Apple is one of the world’s most powerful brands, and it looks like it recently enlisted the help of another top brand: Harley-Davidson. The two companies are among the top 100 brands in the world, as ranked by brand consultancy firm Interbrand. Apple is #2 on Interbrand’s rankings for top brands of 2012 with a brand value of $76.57 billion, while Harley-Davidson is ranked 96th overall with a value of $3.86 billion.

According to a report by the blog Patently Apple, Apple recently acquired partial trademark rights in Europe for “Lightning”, to be used for its new 8-pin connector for its latest mobile products including the iPhone 5 and the fourth-generation iPad. But in order to use the trademark, Apple had to negotiate for the rights to use it from its trademark-holder, Harley-Davidson.

The Motor Company held the rights to the name “Lightning” until 2013 for use in a wide range of products from motorcycles to eyewear to video games, but its best known use was for the Buell Lightning, which incidentally was the last Buell motorcycle to roll off the assembly line after the brand was discontinued. Continue Reading »

Erik Buell Racing has released the first in a new series of videos about the new 1190RS race bike.

The first video is more of a prologue to introduce the weekly series, but later segments will feature interviews with Erik Buell and racer Geoff May, and a behind-the-scenes look at the development of the EBR 1190RS superbike.

If we’re lucky, we might also get a look at what Buell has in store with its upcoming RX, SX and AX models.

[Source: Erik Buell Racing]

Related Reading
2011 Erik Buell Racing 1190RS Preview
Erik Buell Racing Reveals 1190RS Details, Hints at Three New Models

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If there’s one thing I like more than motorcycles, it’s hot supermodels, such as Victoria’s Secret Angel, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covergirl and Harley-Davidson spokesmodel Marisa Miller.

Miller has appeared in a number of promotional spots for The Motor Company in recent years, most notably for the Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle and to support Harley-Davidson’s U.S. Military Appreciation programs (one of Miller’s “American Bombshell” post cards is currently my computer’s desktop wallpaper).

In the latest promotional tie-in, the statuesque model appears in a new video for Harley-Davidson’s Rider’s Edge new rider course. Joined by her father, Marc Bertetta, and husband Griffin Guess (both reportedly, experienced riders themselves), Miller enrolls in the course, riding Buell Blasts in the rain.

As a new rider myself, having recently taken a rider training course, I shared the same feelings, first nervousness, and eventually, accomplishment, that Miller felt. Her husband and father also taking part helped provide Miller with support, but also reminds us that even experienced riders can get something out of a riding school. Check out the video after the jump.

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Erik Buell Racing has released new information about its upcoming 1190RS streetbike including pricing and hints of three new models, the RX, SX and AX.

But first the 1190RS. First revealed back in February, the 2012 EBR 1190RS is the first new streetbike to carry Buell’s name since Harley-Davidson discontinued the original Buell Motorcycle brand.

Revealed on the newly revamped Erik Buell Racing website, the 1190RS’s engine is a liquid-cooled V-Twin claiming 175 hp at 9750rpm and 97 ft-lb. at 9100rpm. As previously reported, the 1190RS will use Ohlins suspension. The front brake uses an 8-piston caliper and is equipped with cooling ducts.

Erik Buell Racing confirmed it will start off with a limited run of 100 1190RS model, as each one uses a modified version of the Buell 1125R’s Rotax engine. The base EBR 1190RS will have a price tag of $39,999 while the Carbon Package is an extra $4,000. The 2012 EBR 1190RS will be available in four colors: Abraxas Inferno, Boreas Frost, Burnt Armor and Pitch Black.

As for the three new models, Buell isn’t revealing very much apart from the letters RX, SX and AX. The X would suggest the three models will share a common platform, but they likely won’t use the 1125R-based engine powering the 1190RS. Production will also likely be in higher numbers than the 1190RS. Based on Buell Motorcycle’s product offerings and nomenclature, the RX will probably be a sportbike, the SX a standard like the Buell Lightning CityX XB9SX and the AX a dual sport (A for Adventure?) like the Buell Ulysses.

