There is a notion that Erik Buell, the mastermind behind Buell Motorcycles, was birthed on a motorcycle. While that tale is a little bit fabricated, by the age of 12, Erik Buell was on a motorcycle. His extreme passion of the equipment led him to produce a line of supreme motorcycles.

In the late 70s, Erik Buell earned a living while in college by taking a part-time job at a neighborhood motorcycle car dealership. Here, he learned the significant understanding of the operations of motorcycles and quickly advanced from student technician to service supervisor. Also, Buell started competing in motorcycle races at the beginning level. When he finished college, Buell started working as a framework developer for Harley Davidson.

In 1978, Erik Buell recorded the fastest qualifying time for the Daytona 200 motorcycle race. Soon after, Buell left Harley Davidson to start his own company for making motorcycles. In 1983, he designed and developed the RW750 bike. This motorcycle was particularly constructed to compete in the AMA Solution One road racing. The very first production of the Buell RW750 was launched in the fall of 1984.

The following year, the American Machinists Racing Group revealed that 1985 would be the last year for Solution One racing. This meant that Buell’s type of bike would be removed from all racing venues. If he wanted to proceed in racing, he would have to go back to the motorcycle drawing board and start from square one.

Buell started working on creating a sports bike that could be powered by the Harley-Davidson XR1000 engine. From 1987-1988, more than 45 Buell RR1000 motorcycles were made. Unfortunately, the Harley-Davidson XR1000 engines stopped being produced in 1988, and Buell needed to even further re-engineer his design.

The resulting RR1200 design was presented in 1988. This design utilized the brand-new 1203cc Harley Davidson Advancement engine. In 1989, 65 Buell RR1200 motorcycles were built and made available for sale. Around 1997, Buell presented the Cyclone M2 touring bike. Additionally, he also developed the Thunderstorm engine.

In 1999, the Lighting and Cyclone motorcycles were presented with upgrades and new features. These two motorcycles possessed new body designs, frame, suspension, bigger/comfortable seats, as well as bold different colors. Also in 1999, Buell’s new styles and engineering developments pushed sales from his motorcycles to more than 7,500 in just one year.

Buell has always kept his connection with Harley Davidson on a friendly and professional level. In February 1994, Harley Davidson bought 49% of Erik Buell’s business and the brand new Buell Motorcycle Company was started.

Not long after, Harley Davidson purchased an additional 49%, leaving Buell with a 2% share and a very nice employment contract. Today, the Buell Motorcycle Company is currently a subsidiary of Harley Davidson, Inc.