A resurrected Michigan-based Buell Motorcycle has teamed up with Long Beach, California’s Roland Sands Design to produce a new modern FXR-inspired cruiser. Introducing the Buell Motorcycle Super Cruiser. Buell says it expects it to be available as a 2025 model at an estimated price of $20,000. It will be available for purchase both at Buell dealers and in a direct-to-consumer format.
“Bill Melvin [Buell Motorcycle president] approached me about building a super cruiser,” Roland Sands said. “I don’t think that was the name yet, but it was kind of like, ‘Hey, what can you do with the new Buell motor?’”
What does the future of Buell motorcycles look like? That was the question Buell asked Roland.
“So I drew up the sketch and I was like, ‘I think that this is probably the right thing for, you know, for the two-wheeled culture right now. I think this is the right thing.’ I did one sketch and I sent it over. And he was like, ‘Build that bike!’ So it was kind of serendipitous I guess.”
“I’ve always wanted to build a bike in this style that had a superbike-level engine and suspension componentry,” Sands said. “We tried to utilize as much of the original Buell as we could.”
The Super Cruiser is powered by Buell’s tried-and-true 1,190cc V-twin with a six-speed transmission and integrated slipper clutch. It also uses the thick aluminum swingarm, 17-inch wheels, inverted fork, and unique perimeter-style front brake.
“And as you can see, you may feel that this silhouette is familiar to you. And that’s not by mistake,” Sands explained in regard to its Harley-Davidson FXR-inspired styling from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
“We were deeply inspired by Harley-Davidson’s FXR—especially the handling of it,” Roland continued. “It was a great motorcycle. Erik Buell was involved with it. He was involved with getting the FXR to be what it was. Which turned it into such an iconic bike…and a bike that still today people are really into. And potentially, it is one of the best-handling Harley-Davidsons that’s ever been built from the cruiser perspective. We want to take advantage of that heritage, that history, that connection with Buell.”
Sands said the Super Cruiser is a sporty V-twin cruiser designed for motorcyclists who value performance.
“If you’ve never ridden a bike with this style before, it’s more like riding a motocross bike than it is a cruiser,” Sands told us. “When you sit on it, the way the foot controls are, the way the hand controls are. Everything is where it really feels like it needs to be to be aggressive and ride aggressively. It makes you feel like a gangster when you ride the bike.
“That’s why people love riding club bikes. That’s why they are as popular as they are. Because they give you a certain feel. And that’s what this bike is about more than anything else. It’s how it makes you feel when you get on it.
“It’s different from jumping on like a [1290] Super Duke—or even a 790 [Duke]. When you jump on a Hooligan racebike, or like a Hooligan-style streetbike. It feels a certain way. This just makes you feel like a gangster, dude. And for me that’s half the reason why people ride motorcycles. Because they want to be badasses. And this bike makes you feel that way.”
Sands said the Super Cruiser weighs around 450 pounds, with a claimed 175 hp. “It’s 450 pounds right now. We could make the bike lighter. But that was like, building it and being conservative with everything. It doesn’t have super lightweight chromoly tubing.
“My team did a spectacular job of getting this bike together,” Sands said. “Jacob [Stark, Buell Motorcycle engineer/project lead] as a liaison between Buell and us getting all the geometry correct. Aaron [Boss] and Cam [Brewer] are both the best when it comes to building this type of bike. Because we race baggers, and if you know anything about racing baggers, they’re terrible.
“But you can make them fantastic if you pay enough attention to them,” Sands added with a smile. “So that’s [the approach] we kind of took that same perspective with this bike. And we already started with a bike that was a fantastic handling bike. So we almost had to dumb it down to make it more of a cruiser.
“So we relaxed the geometry, it’s 27 degrees. We reached like a happy medium. I mean, I rode the bike all day yesterday, and it’s fantastic,” Sands stated. “It’s just one of the most fun bikes I’ve ever ridden. It’s nimble, it turns really well. It stops on a dime. Those brakes are crazy good. Not everybody loves a perimeter brake. It’s a futuristic take on brakes. But the thing stops like, on a dime. It just does everything it’s supposed to do. All I wanted to do was just ride up the coast and just forget about the world for a little while.”
2025 Buell Motorcycle Super Cruiser Technical Specifications and Price
| PRICE | $20,000 (estimated) |
|---|---|
| ENGINE | 1,190cc, DOHC, liquid-cooled 72-degree V-twin; 8-valve |
| BORE x STROKE | 106.0 x 67.5mm |
| COMPRESSION RATIO | 13.4:1 |
| FUEL DELIVERY | Electronic fuel injection w/ 2 port injectors, 2 showerhead injectors |
| CLUTCH | Wet, multiplate slipper; hydraulic actuation |
| TRANSMISSION/FINAL DRIVE | 6-speed/chain |
| FRAME | Steel |
| FRONT SUSPENSION | TBD |
| REAR SUSPENSION | TBD |
| FRONT BRAKE | 8-piston inside-out caliper, 386mm perimeter rotor |
| REAR BRAKE | 2-piston Hayes performance caliper, 220mm disc |
| WHEELS, FRONT/REAR | Cast aluminum; 17 x 3.5 in. / 17 x 6.0 in. |
| TIRES, FRONT/REAR | TBD |
| RAKE/TRAIL | 27.0°/TBD in. |
| WHEELBASE | TBD |
| SEAT HEIGHT | TBD |
| FUEL CAPACITY | TBD |
| CLAIMED WEIGHT | 450 lb. |
| WARRANTY | TBD |
| CONTACT | buellmotorcycle.com |
Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com