Cycle News

EBR 1190RX FIRST RIDE P90 4000-rpm mark. And while very tractable there isn't any serious grunt until three grand higher. But then, aided by the high 13.4:1 compression and the bet- ter combustion of EBR's CTI/ controlled swirl induction sys- tem, the 1190RX really takes off, with a fierce, addictive and quite uncompromising pull towards the hard-action 11,500rpm rev-limiter (no RBW digital throttle, remem- ber). However, although this step in the power and torque delivery is really noticeable, EBR's new TC system takes care of any problems. To start out with on a damp but drying track, at the suggestion of EBR's test rider and factory AMA racer Cory West, I used level 14 out of 20 (the most intrusive) while I learned the track. As I picked up speed, I could feel the TC holding me back under accel- eration out of slower turns where I felt the Pirelli Diablo Rosso was warmed up enough to grip okay on a nearly dry track. So then I pitted to reduce TC to level 8 – it's a hang-up of the system that you can't change TC settings on the go, which is probably a func- tion of the inaccessibility of the control switches on the side of the dash. If you're out riding through the hills and you come upon wet roads after a rain shower, you have to stop to dial up more TC, rather than just change it on the fly via a handlebar control, as on most other bikes. Anyway, level 8 gave good acceleration while saving me a couple of times from any serious misfortune when straying offline on to tarmac that was still damp, but then I went to level 3 on what I thought was a dry track. Two big near-misses later at the entry gate to highside heaven, I went back to level 6, and stayed there for most of the rest of the day: I figure that'd be the equivalent of level 3 on an eight-stage Magneti Marelli TC system, and it helped me exploit the undoubted perfor- mance of that muscular V-twin motor with heaps of confidence. Job done. And that applies as well to EBR's R&D team in creating the 1190RX. This is a very cleverly developed motorcycle incorpo- rating heaps of innovation, which delivers the traditional values of twin-cylinder Superbike engi- neering, in a modern context. EBR's biggest hurdle is go- ing to be persuading potential customers to test ride the bike, rather than dismiss it because it's allegedly 22 pounds heavier and 10 horsepower shy of the simi- larly priced Ducati Panigale. Be- cause it's the way that power is delivered – and the 6Nm of extra torque the EBR is claimed to pro- duce over its Italian rival – plus the pleasurable qualities of the once-customary V-twin bottom end and midrange grunt it offers that are so significant. In going back to the future in developing a twin-cylinder per- formance motorcycle replete with those traditional values, Buell and his boys have pro- duced a genuine contender for the sportbike dollar. Maybe they ought to offer a special discount to Panigale owners who want to make their way back home to owning a traditional twin-cylinder Superbike? CN " THE NEW BIKE FEATURES THE SAME TRADEMARK MONOCOQUE CHASSIS DESIGN AS ON ALL RECENT BUELL- DEVELOPED BIKES, WITH THE 4.5-GALLON FUEL LOAD CARRIED IN THE TWIN FRAME SPARS - A FACT THAT DOESN'T INTRUDE ON SPACE FOR YOUR LEGS THANKS TO THE BIKE'S NARROW WAIST. "

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