Glendale Harley Davidson / Buell has been doing test rides every Saturday for the last couple weeks and in the pool of bikes is an 08 1125R. I wanted to tryout one the 1125CR's but they didn't have one available for test rides.I ended up going out twice. The first time was with a group of 3 other riders that couldn't even get the bike out of the parking lot. The guy leading the ride said that I could go ahead of the group but when I saw that he had his hands full I decided to stick with them and make sure that these noobies made it back OK. Then Carlos took me back out for some highway riding.
Once I got the bike out on the road and was able to open it up a bit I started to appreciate the engineering that went into this bike. The first thing I noticed was how smooth yet responsive the throttle was. With most sport bikes there is a bit of a jump when you roll on the throttle, but the 1125R didn't exhibit this "jumping" characteristic.
The Helicon engine was a very good decision on Buell's part. It is extremely smooth and very powerful. Another nice feature is that the engine is liquid cooled which allows it to be pushed a bit further. The tach red-lines a little over 10.5K RPM's. The placement of the engine is awesome and well balanced. Everytime I rolled on the throttle I was grinning from ear to ear. This is a great engine and it really gets going no matter the RPM's.
While on the freeway the suspension was smooth despite the disrepair of the road. The suspension was also very noticeable when when braking, well not noticeable, rather notable. There were a couple instances where I had to get on the brakes and the suspension performed nicely. Again, another great decsion by Buell going with Showa for the suspension.
The 8 piston brakes really stop the bike. They were very responsive and it didn't take much pressure at all to get the bike to slow. While braking the front end stayed controllable and the suspension compressed nicely.As I was following my escort for the ride I noticed that his jeans were really flapping in the wind. I then started paying attention to the wind against my body and clothes and there was virtually nothing. The aerodynamics of the bike are great and make the ride really nice.
The rider position is very athletic, almost too athletic, but my everyday bike is an XB12X which has an upright stance. The handlebars are in a great position and provide for easy control. All of the controls were nicely placed and I had no problem with turn signals, high beams, and high beam flasher. It took very little effort to get the bike to do what I wanted it to.
I have been in search of track bike and this bike is a contender. After about 5 mins on the 1125R I felt as if I had been riding the bike for years. I am going to test ride some Ducatis and various Japanese fair before setting out to purchase a track bike. The 1125R is high on the list though. I have watched Shawn Higbee smoke everyone else at Willow Springs on a regular basis on an 1125R, and he seems to do it with ease. I know that the Ducatis have a proven track record (literally) but the 1125R is nicely priced with a lot of power and maneuverability.
*Photos taken from http://www.buell.com
