Buell Motorcycles — Then and Now
Erik Buell, former Harley-Davidson engineer, founded Buell Motorcycles in 1983, originally focusing its efforts on the racing scene. A decade later the company merged with Harley-Davidson and branched out to develop street, sport, and adventure motorcycles. After Harley discontinued the brand in 2009, Erik created Erik Buell Racing which produced the two sport models which are on display at Roland Sands Design headquarters in Long Beach, California, the 2023 Hammerhead 1190 and 2023 1190 SX.
Buell has been expanding its reach into different riding platforms, including the off-road riding sphere with the 1190 Baja DR and long distance riding with the 1190 SuperTouring. Both bikes are slated to be available for purchase in 2025.
Introducing the Super Cruiser
A deep rumbling erupts from the far end of the open warehouse. A round headlight pierces the shadows and the grumblings of a 175 hp 1190cc V-twin engine fills the air as Roland opens the throttle and burns onto the main stage.
Finding myself in the line of fire, I quickly hop out of the way before being bumped by the front tire. Everyone in the room, including myself, is sporting huge smiles as the master builder revs the engine a few more times for good measure. A year and a half in the making, the Super Cruiser is now on full display.
Roland Sands Badass Design
The folks at Buell Motorcycles approached Roland Sands Design with the simple question, “What can you build with our new [1190cc] Buell motor?” Daunting for some, but for Roland it was the beginning of a project he dreamed of pursuing. Roland exclaims, “I drew one sketch, sent it over, and Buell replied, ‘build that bike!’”
The Super Cruiser combines Buell’s sporty 1190 engine and suspension with classic FXR styling to produce a high performance club bike. The club bike style has taken on a reputation of its own evoking a very specific feeling. Roland describes it as “feeling like a f!*#ing gangster.” The whole ethos of this bike’s existence is to ignite our inner badass and to reconnect us with that emotion of being a hardcore motorcyclist every time we swing a leg over the Super Cruiser.
Availability of the Super Cruiser
Buell is shooting to have the Super Cruiser in production and ready to purchase by 2025. Initially, throughout the first year, there will be a limited supply and then subsequently Buell will release higher volumes. Pre-orders are available now at BuellMotorcycle.com, and though there is no MSRP set yet, we expect this bike to be upwards of $20,000.
“The bike does everything you want it to,” describes Roland. “All I wanted to do was ride up the coast and forget about the world for a little while, and that’s what this motorcycle does for me.”
Buell’s Super Cruiser connects with the street rider providing an extremely lightweight high performance machine focused on igniting the love for the ride.
Specs at a Glance: Buell Super Cruiser
Engine Size: 1190cc
Seat Height: 29 inches
Fuel Capacity: 5.5 gallons
Wet Weight: 450 pounds
Color: Black
MSRP: Currently unavailable