Buell Racing in East Troy, Wisconsin. The 1190RX is a world-class superbike, with 185 bhp, 100 lb ft of torque, and a curb weight of 419 lbs.
The bike you see here remains in its factory crate, where it’s been since it was built by EBR in 2014. It was bought by a dealer in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and it was stored by them for the past decade in unused condition. It’s now being offered for sale, and this may very well be the last chance to buy a brand new EBR 1190RX.
Fast Facts – The EBR 1190RX
- The EBR 1190RX, built by Erik Buell Racing in 2014, is a high-performance superbike with 185 bhp, 100 lb ft of torque, and a 419 lb curb weight. It has an advanced Rotax 1125cc Helicon V-twin engine, Showa suspension front and back, and Buell’s signature perimeter brake disc.
- Erik Buell, a pioneer in American superbike design, founded EBR after Harley-Davidson closed the Buell Motorcycle Company in 2009. EBR produced cutting-edge motorcycles like the 1190RX, implementing innovative engineering techniques, including stressed-member engines and lightweight aluminum perimeter frames that also contained the fuel.
- This particular 1190RX has remained in its factory crate since 2014, and it was never ridden or unpacked. Originally stored by Stock’s Harley-Davidson in Wisconsin, it is now offered for sale, representing a rare opportunity to own a brand-new example of this iconic American superbike.
- The 1190RX was among EBR’s most successful models, offering world-class performance with a top speed of 185 mph and a 1/4 mile time of just over 10 seconds. Its advanced engineering continues to appeal to collectors and enthusiasts alike, highlighting Erik Buell’s long-lasting influence on motorcycle engineering and design.
Erik Buell: The American Superbike King
A good argument could be made that Erik Buell has done more to push forward the development of home-grown American superbikes than any other individual. This might be because he was both a successful motorcycle racer and an engineer, and as a result he had unique insights into what would work and what wouldn’t.
This may very well be the last EBR 1190RX that remains in unused condition, having never left its original factory crate.
Buell initially raced in motocross before developing an interest in road racing in his 20s. He was a natural talent, racing Ducatis in the AMA Superbike class and a Yamaha TZ750 the Formula One class (two-wheeled of course).
While he was racing he worked as a motorcycle mechanic by day, and attended classes in engineering at the University of Pittsburgh by night. He graduated in 1979, then famously went to the Harley-Davidson headquarters in Milwaukee and insisted they give him a job. He succeeded, and they employed him on the spot, though no one could have guessed what would come next.
Buell would quickly find his feet at Harley, working on the Porsche-Harley-Davidson “Nova” V-four engine program and refining the chassis design of the FXR – a model that would become known as the best-handling Harley ever made up until that point in history. The FXR is still sought out today for its handling, over 40 years since it first debuted.
In the mid-1980s Buell would leave Harley to work on his own race bike designs, based on the Barton. He would later develop the RR1000 using his connections at HD to source XR1000 racing engines. He then developed the RR1200 using the then-new 1200cc Harley-Davidson Evolution engine, incorporating a slew of his own improvements of course.
When he established the Buell Motorcycle Company, Harley-Davidson would be a major investor, they would then buy the company outright in 2003. Buell motorcycles of this era used highly-modified Harley engines fitted to frames developed by Erik Buell, with high-end suspension and brakes.
The End, And A New Beginning
These bikes would drag HD into the 21st century and help to establish the age-old motorcycle manufacturer as a performance marque, albeit carrying a Buell badge on the gas tank. It therefore came as a shock to many in 2009 when Harley announced they would be closing down the Buell Motorcycle Company and focusing on their own brand.
With a top speed of 185 mph and a 1/4 mile time of just over 10 seconds, this was a very quick motorcycle when it was released, and it’ll still out pace many brand new superbikes today.
Harley executives have made a number of terrible decisions over the course of the company’s long history, and it’s widely agreed that the closure of Buell was one of the most egregious.
Not one to go gentle into that good night, Erik set up Erik Buell Racing (EBR) later in 2009, and set to work designing his own superbikes from scratch.
Erik Buell Racing
EBR would hit the ground running, no longer tied to using Harley engines, the company developed a number of superbikes that would go on to be highly successful both on the track and on the street. They included the 1190RR, 1190RS, 1190RX, 1190SX, Black Lightning, and the AX.
The 1190RX and 1190SX would sell in the highest numbers, and they’re arguably the best-known EBR models today. They were both powered by variants of the Rotax 1125cc Helicon V-twin.
This was an advanced engine, far more advanced than anything Harley had in production at the time, with double overhead cams per bank, four valves per cylinder, electronic fuel injection, electronic engine management systems, liquid-cooling, and a V angle of 72°.
The engine was designed from the outset to be used as a stressed member, that is it would be a load-bearing part of the frame, which helped increase rigidity and lower weight.
It’ll be up to the new owner if they keep it as-is, or if they remove it and give it a full servicing before taking it for a ride.
The Buell 1190RX was given the 1190-series aluminum Buell frame paired with fully-adjustable Showa suspension front and back. The bike was fitted with the Buell signature perimeter brake disc up front with an 8-piston Nissin caliper, paired with a more traditional disc and twin-piston caliper out the back.
Performance was breathtaking by the standards of the time and still very good today, with the 1125cc V-twin producing 185 bhp at 10,000 rpm and 102 lb ft of torque at 8,000 rpm. The bike had a listed top speed of 185 mph and it could do the 1/4 mile dash in a whisker over 10 seconds thanks to the close-ratio 6-speed transmission.
EBR would face a series of challenges, but it’s been formed into Buell Motorcycles which now has a number of models in production, including the highly anticipated Buell Super Cruiser, which is strongly influenced by the Harley-Davidson FXR that Erik worked his magic on all those years ago.
The 2014 EBR 1190RX Shown Here
The motorcycle you see here is a 2014 EBR 1190RX that has never been removed from its shipping crate. As mentioned higher up, it was ordered by Stock’s Harley-Davidson of Manitowoc, Wisconsin and then placed into storage.
The bike has remained safely tucked away for over a decade now, and it’ll be up to the new owner if they keep it as-is, or if they remove it and give it a full servicing before taking it for a ride.
Here you can see that the bike still has the film over the instrument display, and it’s showing delivery mileage only.
If you’d like to read more about this bike or register to bid you can visit the listing here on Bring a Trailer.
It’s being sold out of Lewiston, New York at no reserve by the seller on behalf of a retail dealership in New York with a Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
