Erik Buell Racing has taken a vital big step forward by securing inventory financing from GE Capital. With support from GE Capital’s Commercial Distribution Finance program, Erik Buell Racing can expand its dealer network across the U.S. and sell its new motorcycles such as the 1190 RS.

“As we ramp up our production capabilities and introduce other models, it’s great to know that we have a finance company that can support us as we expand,” says Erik Buell. “I’m pleased that GE Capital, with its decades of experience in the motorsports industry, continues to support emerging manufacturers like EBR.”

Securing short term financing for dealerships is an important step for EBR. With the floorplan financing in place, dealers can now stock EBR motorcycles in showrooms. Otherwise, dealers would either have to buy the inventory outright or face the difficult task of selling a product they don’t have in stock. Continue Reading »

Erik Buell Racing has received a $20 million injection from investors. The increased funding is expected to expand the company’s product line and create about 200 jobs.

The investment comes through the somewhat fittingly-named “EB-5” program, a product of the Immigrant Act of 1990 designed to encourage investment in American companies by potential immigrants. Erik Buell Racing’s funding was secured with the help of Milwaukee-based investment fund manager FirstPathway Partners.

The $20 million in investments will allow Erik Buell Racing to expand its product line while reducing prices. At present, Erik Buell Racing is producing only one model, the $40,000 1190RS. At least three more models are expected, going under the designations RX, SX and AX. Continue Reading »

Apparently winning isn’t enough to pay the bills any more, not even if the victory comes at the storied Daytona 200. The 2012 Daytona 200-winning Project 1 Atlanta team has folded after unable to secure funding for the rest of the season.

Project 1 Atlanta, and racer Joey Pascarella, stunned AMA Pro Racing fans with a Cinderella story victory at the Daytona 200. A bare-bones outfit, the team’s Daytona effort was primarily funded by former racer Jim Bronson in support of the March of Dimes. The team didn’t even sport any Yamaha logos on its race-winning R6.

According to RoadracingWorld, team owner Perry Melneciuc tried to negotiate a deal with Yamaha for a performance bonus and promotional opportunities but the two sides could not come to an agreement. Melneciuc was left with the difficult decision to abandon plans to continue racing the rest of the season. Continue Reading »

In a case of East meets West, Hero MotoCorp has signed a partnership agreement with Erik Buell Racing that will see the Indian manufacture sponsor the EBR AMA Superbike team and potentially introduce Buell-designed motorcycles to India.

Hero MotoCorp will sponsor riders Danny Eslick and Geoff May and their EBR 1190RS race bikes in the AMA Superbike Championship. Eslick will represent Team Hero while May will represent AMSOIL Hero.

EBR will also provide research and development support to Hero for the development of new models. Hero currently claims the market share lead of the motorcycle in India, though much of that was built up from its former joint venture with Honda. Since the dissolution of the Honda partnership, Hero has sought out new partners, a search that wound its way to East Troy, Wisc. and Erik Buell.

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Harald Kitsch and the Pegasus Race Team has won its second championship on the EBR 1190RR, capturing the 2011 European Superbike open race class title. The championship follows Kitsch’s win in the 2010 Sound of Thunder V-Twin Championship on the Erik Buell Racing racebike.

While the Sound of Thunder championship was won against other V-Twin machines, the European Superbike class included sportbikes from the Japanese Big Four, BMW, Aprilia and Ducati. Kitsch clinched the championship with a victory at Biketoberfest last month in Germany.

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Erik Buell Racing has released the third episode of its series about the new 1190RS sportbike.

The latest episode focuses on the company’s “Made in America” philosophy, with its goal of producing a high-performance superbike in the U.S.A.

As Erik Buell, racer Geoff May and designer Tony Stefanelli discuss the themes of innovation and freedom, we can’t help but wonder however whether they’re talking about American ideals, or about being out from Harley-Davidson’s umbrella.

“We want to live free, we want to think free, we want to be able do what we want as individuals,” Stefanelli says in the video. What do you think readers? Check the video after the jump and let us know.

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Erik Buell Racing has released the second part in a series of videos about its 1190RS superbike.

Dubbed “Fingertips”, the latest episode examines the RS’s agility, with AMA racer Geoff May comparing the 1190cc motorcycle’s handling to a bike with half the displacement.

The series has been interesting so far, though it could probably be better if they toned down the video effects and didn’t edit the dialogue into a series of short sound bites. Check back next week for part 3.

[Source: Erik Buell Racing]

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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]

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

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The July 8-10 Mid-Ohio round of the 2011 AMA Superbike series featured the debut of two new superbikes, the Erik Buell Racing 1190RS and the KTM RC8R Race Spec.

Chris Fillmore (11) finished an impressive seventh place in a red-flagged Race One for KTM-HMC Racing while Geoff May (99) placed eleventh on the Amsoil EBR 1190RS. The second race saw both riders finish in the top ten with Fillmore in ninth and May in the ten spot.

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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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