Suffice to say, I bought one October 24th to be a “stable mate” to my '09 Harley Street Bob since there would not be another chance to own this unique piece of Americana new off the show room floor ever again. I thought I would share with you all some of the unique features of the water-cooled Buell 1125 CR (for Cafe Racer) that I purchased and was only produced for 1 ½ years.
As can be seen in this front ¾ photo, the twin radiators are mounted on the side of the frame and are mounted on leaf springs to protect the bike frame in the event of a crash. By not locating the radiator in front of the engine it could be mounted further forward for better weight distribution. The air passes through the radiators and the hot air is directed through the frame to exit by the rear fender. The rear single shock was mounted off-center to allow for better escape of the heated air.
Here is the bike in profile. Buell's have always mounted the exhausts under the engine for better “mass centralization” that makes for better handling. The very wide and rigid aluminum frame spars are also the gas tank and it holds over 5 gallons of fuel. This allows the space where the gas tank is usually placed to be a huge airbox instead. More air in, more fuel, more power.
The front brake is unique in the industry. It is called “ZTL” for “zero torque loading”. Braking torque is passed directly to the wheel rim and does not have to be transmitted through the wheel spokes as in a conventional twin rotor configuration. The spokes and entire front wheel can be made lighter reducing unsprung weight (any weight below the springs). This allows the wheel to track over bumps better and maintain better traction. The single rotor set-up also reduces weight over a twin rotor configuration by 6 lbs or more. The front fork tubes are also a huge 47mm in diameter making for a rigid chasis.
Underneath the front headlight you can see the unique exhaust lay-out. Each exhaust valve in the 4 valve (2 intake, 2 exhaust) cylinder head has its own port. The engine itself borrows from Formula 1 racing practices and uses the highest level of current technology to provide for a linear and very broad torque and horsepower curve. Above the exhaust header you can see the “ram air” snorkel that positively pressurizes the airbox above 80 mph for even more engine power and responsiveness.
I took the bike out yesterday for my first longer sport ride with a friend. The handling is scary quick and takes getting used too. Even though I cannot rev the motor past 6000 rpm right now as I'm still within the break-in period, the engine has real power even at 5000 rpm (redline is 10,500 rpm) as it was designed too.
I won't have any funds for gun purchases for a while but I'm enjoying the new ride and recently organized my first overnight motorcycle event up here in Northern California that was pretty successful.
It is such a shame that the Buell brand had to be discontinued but the bikes will live on with the unique people who ride them and ride them well.
-Tutt
Not me friend(140 was enough in the younger days) 
And that was nothing but being Pure Stupid.
I always liked them and after their recent success on the track I think it may come back to bite them in the tail.
