| Author | Message | ||
     Court |
>>>Nice bike, but if I was spending $20,000 on a "Street Bike" the wheels would match. That's a very interesting comment. It took a lot of work and years of engineering (much of it at Stanford) to understand just how vastly different the loads are on the rear and the front wheels of a 2 wheel inline vehicle. When you see a motorcycle with matching wheels you know that designer was willing to make compromises in the pursuit of aesthetics and was willing to not build the best motorcycle they could. If the wheels look alike the engineering is lacking. Kinda cool that several years ago, the year a large Japanese fitm that starts with ah "H" tried to shave a pound off it's racing wheels . . .they spent millions During that year the EBR 1190RS showed up with wheels that were something (someone can do the checking for the precise numbers) several pounds less. The wheels on the EBR represent the absolute state of the art in high level motorcycle engineering. No company had ever removed the hub from a motorcycle before . . .EBR was the first company to have a hubless wheel. If you ever get to a race track where the EBR are racing ask Mike (Coolice) to let you hold a wheel. It feels more like a styrofoam cup than a motorcycle wheel. I used to hand them to people just to see the look on their face. But . . . your comment is common AND many people are perfectly willing to compromise. They are not among the target audience for the 1190RX. | ||
| Davefl |
I saw Mike at the AIM Expo yesterday.. He was handing around an aluminum wheel and I thought wow thats light.. Then he handed around the Mag wheel  | ||
| Sifo |
It took a lot of work and years of engineering (much of it at Stanford) to understand just how vastly different the loads are on the rear and the front wheels of a 2 wheel inline vehicle. That probably isn't as true with most motorcycles. But when you introduce the ZTL front braking system, the front wheel never has to handle any torque. At least not through the spokes. Most bicycles, even very low end bicycles have very different hub/spoke setups front to back. Bicyclists, because of the very low power available, know very well how grams matter, especially in the wheels. If you can take a gram out of the wheels and move it to the frame, you have gained a lot without changing anything that shows up on the spec. sheet. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Article up at Cycle News with some interesting details. http://www.cyclenews.com/392/22484/Racing-Article/ First-Look--2014-EBR-1190RX.aspx BTW- apparently the "ET" in the ET-V2 designation for the engine does stand for East Troy. | ||
| Two_seasons |
Court handed me an 1190RS wheel at HC in 2012. Amazingly light! The 1190 bike is very unique. I hope EBR sales go through the roof, and their subsequent offerings are successful too. Never doubt the intentions of the EBR engineering team. They do not do it for the look, they do it for the advantage! | ||
| Dcc46 |
Bike is beautiful in person. I saw it at the AIM Expo today. Here's a couple of pics. If you notice in the third pic the RX is so bad-ass it can fly. It reminds me of the anti Harley, nothing nostalgic, all ultra modern. The hero's were pretty cool in person also, nice small bike alternative to a ninja 250, or a scooter.          | ||
| Torquehd |
I can't stop looking at this freaking bike! It is nothing shy of sensual. | ||
| Ourdee |
I thought Steve was going to smack the ceiling with that wheel in 2012. Starting at under $19,000.oo ! How much is the HERO? If you need matching wheels, I have a pair of magnesium tone with angels.  | ||
| Fast1075 |
How much is the Hero? I. and a ton of others asked. One guy pulled out a roll of cash and asked how much? The set answer was "very competitive". The bike is not intended to go head to head with the baby Ninja or CBR-300. In March I asked what the sales focus was for Hero. They said "we offer reliable basic transportation at an affordable cost". Today, the answer was "The 250 is a starter bike for new riders". The other versions of the 1190 are coming. Soon. I asked what is coming down the pipe. "A full range of exciting new bikes, all within the next four years". Where does that leave the EBR co-designed high performance 250 engine? I dunno, but I WANT one. Or the 600. Is there really a 600? Oh yeah, I heard an RX run this morning, and it sounded good. And they had a frame laying on a table, and it LOOKS like you should be able to get to the valve covers. Other mysteries. If Jeff goes WSBK racing, who fills his place in the AMA program?. I am very certain this has all been hashed out. Does the RX get to run in AMA? One guy asked about how much power the RX has. Aaron told him it has more power than the #20 bike. Either of them. Other than that, the coolest thing was the two TZ750 Kenny Roberts replica short trackers. | ||
| Xl1200r |
It's hard for me to be excited about this particular bike because it's nothing I'm in the market for, and it being an updated and (barely) downspec'd RS, it's not radically new, either. BUT It sure is pretty, and the specs are nothing short of amazing. I'm excited that Erik is building bikes that mortals can afford again. I'm excited about future models that I WILL be in the market for. I'm excited about what this means for EBR in racing. I'm excited for this board to get happy again! Now, either give me one with bags or something that competes with an 899 or a Daytona 675 and we're talking! | ||