More pictures and specs available after the jump.

Related Reading
2011 Erik Buell Racing 1190RS Preview

[Source: Erik Buell Racing]

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In what is sure to be a painfully long and tortuous process for the former Buell Motorcycle Company (from Eric down to the graveyard shift janitor), the final act of its disassembly will be handled by Grand Rapids, Michigan – based Liquid Asset Partners.

In a release from Liquid Assets, the company states the “liquidation sale will start January 28th and run everyday for 30 days until everything is sold. Regardless of cost or loss, millions of dollars worth of equipment and tools will be sold directly on the factory floor.”

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If you haven’t heard, or have seen the new 2010 Buell Blast, you should check it out before viewing the video below.

Buell has re-branded itself over the last month or so and have been taking a very close look at themselves.  Not only did they change their logo, but they decided to put to rest a motorcycle that just didn’t fit what they really wanted to be making.  Sport bikes.

So the 2010 Buell Blast is a crushed hunk of metal signifying the end of that model.  There will be no Blast in the future so don’t hold your breath!

From comments on our own blog and across the Internet, it seems that not everyone agrees with Erik Buell’s decision to kill this beginner motorcycle.

So to help everyone understand this decision, Buell has thrown together a video explaining why they killed the Buell Blast.  See the rest of the post for the 3 minute video.

For more Buell video, check out the Motorcycle.com Buell Video Channel.

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Buell is getting their priorities straight these days, and nothing says this more then their new 2010 Buell Blast (pictured above).

How do you ride that?

You don’t. Buell has deemed the Buell Blast as “cute”, which does not fit in with their drive towards making the best and fastest sportbikes out there.  And so they’ve crushed their remaining Buell Blasts and will try to ignore the bike ever existed (probably).

The Buell Blast was a cute little motorcycle. It just never made much of a sportbike. But, as luck would have it, it makes a killer ottoman. Or end table. Or art piece.

Believe it or not, Buell has submitted the New 2010 Buell Blast to Motorcycle.com’s own Specs tool, featuring specs and data on this fancy new Buell ottoman.

New 2010 Buell Blast Specs

See the rest of the post for the 2009 Buell Blast and then the crushed 2010 Buell Blast version.

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Motorcycle.com’s own Kevin Duke recently took a tour of Erik Buell’s “little” garage where Buell motorcycles are dreamed up and created and it looks like a mighty fine place to work!

The Buell factory is a quite small operation but quite technically advanced, using high-tech testing facilities and computer programs to design, build, and test out their bikes.  There’s only 170 people on staff!

Just 170 employees are responsible for the entire operation, and Mr. Buell joked during the tour, “Ducati has more people in their race department than I have in my whole company!”

Holy crap!  I bet all those 170 employees are total gear-heads, dedicated to their work. It also looks like they are hiring!  Harley-Davidson, their major partner/investor, seem to be in charge of the hiring by the looks of it, but I’ve included all the job positions available in Wisconsin, where the Buell factory is located. I’m betting those spots are for Buell.

See the rest of the article for possible job positions at Buell, Motorcycle.com’s video tour of the factory, and head over to their “Buell Factory Tour” written report to get details.

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About 2.7 million years ago a meteorite crashed into Hälsingland, Sweden creating the Dellen lake system, which only freezes over once a year. On March 4th with temperatures at -10C, Craig Jones, riding a Buell 1125R complete with a nitrous oxide kit (an estimated extra 50bhp), reached a top speed of 148.7mph on a 1.1km run over the frozen Lake Dellen.

Click on the jump to see more videos of the Buell on ice.

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Think you know everything about motorcycles? Did you know Buell owns the patent for the ztl braking system (u.s. patent 6,561,298 b2), fuel-in-frame (u.s. patent 6,484,837 b1) and underslung exhaust (u.s. patent 6,267,193 b1)? Well they do, and now you know. Besides those tasty tidbits of information this commercial has some great footage of a buell ripping around some mountain-pass style stretches of tarmac. Watch and enjoy. Peace.