45° V-Twin, four stroke, pushrod
actuated overhead valve.
hydraulic self-adjusting lifters,
2 valve per cylinder.
Capacity
1198 cc / 73.1 cu in
Bore x Stroke
88.9 x 98.8 mm
Compression Ratio
9.0:1
Cooling System
Air cooled
Induction
Ø40 mm Keihin carburetor
Max Power
44.7 kW / 60 hp @ 5000 rpm
Transmission
4 Speed
Final
Drive
Chain
Front Suspension
Telescopic forks
Rear Suspension
Single shock
Front Brakes
2 x discs
Rear Brakes
Single disc
Fuel Capacity
21 L / 5.5 US gal
Buell had been a motorcycle enthusiast since he
grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania. He raced motocross, then turned to road
racing in the late ’70s before moving to Milwaukee to become an engineer with
Harley-Davidson.
Continuing his racing career, Buell bought a
British-built racebike for use in the AMA’s Formula One class of that era.
This 750cc square-four two-stroke was explosively fast, but had serious
reliability and handling problems.
Buell sorted out those bugs, but then Formula
One was phased out as Superbikes became the premier class of AMA road-racing.
That left Buell with a well-developed chassis, suspension and brakes, but no
motor to power his machine. So he turned to his employer, buying 50 of
Harley’s limited-production XR1000 engines. Shortly after that, Buell switched to the
mass-produced 1,200cc Evolution Sportster engine and built this machine, his
vision of a sportbike for the ’90s.
When it was introduced in 1988, the RR1200
caused quite a sensation, with its streamlined bodywork, rubber-mounted Harley
engine, Buell-designed four-piston front brakes, and a Works Performance rear
monoshock mounted under the engine.
Over the next several years, Erik Buell refined
those concepts into his own line of street motorcycles, while maintaining
close relations with Harley. And in the ’90s, Harley began to invest in the
motorcycle company its former engineer founded, eventually increasing its
ownership to 98 percent of the Buell brand.
With Harley financing and Erik’s vision, the
Buell brand has moved on to create the Blast and the innovative Firebolt and
Lightning of today.