| Torquehd |
downspec'd? really? the only spec that didn't improve from the RS was the weight (and that's in street trim, not racing-spec). And 419 lbs is still freaking light. Now, either give me one with bags or something that competes with an 899 or a Daytona 675 and we're talking! why.... on earth.. would you want one that has 30-80 less HP? | ||
| Xl1200r |
Yes, downspec'd. Last I checked, the RX doesn't have Ohlins suspension or carbon bodywork. Downspec'd doesn't always mean worse. Not everyone needs a billion horsepower, and a subset of those don't want it. I had an 1125CR - I LOVED that bike, but it was damned near impossible for me to behave myself on the street. I don't see throwing another 40hp into the equation making that any better. I'll take it all day long at the track, but on the street it's just overkill - which is fun sometimes, but not all the time. If I were in the market for a $19k track bike, then we've got a winner. | ||
| Sifo |
I tend to agree with Xl1200r on this. My Sprint ST 1050 is pretty tame by superbike standards, yet if I get on it at all and start going through the gears, my license is at risk before my second upshift. The last thing I want to do is tell people that they shouldn't have a superbike. I also won't concern myself too much about their legal issues that may arise from riding it like a superbike. I think there's a lot to the idea that it's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than to ride a fast bike slow. Another benefit of a "downspeced" bike is lower cost. That's a benefit that most people will understand right away. | ||
| Torquehd |
There was a time when I would have laughed at anyone who told me that Erik Buell would make a motorcycle that had so much power, folks would say it's not streetable. Then again, the XBRR was a bad mofo. I owned an XB9SX at the time it came out, and when I rode the XBRR, I remember thinking it was not a good bike for the street. | ||
| Sifo |
I wouldn't say that it's not streetable. I think far from it looking at the flat torque curve. I'm more than impressed with that. Toss in electronic controls and an average rider could even bang the throttle off corners. My point is that, even with my much tamer 1050 sport touring bike, I can't ride anywhere near it's abilities without fear of getting tossed in jail. Getting a bike like the 1190RX would require even more restraint to keep out of trouble. Having said that, if funds were a complete non-issue, I would probably get a bike like this, just for the cool factor. I would also feel like a poser on it, but a rich cool looking poser! And no, I didn't say that only a poser would by the 1190RX. That comment was aimed internally. | ||
| Oldog |
Wow good to have Court back, with the informed commentary The new EBR Rx is exciting, I can't wait to see whats next, I hope that they sell all that they can make and more. and I want to buy a set of those mirrors for my 1125 which I may modify to accept them. Our local Buell / hd dealer ( originally slated to be an EBR dealer), is dealing with the slow market, last year you could barely walk between any 2 bikes in the isle, now you can easily walk around them. I wish them well for now. I hope that they can sell all that they can build. I eagerly wait whats next..... | ||
| Ak_addict |
I can't ride anywhere near it's abilities without fear of getting tossed in jail. Getting a bike like the 1190RX would require even more restraint to keep out of trouble. Then don't buy a Ninja 300 they will do 85-90 in the quarter.  Face it almost all bikes (and cars) made these days are way to much for the street. Any bike requires restraint on the street but when you decide to give in once and a while 185HP would be nice. (Message edited by AK Addict on October 20, 2013) | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
From the Cycle News article, “Our engineers(EBR) found that a secondary resonator has a large benefit to helping a V-twin make power and mid-range. The resonator provides an opportunity for a quarter-wave tuner that adds mid-range performance while meeting noise regulations.” Oh well, so much for ditching the exhaust can | ||
| Sifo |
Then don't buy a Ninja 300 they will do 85-90 in the quarter. Face it almost all bikes (and cars) made these days are way to much for the street. Any bike requires restraint on the street but when you decide to give in once and a while 185HP would be nice. Agreed. One thing I like about my XB is that it performs well short shifting, long before hitting the rev limiter. That allows me to practice going through a few gear changes before risking my license too much, and it feels right. Honestly, a Ninja 300 class has that same appeal to me, but there are quite a few upgrades I would probably want to make to get it to the ride quality I would want. Now if you really feel the need to use 185 hp, be my guest. I'll even slide over to the right a bit an let you go right by. Thanks for clear the cops for me!  | ||
