Post Listing Update: Neither featured bike got interest at the $20K plus asking prices.
“The EBR 1190RS is more than a machine built for homologation needs. It is not the basis for a Superbike; it is a Superbike, more like a racer than anything that has come before, including the Ducati 1098R,” stated Cycle World’s Steve Anderson after putting the RS through its paces for a few dozen laps at Road America.
After things came crashing down with Harley, Erik Buell wasted little time getting the ball rolling on his next marque: Erik Buell Racing. Taking research and development insight and data from from the Buell Barracuda B2, the company’s baker’s dozen of employees succeeded in delivering the small American manufacturer’s first offering, the 1190RS.
The idea was to use AMA superbike competition to gain exposure for the brand in its infancy, and thus 100 homologation examples were produced, each with an exorbitant price tag of $40k. After a generous $25M cash infusion from Hero Motors, EBR was afforded the resources to create a tuned-down, road-oriented, mass-scale production version of the RS called the 1190RX.
Though RS-specs are incredibly rare, the carbon edition variant is an even more seldom find. The carbon edition RS tips the scales at just 384lbs at the curb, and once the optional race muffler and ECU are added to the mix, the American super bike weighs in at less than 400 lbs (397 lbs) wet. Obviously, the liberal use of carbon fiber helped to keep weight down, but closer examination reveals that considerable measures were taken to minimize weight throughout. The front wheel, disc, caliper, and mounting hardware collectively weigh less than 15 lbs. A switch from Chinese-made aluminum wheels to American magnesium units saved an additional 30 lbs or so.
Powering the RS is a 1,125cc Rotax mill that’s been bored 3mm, resulting in a displacement of 1,190cc. Produced in East Troy, Wisconsin, the massaged V-Twin boasts forged steel rods, titanium Del West valves, and 106mm CP pistons, machined from aluminum billets. The camshafts on the RS are the exact same units found in the 1125 racer, albeit timed to minimize overlap for emissions purposes. The 1125-derived engine also benefits from a trick Suter Racing slipper clutch, and an advanced Idle Air Control (IAC) system.
The liquid-cooled V-Twin redlines at the 11,500rpm mark, makes a peak (claimed) 175 hp at 9,750rpm and 97 ft-lbs of torque at 9,400rpm. Considering the similarities between the 1190RS and the 1125RR that Geoff May campaigned in AMA Superbike races, it’s pretty remarkable that the 1190 was able to pass the necessary emissions (and noise) regulations in order to see production.
The 1190’s aluminum chassis — which holds just under five gallons of petrol — was a (then) newly designed structure manufactured by the same Illinois-based outfit that constructed the 1125R frame (and was slated to build the B2 frame). The frame was one of a handful of parts on the RS sourced from American companies. The RS’s magnesium wheels are from an outfit out of Ohio, the pistons are machined in California, the instrumentation is from the California-based AIM Corp, etc.
The running gear on the RS is comprised of top-shelf, competition-spec hardware. The suspenders, fore and aft, are both Öhlins pieces, and instead of their typical road/track cartridge, the RS gets the 30mm race unit, while out back is the Swedish suspender supplier’s WSBK-grade TTX monoshock. Braking duties are bestowed upon eight-piston calipers paired with ISO rotors.
Right out of the box, the stock 1190RS is reportedly faster around a circuit than the marque’s 1125 racer. In fact, when speaking to Cycle World, Geoff May made a number of bold statements about the RS, expositing, “This thing is too good to be a street bike. It’s faster than my 1125RR.” May also added that it cornered better than his Jordan Suzuki (from ‘09), called the Suter Racing unit the best slipper clutch he’d ever used, compared the 1190’s handling to a 600, and even said m it made the Ducati 848 look like a “truck”. Bold statements indeed.
Upon its release in 2011 — the same year it was crowned with Cycle World’s “Best Superbike” and Motorcyclist’s “Best Dreambike” — the 1190RS was touted by a myriad of publications as being the least compromising and closest race replica (to the real thing) available to the general public.
This particular carbon edition 1190RS is a 2013 model year and is number 17 out of 100. Adorned in the factory red/carbon livery, this EBR homologation bike, according to the seller, has only four miles on the odo, making it that much more noteworthy. You can find this 2013 EBR Carbon Edition 1190RS (VIN: 546AAAG21DE000017) for sale in Grand Rapids, Michigan with a BIN price of $26,999
For anyone else who’s into the all blacked-out, all-carbon aesthetic, the same seller/dealership in Grand Rapids also has a carbon edition 2012 1190RS with only 20 miles on the clock at a slightly cheaper price of $24,490