Buell's 1125CR is a machine that real men will love, says Tom Robert, and so too will the rest of humanity
FROM THE latter half of the 20th century, the world became a quieter place. Thundering mills became yuppie apartments, hushed except for the sound of gathering money.
Typewriters became word processors became laptops, cine film became video became DVD, turntables became CD players became iPods, and cars hummed along so silently that you had to rev them at traffic lights to see if they were still running.
And with Honda recently producing the automatic DN-01 and the launch at the International Motorcycle Show in Birmingham two weeks ago of the TTX01, an electric motorcycle capable of 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 125mph, even bikes have entered this brave new world of the silent, the cool and the minimalist.
Everywhere, that is, except at Buell. Everything about the company's first superbike, the faired 1125R, was big, loud, gnarly, rough and industrial. This was a motorcycle for real men (even if they were women) - men who liked to hear a bike coming from a mile away, especially when they were on it.
Even on tickover, the V-twin Helicon engine, developed in partnership with Rotax - which builds the motors for the likes of Aprilia's RSV 1000R - sounded brutal, as if an entire posse of drummers in hobnail boots were beating each other to death with sledgehammers in there.
You'll have a bit of time to enjoy the experience, since Buell recommends that you wait until the engine warms up properly before unleashing it on the road.
Once there, you'll realise several things very quickly: that it is brutally quick, that the front end is so light and precise that you need to get your speed and line exactly right, and that this is not a bike you just jump on and ride to the limit straight away - particularly since a slight breakdown in communication between Rotax and Buell resulted in such wonky ignition mapping that the engine runs hot, fuels badly and vibrates like an epileptic budgie.
After months of transatlantic head-scratching, a Buell engineer visiting the Rotax had an epiphany which solved the problem in an afternoon, creating several happy Austrians and an engine which not only runs more smoothly, but uses 20 per cent less fuel. Inspired, the backroom boys at Buell went back to the drawing board and stripped down the R to produce the CR, a monster cafe racer to compete with bikes like the Triumph Speed Triple.
And what a monster they've made: they've taken away the wide, flat fairing which made the R look like a hammerhead shark with a migraine and replaced it with twin air scoops which make the CR look lean, mean and muscular - from each and every angle.Okay, the front end still tends to tramline, and it's so light that if you get your speed and angle wrong going into a corner, you'll find it's not as forgiving as a Fireblade.
But take your time, get to learn the bike, and you'll be rewarded with a deeply satisfying combination of precision and power as you dip into bends, then slingshot away from them with a combination of smoothness and snarl that is uniquely Buell.
Faults? Only a few.
Buell still needs to sort out the brakes which, as on the R, bite lightly at first then more severely than you'd expect, although you do get used to it.
But all in all, a hefty improvement on the original, not to mention cheaper.
So, if you want to be a hushed, cool, minimalist postmodernist, go buy a Honda.
But if, like me, you haven't a clue what postmodernism is and you like your machine to be a throwback to the days when both men and motorcycles were loud, gnarly and rugged, then step this way.