| Britchri10 |
Whatever my XP puts out has the potential to be too much for street/road riding. It's not the machinery, It's the mindset of the rider. Chris C | ||
| Sifo |
Does offering a more affordable bike (downspeced?) have to be a bad thing? I don't think so... 899 Panigale - $14,995 | ||
| Torquehd |
It's not the machinery, It's the mindset of the rider. Apparently you haven't been keeping up with the news. Guns kill people. By that logic, automobiles and motorcycles commit crimes. } | ||
| Britchri10 |
I think you missed the point I was trying to make. No matter the ultimate power of the machine, it's the way the rider operates said machine that makes it dangerous/safe/ordinary or whatever other way you want to describe it. For the record: Guns don't kill people (bullets do) People kill people. What they use to kill is immaterial to the argument. Chris C (I'll say it again: I wish there was a sarcasm emoticon on this site) - make of that what you will.  | ||
| Xl1200r |
No matter the ultimate power of the machine, it's the way the rider operates said machine that makes it dangerous/safe/ordinary or whatever other way you want to describe it. absolutely true - but why buy a bike with 185hp to exercise restraint every time you ride it? The people who buy this will want all that power and will find a place to use it. All I'm saying is I don't have a place that I'm comfortable with, at least not as often as I'd like. All that said, I still can't wait to ride one! BTW, I also have a Sprint 1050 so my feelings are very similar. | ||
| Gschuette |
No one cares what anyone else is in the market for so how about we just marvel at Erik being in back in business making bikes that don't cost more than a Kia. The other offerings will come in time. | ||
| Torquehd |
I was using the situation to make a point. It IS the mindset of the rider. or of the gun wielder. People chooose to kill people using guns, in self defense, because they made a bad decision, or because they're just bat-sh!t crazy. And, people choose to speed using vehicles.... because it's fun! Anyway, getting back on track, I wonder how that air bypass port works on the intake. I wonder if it's a venturi that draws air into the side of the intake manifold, tangential to the inside wall of the manifold, like a whirlpool jet. Hm. Yes, i really like that theory, although there's a good chance I'm wrong. | ||
| Britchri10 |
absolutely true - but why buy a bike with 185hp to exercise restraint every time you ride it? ...because, just occasionally I might want to relive my hooligan IDGAS days & wind it out until I am sweating bullets! YMMV. It's always nice to know that "it's there" if you need/want it. Chris C | ||
| Aesquire |
Sure, no one "needs" 185 ponies in a motorcycle on the street.  But need isn't want. I often tell people anything over 600cc's is ego, and I have twice as much as I need. ( Cyclone )  But the touring & sidecar folk can use the torque from a bigger than 600 engine. I tried a Yamaha 600 ( YZ something R? It's been a couple of years ) and while it was fun, I really didn't like the torque curve, the IL4 buzz, or the need to wind it out past sanity. I didn't have a chance to test top speed, but IIRC it theoretically was faster than my Cyclone. ( about 135, and still pulling when the limiter kicks, it does take a few hundred yards to get from 120 to 135, I admit. OTOH it doesn't really take that long. ) OTOH, if sanity wasn't on your shopping list, it wasn't a bad bike at all. Just not my cuppa. I'm not in the market for the new EBR, since I'm too fat/old/inflexible/poor. But I surely do admire it. Looking forward to other offerings, perhaps one will make me blow the moths out of the wallet. ( really, I WANT the 1190SX, if only to park in the living room and admire the engineering, but there are limits to the patience of She Who Must Be Obeyed, but don't tell her I said that. )  (Message edited by aesquire on October 20, 2013) | ||
| Svh |
I hope they sell well and more importantly I hope more "usable" entries come out soon and less than the aforementioned 4 yrs. Obviously there was a reason the Uly was the best seller every year and I can't imagine they would let those sales slip away. Has there been any mention of them continuing in the AMA? I don't see why anybody would right now. Currently there is less than a handful of tracks with contracts for next year. I hope the series can be revived but not holding my breath. | ||
| Sifo |
absolutely true - but why buy a bike with 185hp to exercise restraint every time you ride it? A bigger question, for me at least, why would I spend $19K on a bike with 185 hp that I will restrain myself from using virtually every time I ride it, when I can spend only $15K on a Panigale 899 with 148 hp that I will restrain myself from using virtually every time I ride it? I rode the Sprint 1050 today with a mere 123 hp or something like that. Guess what. I had to restrain myself from cracking it open pretty 100% of the time. That's with a much heavier bike too. Like I say though. I have no intention of forcing others to live with my personal decisions. I'm glad we have choices. I can't wait until we have more EBR choices.  |
