RACER TEST
P136
EBR 1190RS
The limited edition
EBR 1190RS is
derived from the
Buell 1125R that was
killed off four years
ago when HarleyDavidson's shut
down its sportbike
division – Buell.
ing position felt compact, but not
overly cramped for a taller rider.
You feel tucked in tight aboard
it, with space to squat behind
the screen along the Blackhawk
straights or I-43 Interstate freeway, where the screen's wide, flat
shape deflected air adequately
from my helmet.
The handlebars seemed quite
pulled back and fairly steeply
dropped, but they are multiadjustable – apparently this is
the way European riders like the
bike, say EBR engineers, whereas Americans prefer a flatter,
higher spread to give them more
leverage in turns. The footpegs
are non-adjustable, but were positioned just right for me.
This is a true twin of the old
school, where the earth moves
when you blip the throttle, even if
it's adequately muffled for street
use without upsetting your neighbors. There's no significant vibration thanks to the triple counterbalancers, and while the engine
sounds meaty and lusty at low
revs, as soon as you get it revving above 7000 rpm on the AiM
dash's digital tach, the thunder
becomes a howl.
The EBR picks up engine
speed very fast – but also very
smoothly. There's also a melodic whine from the transmission,
thanks to its straight cut gears as
well as the idler wheel on the bottom part of the chain run - part of
the EBR conversion kit to switch
from belt final drive to chain. This
is an extremely emotive-sounding
motorcycle. And a potent one.
With its lighter new crank assembly, this big-bore version of
the Rotax-designed engine definitely has reduced internal inertia
compared to the smaller 1125R
Buell motor it's derived from.
And that means the revs start to
mount very fast once you reach
that 7000 threshold to serious
power, and torque.
On the 1125RR Superbike I
put through the crash test, the
hit of midrange drive came much
higher, from 8500 rpm upwards.
But on this one shifting gears is
something of an optional extra.
It'll pull cleanly away from rest
with very little clutch slip, but
won't accept wide-open throttle
without any transmission snatch
until the revs pass the 4000-rpm
mark. There also isn't any serious
