Written by:
Kevin Krefting
The Buell XB12R has been approved for entry into the AMA Formula XTreme class. (Photo: Buell USA)
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In a bombshell announcement at its winter dealer meeting in Orlando, Florida, two weeks ago, Buell Motorcycle Company, the innovative sports motorcycle arm of Harley-Davidson Motor Company, announced to its dealers that it will produce and sell a liquid-cooled, 450cc four-stroke motocross motorcycle by 2009 – although an MXi source says that he would not be surprised if the motorcycle arrives sooner than that.
MXi's source is a well-known Harley-Davidson dealer who attended the winter dealer meeting. The source spoke only on the condition of anonymity.
"It will be a 450, and the engine is being made by Rotax," the source said. "They showed an artist's rendering of the bike, and I know they have been riding prototypes already, so I wouldn't be surprised if we see it sooner than that. I mean, why would I as a dealer care now about what they were going to be making in 2009? Our concern as a dealer is that it could end up just like their VR1000 Superbike program, where the bike was competitive with what was on the track while it was a prototype, but by the time they went racing with it, it was obsolete. But they have assured us that will not be the case this time."
It is mere speculation, but Buell could theoretically break cover with the bike in 2008 and race it under the AMA rule that allows a one-year exemption from the production rule for prototype motorcycles – the same way that Yamaha did with its YZ400F in 1997. MXi cannot confirm that Buell currently has such a plan, however.
The dealer source did say that Buell plans to produce the motocross version first, before moving into other segments of the off-road market, such as enduro and supermoto.
"That's kind of a curious move," the source said. "With the way that the dual sport thing is getting bigger, you would think that they'd want to go there first, but I guess they think that the motocrosser could be competitive now."
If Buell's history of going against the grain is any indication, expect to see many innovations on the new 450, particularly with regard to the chassis.
"It's going to have Erik Buell all over it," the source said. "It'll carry its fuel in the frame, for example."
MXi caught wind of the new Buell in the week leading up to the Anaheim II Supercross. MXi has since learned from other sources within the company that Buell has hired former Yamaha of Troy team manager Dave Osterman for the project and that former AMA 250cc Motocross Champion Gary Jones is rumored to have been consulted as well, although we could not confirm it at press time.
A call placed to Paul James, Harley-Davidson's director of product communications, revealed the following information: "All I can say is that we have told our dealers that we intend to enter the closed-course, off-road competition market," James said. "We have told our dealers that we intend to bring a bike aimed at that market. Additional information about the product will not be released at this time."
MXi will follow up on this story as more information becomes available.
