They would be dogs today....but the only current stock Harleys that could outrun either of them would be VRods......XR1200's might be able to keep pace with them with a little luck.

 

From the RR spec sheet

Power: 185 RWHP @11,500 RPM (Dynojet Rear Wheel)
Torque: 93.0 Ft-lbf @ 9,500 RPM (Dynojet Rear Wheel)

gives me the giggles.

 

Speaking of the old Honda CB750 and Kaw Z1 check out this Cycle Magazine article from 1973. It's a superbike comparison that includes all the top performing bikes of the day. Interesting that the Sportster XLCH-1000 ran a slightly quicker 1/4 mile then the Honda CB750.

http://kawtriple.com/mraxl/articles/...uperbikes1.htm

 

the guys you see on crotch rockets today would have been on sportsters back then. performance is why hd became king of the heap. and "bikers" were raising hell on the fastest machines they could find. but then amf came along and tried to milk the cash cow without exploring new tech. eventually hd got out of the performance game because they had bigger problems to deal with: quality. later, when hd got their quality under control, the idea of having a tractor-bike got a foot-hold in modern culture and people just expected chrome plated crap (performance wise) to be part of the hd experience. some folks still dreamed of fast harleys (erik buell)... some worked them over in the their shops and raced amongst themselves in hd-only events.

now, when hd tries to make a performance comeback, the newbs come running out of the woodwork demanding the changes reverted. and if hd should build a bike with better specs it gets discontinued in short order because joe q. public wont buy it.

with all hd's money they should be able to field a team and win. but if they did, the core buyers would have a cow because they honestly don't like motorcycling... they just want their ticket to dress publicly in leather.

nostalgia is superficial.

 

Certainteed I hear what you're saying loud and clear!
It's a shame that many are completely unaware of H-Ds performance past. My father owned XLCH model sportsters when I was young and he and many of his close friends drag raced them on a regular basis. Growing up I got a earful on the golden age of H-D.
Personally, I think Harley is in a difficult position. It's a tough balancing act when a large percentage of your customer base want you to stay frozen in time. Harley has to make changes carefully and will always have to stay firmly connected to it's roots.
I got a chance to ride the XR1200X and 48 sportster last weekend (demo fleet) and I came away with some observations. The 48 looks cool and it's fairly quick by H-D standards but it was uncomfortable even on a short ride. The XR1200 was smooth and you could definitely feel the extra 20+ horsepower but why is it so heavy? Why does a modern H-D with an aluminum swingarm and aluminum heads/jugs weigh 100 lbs more then a 40 year old iron head sportster?
OK back to Buell.
I understand why H-D felt it needed to close Buell but they way they did it is nothing less then a disgrace. BRP (Rotax parent company) offered H-D a deal that would have kept liquid cooled Buells in production and saved most if not all the 200 jobs at the Buell factory. H-D refused and it's been reported that H-D spent more money closing Buell then they had invested in Buell since the begining. I'm thrilled that Erik Buell is working to build streetbikes again. I think for now though he's trying to raise enough capital to build a limited number of 1190RS models so they qualify for the AMA superbike class next year.

 

Yet another tiny, back-breaking race-replica? *And* from a boutique-style independent "who-knows-if-there-will-be-parts-available-tomorrow" builder? Hmmm... not sure *that* would tempt me to open my wallet for $15+ large.

I always thought the BEST Buells were the street-friendly Lightning models (especially the XL models, which actually had room for an adult-sized male), not the crouch-position Firebolts.

EVERY manufacturer has half a dozen repli-racers in their lineup, but the Lightnings were just pure American easy-to-ride streetable torque-y fun with the big HD V-twin thumping away, and were unlike anything else offered by the competition.

 

I've always thought if they had been badged as Harley's, they would have sold better.
There's also serious talk of there being a Buell edition Victory Sportbike in the not so distant future.
Hope he does well

 

I have plenty of respect for Erik's passion, but there seem to be a number of commenters here who've lost sight of the fact that different riders ride for different reasons.
Been outside your city limits lately? Noticed the huge imbalance in types of motorcycles? Harleys are very popular out there in the world of intercity travel. Harleys, BMW tourers, and Gold Wings make up probably 75% of the two-wheel traffic out past the traffic lights. Turns out there's a bigger market for long-distance comfort than there is for short quarter-mile elapsed times! Harley could tell this by looking at their numbers: Buells get better performance, but that's not enough to draw in dollars. We shall see if Erik takes this lesson to heart.
I hope he does. Some of his most popular bikes were the non-racing ones: the Blast, for example, for being easy for new riders to learn on, and the Ulysses for mild dual-sport and "adventure touring" duty. Last I paid attention to him, Erik didn't care about real-world riders. He lives, eats, breathes, and goes bankrupt over one thing, and that's track performance. That's his passion and that's okay, but Harley management was right. It's not okay for him to drag all HD investors down with him when he perishes through his inattention to the whole motorcycle market.
There will always be a market for Lincoln Towncars and crossover SUV's in addition to the racy little WRXs. In fact, I'd say the former will usually outnumber the latter, so there will always be more money in that segment. Harley understands this is also true in motorcycles, and the metric builders acknowledge this fact by offering comfortable long-distance tourers and cruisers alongside their racebikes. Erik may survive as a small company by catering to a very narrow niche, but I won't consider him a success at it until he can beat his rivals with the same small engine displacement. No more special treatment in the superbike class, 'k?
Good luck, Erik. You're going to need it.

 

The poblem with manufacturer's is when the original brains cross over to the white light the later generations that come to run a company think their just as smart if not smarter.

Would the original 4 of bought Buell or MV Agusta?

I don't want a Buell. I don't want no MV A.

A company so identified by cosumer brand loyalty is stupid enough to think that their customer base would accept non Harley motorcycles offered for sale.

Same faulty logic for Ford and GM to of bought all those foreign auto companies. Want a Ford or Chevy no Opel, Volvo, Saab, etc.

Low life bastard's make obseen profits. Good forbide they give a partial refund to their loyal customers, bonus for all their hourly workers, increase stock dividends. Instead to avoid a hostile take over and let another Co get their cash they just spent their cash to buy third rate car companies.

Then they gave stock options to a chosen few and take actions to only based on how they will effect their stock prices first and over improving their product offerings.

 

"I won't consider him a success at it until he can beat his rivals with the same small engine displacement. No more special treatment in the superbike class, 'k?
Good luck, Erik. You're going to need it".

Actually you must be refering to the 2009 Daytona Sportbike class where a nearly stock (pipe and tune) Buell 1125R won the championship against modified 600cc I-4's. I agree the negative PR from racing in that class did Buell no favors.
However this year Erik Buell is racing the 1125RR in the AMA Superbike class and doing very well consitering the team is funded by his wallet and private donations. The teams only rider (Geoff May) actually briefly led the final race of the year and spent most of the race fighting for a podium spot until Brett McCormick's wreckless pass forced him off the track. In spite of the off track excursion Geoff was able to maintain control and finish a respectable 6th. It's frustrating for the team because they have the 1190RR but they can't race it until Erik produces the street version (1190RS). Geoff tested the 1190 at Road America after the AMA race and it was 1.4 seconds per lap faster then the 1125RR; same lap times run by the top 3 in the superbike race.
Nobody can say Buell is cheating this year. 1125cc Buell/1198cc Ducati's vs 1000cc I-4's