BUELL 1125CR: Superbike … and super memories

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/05/2009 (6347 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Talk about visions of yesteryear. Plopping myself into the saddle of Buell’s new "naked" CR version of its 1125 superbike, I came face to face with the first set of Clubman bars I’ve seen since I sold my much-modified and brutally fast (OK, OK, for the day) 1973 Yamaha RD350.

Memories came flooding back in vivid detail: late-night drag races hunkered over those oh-so-low, way-forward "racing" handlebars, barrelling through a hairpin while pretending I was Jarno Saarinen (he of the most radical seating position in all of motorcycling) and burbling to my hometown hot spot, confident that I had the fastest 350 in town.

Of course, Buell’s new 1125CR is faster than even my wildest fantasies for that old two-stroke. Essentially, the CR is the 1125R sans the frame-mounted fairing, a slightly longer swingarm and shorter gearing for quicker acceleration. That’s the official line, at least. In reality, Buell has cleaned up the 1,125-cubic-centimetre V-twin’s fuel injection, balanced the suspension rates better front-to-rear and just generally refined the entire package since I first tested the 1125R a year ago.

That means the Rotax-sourced V-twin now has linear, smooth fuelling to go along with its substantial low-rpm urge. And once past 5,000 rpm, the 1125 pulls like a freight train all the way to 10,000 rpm.

Make no mistake; you may buy this bike from a Harley dealer and, yes, it may say Buell on the tank, but this is not just some warmed-over Sportster motor in a fancy frame. Rotax also builds all of Aprilia’s twin-cylinder engines and the Buell has all of its latest technology, including a vacuum-operated slipper clutch to make fast-corner entry smoother. In the end, you’ll be buying the 1125 for its performance and, while the claimed 146 horsepower at the crankshaft may be a tad optimistic, the CR’s real-world, rear-wheel 125 ponies is mighty commendable for a V-twin, especially since so much of that ground-pounding torque is available so early in the powerband.

Of course, the expertise that Erik Buell brings to the equation is in the chassis department and, like the R version, the CR has many unique features.

For instance, the Buell uses a single, 375-millimetre disc brake mounted on the perimeter of the front wheel. Normally, a single disc setup wouldn’t have the whoa power for a bike of the 1125’s speed, but the 1125 uses a gigantic eight-piston caliper and generates as much braking power as most dual-disc systems.

Compact design is an Erik Buell obsession, so the CR sports all manner of unique features — a main frame, for instance, that doubles as the fuel tank — all aimed at making the 1125 as short as possible. It’s a compact motorcycle, with its 1,385-mm wheelbase shorter than most middleweight 600s.

Like the R, the CR steers incredibly quickly yet remains stable at its 250-plus-kilometres-an-hour top speed.

The only downside of the transformation to streetfighter status is that the Clubman bars are not only lower but also further forward, putting more of the rider’s weight over the front wheel. At lower speeds, it can cause the bike to tip in precipitously. Again, a switch to some higher handlebars would alleviate the problem.

Besides, what my 51-year-old back knows that my then 18-year-old lumbars could have never known is that hunching over said Clubmans for any period of time is an invitation to significant chiropractor expenditures and a righteous Tylenol Arthritis habit. Oh, sure, the laid-out riding position is great for the race track, but the CR is Buell’s streetfighter and a terror around town. Thankfully, since the handlebars bolt on to the top triple clamps rather than to the forks as on the 1125R, you can easily swap the Clubmans for some higher "superbike" bars that make everyday riding decidedly more pleasurable. (Buell offers such an option, which also includes all the necessary cables and brake lines.)

In the end, it will be that multiplicity of personalities that makes the 1125CR more versatile than the R version. Unless you’re willing to do some serious modifications, the R is best kept as a track weapon. On the other hand, the CR with its stock Clubman bars will be almost equally as adept at the track, but, with the rather simple switch to superbike bars, will be far more comfortable on the street. Throw in that powerful and now more civilized engine and a bargain basement price tag of $14,929, and you have an enticing package.

— Canwest News Service