Information AboutBuell |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BUELL MOTORCYCLE COMPANY | |
| buell motorcycles | |
| companies based in wisconsin | |
| companies established in 1994 | |
| harley-davidson motorcycles | |
| motorcycle manufacturers of the united states | |
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The Buell Motorcycle Company is an American Motorcycle manufacturer based in East Troy, Wisconsin and founded by ex Harley-Davidson engineer Erik Buell . Since 1998 it has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harley-Davidson. The company is the only significant manufacturer of "Sporting Motorcycles" in the United States. Buell motorcycles were first built in 1983 by a partnership between Harley-Davidson and Buell. Mr. Buell started with a stock Harley-Davidson "Sportster" engine, then highly modified it and bolted it to a frame of his own design. MODELS Most Buell motorcycles use Four-stroke V-twin engines. These engines were originally built from Harley-Davidson XR1000 Sportster engines, after the 1000s were depleted Erik Buell used a basic 1200 Harley-Davidson Sportster engine. In 1995 the engines were upgraded with Buell engineered parts and further upgraded in 1998. In 2003 , Buell introduced a whole new engine--so efficient it passed emission tests well into 2006 . It also incorporated, but did not invent, the inside-out front brake and "''fuel in frame technology''." (first for the industry). Buell claims that what differentiates their motorcycles from their Harley-Davidson origins is the "Trilogy of Tech": mass centralization, low unsprung weight and frame rigidity. Two of the notable innovations are the use of the hollow frame as a fuel tank and the hollow rear swing-arm to hold the engine oil. These features help create a leaner and more agile sport motorcyle compared to the previous generations. Current production models, as of December 2005 , are the Blast, Firebolt, Lightning, Lightning CityX and Ulysses XB12X. Earlier models included the RR1000, RR1200, RS1200 West wind, RSS West wind, S2 & S2T Thunderbolt, S1 Lighting, M2 Cyclone, S3 & S3T Thunderbolt and the X1 Lighting. The Blast is the only model to use a 492 cc, 34 hp single-cylinder engine. The highest performance bike is the Firebolt XB12R and Lighting XB12S with an 1203cc engine that develops a claimed 103 Horsepower (77 KW). TRIVIA The Firebolt XB12R '05 street and race (Buell Racing tuned) versions are featured in the Playstation 2 riding simulator Tourist Trophy from the makers of Gran Turismo 4 . EXTERNAL LINKS
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