2014 Ebr 1190rx
2014 EBR 1190RX
CW RIDING IMPRESSION
2014 EBR 1190RX
WELCOME TO THE BIG TIME!
Blake Conner
Think of Erik Buell Racing as the little engine that could. When the Buell Motorcycle Company was killed by parent company Harley-Davidson late in 2009, it was perhaps a blessing in disguise for Erik Buell the man. In short order, he created EBR and his small band of just 13 employees in East Troy, Wisconsin, promptly got to work. Its first creation was the u9oRS, a very limited (ioo units) and pricey sportbike that was essentially a homologation special so they could go racing. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Building products for mainstream and international markets was always the plan. With an infusion of cash from India’s Hero Motors, to the tune of an initial $25 million in cash and a 49.2 percent stake in EBR, the company was able to increase staff to more than 130 in just four years. EBR was ready to take that next step.
First on the menu was an evolution of the RS and Buell Barracuda 2 prototype (May 2010), which was meant to be much more accessible to sportbike enthusiasts. The brand-new 1190RX might resemble its exotic carbon-fiber-dressed stablemate in appearance (and share a lot of common design concepts), but the RX uses 426 new parts and has clearly progressed since the RS was released two years ago.
At the heart of the RX is the 72-degree, i,i9icc V-twin that started life in the RS but has since been refined and massaged. Crankshaft horsepower has increased from 175 to 185 (at 10,000 rpm), and there has been a jump in torque of 5 pound-feet to 102 at around 8,000 rpm. Bore and stroke are identical to that of the RS (106.0 x 67.5mm), while the compression ratio has been lowered to 13.4:1 from 13.6:1.
Controlled Swirl Induction—in which the intake’s offset cam lobes open one of the titanium valves in each of the four-valve heads a fraction of a second earlier than the second intake valve—creates a swirling effect that leads to a faster and more stable combustion event.
Modifications to the exhaust system, including a secondary resonator, increase midrange torque to improve the streetability of the bike.
Like the engine, the chassis uses many familiar Erik Buell design traits.
As with the RS and Buell motorcycles before it, the stout aluminum frame serves a secondary role as the fuel tank. The engine is used as a stressed member while the swingarm pivots in the back of its case. Showa suspension is used at both ends: a Big Piston Fork and a nonlinkage-type remote-reservoir shock, both fully adjustable. One of EBR’s (and Buell’s) long-standing signature features is the single 386mm perimeter brake disc with an inside-out eight-piston Nissin caliper. Out back is a Hayes two-piston caliper with a 220mm disc. Lightweight cast-aluminum wheels reduce unsprung weight, while a magnesium subframe helps centralize mass and keeps overall weight to a claimed 419 pounds, sans fuel.
ON THE TRACK
My first opportunity to ride the new EBR 1190RX came at JenningsGP’s motorcycle-only racetrack in northern Florida. Early-morning rain left the tarmac drenched, but that provided a great opportunity to test EBR’s in-housedeveloped fuel injection. The EFI utilizes twin 61mm Dell’Orto throttle bodies, each with a conventional injector near the intake valves and a secondary shower unit. The previous RS suffered from poor fueling when ridden around town and snatchy delivery at lower rpm. Also, when opening the throttle from a closed position midcorner, the RS felt a little like it had flat-slide racing carbs, giving a bit of a cough and snort before the show got started. And let’s not even bring up the horrible mapping of the original Buell 1125R. That is all a distant memory. Throttle response is absolutely excellent and predictable.
"WITH TC OFF, BIG SMEARING SLIDES WERE EASYTO PROVOKE AND ABIT HAIRY FOR MY LIKING.
EBR 1190RX
ENGINE TYPE dohc V-twin
DISPLACEMENT 1191CC
SEAT HEIGHT 32.5 in.
FUEL CAPACITY 4.5 gal.
CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT 419 lb. (no fuel)
PRICE $18,995
As I got up to speed during my first session, I took the advice of EBR test rider and îiçoRX-mounted AMA SuperBike racer Cory West and set the traction control to setting 14 (of 21) on the full-color TFT LCD screen. The system relies on a rear-wheel-speed sensor and applies both reactionary and predictive intervention based on various data fed to the ECU. The EBR isn’t ride-by-wire, which made the TC’s effectiveness all the more impressive.
As I learned the track at a spirited street pace in the wet conditions, I was impressed with the fuel mapping. Modulating the throttle was seamless, the engine’s response to my inputs ultra smooth.
As the track started to dry, and my confidence increased along with the grip of the stock Pirelli Rosso Corsa tires, I began reducing TC to unleash the engine’s power. I eventually turned the system completely off only to revert to the relative comfort of setting 2. With TC off, big smearing slides were easy to provoke and a bit hairy for my liking. Setting 2 gave me all the fun I could handle with a bit of safety net. Late in the day, after a near-highside on a torched rear tire, I increased TC to level 6, where I could get away with a fast pace without fear of throttle-induced snap slides.
I wish the RX had shift lights, as the engine revs quickly and then hits a hard limiter at 11,500 rpm. Progressive lights like the Ducati Panigale’s would be useful on the RX as it has a healthy appetite for revs. Top-end power is very good, but the fat chunky midrange torque is where the action is here—it makes getting off the corner a fun and deceptively fast affair. And in a few sections, I could carry a gear higher than what I might have expected. For comparison, I recently burned up a ton of laps on a Panigale S and R, and the RX hits harder sooner but doesn’t pull as hard on top as the Ducati. It will be interesting to track test these big twins together.
At the end of the day, in an effort to get a taste for the engine’s flexibility, I did a full lap in sixth and then fifth gear. Through the track’s tighter sections, the bike struggled a bit in sixth, while the lap in fifth proved that the engine could cleanly pull from revs as low as 2,500 rpm without protest.
When the pace heated up, I began to really appreciate the RX’s chassis. With a short 54.9-inch wheelbase and a steep 22.4 degrees of rake, the bike handled well and was quite flickable, but also stable under power, thanks in part to its Showa steering damper. Jennings has multiple double-apex corners that require drifting out to the middle of the track after the first and then pulling the bike back for the second. This was easy on the lightweight EBR, which I could pretty much stick anywhere on the track without much effort through the bars. A bonus is the Showa suspension’s competence. The shock’s damping kept the rear end controlled as the worn tire squirmed under power, while the fork provided an excellent sense of what the front Pirelli was doing, even in the wet.
On former Buell Motor Company bikes, we complained about the unique perimeter-style brakes. At Jennings— which doesn’t have a super-hard braking zone—I was happy with the power provided by the setup, though I personally would like a bit more initial bite. I also need to credit the excellent F.C.C. vacuum-operated slipper clutch and slick-shifting transmission for making corner entries and last-second downshifts drama-free.
OUR VERDICT
At $18,995, the RX isn’t exactly inexpensive, but it stacks up nicely against European competitors like Ducati’s identically priced Panigale and the $15,499 Aprilia RSV4. A future comparison test will prove me right. Or wrong. But I definitely won’t be going out on a limb in stating that EBR has built an excellent sportbike that’s a significantly better streetbike than the RS or any Buell before it. More importantly, it’s the first American-made superbike with a legitimate chance of taking the fight to the established superpowers from Europe and Japan. Bravo, Erik Buell and EBR.
IT'S THE FIRST AMERICAN-MADE SUPERBIKE WITH A LEGITIMATE CHANCE OF TAKING THE FIGHT TO THE ESTABLISHED SUPERPOWERS FROM EUROPE AND JAPAN.
