Buell Motorcycle Co. has confirmed it will be restarting its production line on 1 November 2021 following the latest relaunch of the American icon, with the reworked Buell Hammerhead 1190 sportsbike to lead its comeback charge.
The American marque stood alongside Harley-Davidson as one of the United States’ most prominent global motorcycling brands during the 1980s and 1990s. However, after it was purchased by H-D in 2003, the decision was taken in 2009 to stop producing Buell-badged models.
The name returned that same year under new owners and a fresh Erik Buell Racing moniker, plus backing from Indian giants Hero Motor Corp, before folding again in 2016.
This therefore is the brand’s second relaunch in just over a decade with the latest owners - who have reverted back to simply Buell - announcing bold plans in February 2021 for an updated range of plus 1000cc sportsbikes, nakeds and a sports tourer.
Now the physical comeback has an official start date with 1 November 2021 set to see the first batch of its comeback model - the Buell Hammerhead 1190 - rolling off the production line.
A re-engineered update of the existing 2016 Erik Buell Racing 1190 RX, the boldly-badged Hammerhead has been given a major styling overhaul complete with a distinctive new front-end highlighted by its bold upright central headlight and complete fairing with fish gill air-intakes.
Kicking out 185bhp from its 72-degree V-Twin engine, the reworked model weighs in at a feathery 190kg making it lighter than equivalent rivals like the Suzuki GSX-R1000R, Kawasaki ZX-10R and Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade.
“When we announced that our future models will include variants for dirt, touring, and cruisers, while expanding our engine lineup, we were blown away at the rider response,” said Steve Laham, Chief Products, Development & Strategy Officer at Buell Motorcycle Co.
“I knew Buell was a beloved brand, and now riders are pulling for us! With the Hammerhead going into production, innovative technology and products in our pipeline, and our online reservation system changing the industry, we’re lean, mean and on the move!”
