VOL. 50 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 17, 2013
(Above) The cockpit features an
AiM dash's digital dash.
(Right) The EBR gets Buell's
trademark perimeter front disc
brake with an eight-piston Nissin
caliper.
(Top right) The big-bore 1191cc
version of the Rotax-designed
7-degree V-twin engine is now fully
assembled in the EBR plant. It
delivers 174 hp at 9750 rpm, with
peak torque of 97 foot-pounds at
9400 rpm – the same as Ducati's
Panigale.
grunt until 3000 rpm higher –
but then it takes off, with a totally
linear and pretty uncompromising pull towards the hard-action
11,500-rpm revlimiter (no Ride By
Wire digital throttle, remember).
However, although this step in
the power and torque delivery is
really noticeable, the transition
isn't so fierce that it causes undue grip problems for the rear
Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP tire
– which is just as well, since unlike the forthcoming RX version,
the EBR 1190RS is a TC-lite zone.
Even exiting Blackhawk's quite
slow turns either end of the pit
straight, the V-twin Superbike
engine drove smoothly out of the
apex, but not at the expense of a
brusque response. There was a
controllable pickup from a closed
throttle with the EBR slightly
leaned over exiting the turn. Just
a brief shimmy of the front wheel,
and normal service was swiftly
restored. Fueling on the EBR is
outstandingly good – I tried very
hard to make it stutter or hiccup,
but it remained on best behavior.
I did find the EBR to be grossly
overgeared, to the point that I
could lap Blackhawk (which at
1.95 miles in length, with seven
turns, is no go-kart track) almost
entirely in second gear. Out on
the street, this was even more
of an issue, especially riding
through towns where first gear
and heaps of clutch slip were de
P137
rigueur most of the time. It needs
at least an extra three teeth on
the rear sprocket.
It's hard to figure out why this
should be, if not for passing the
EPA's ride-by noise test. AMA Superbike rules require use of the
stock gearbox ratios, but there
are no restrictions for changing the overall gearing, which
at 16/41T is just way too long.
However, the gearshift is crisp
and sharp, albeit without a powershifter, which at this price level
you'd certainly expect.
The Suter slipper clutch had
been dialed in just right, with
some residual engine braking
left in to help take advantage of
the twin-cylinder meaty pistons
in slowing without chattering the
rear wheel on the overrun, while
still remaining stable under braking.
And the EBR does stop well.
Unlike some others I'm a big fan
of the Buell's single large diameter front-rim disc, which is surely
an element in the bike's sweet
steering thanks to its reduced
gyroscopic mass compared to
a twin-disc setup (while offering
comparable swept disc area per
