The Buell Freedom Edition Hammerhead 1190 recently sold on eBay is one of a limited run of machines produced by the Grand Rapids, Mich., crew. It commemorates 40 years of what the maker calls “Buell’s exciting journey.” The Freedom’s stars and stripes livery—tastefully executed in red, white, and blue—is ideal for America’s only sports bike.
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Performance Matches the Looks
That jaw-dropping paint scheme is not Hammerhead’s only talking point. It is the fastest V-twin ever made in the US. The bike’s seller, Ken Kaplan Sr. of Kaplan Cycles - opens in new window or tab. in Vernon, Conn., said:
A customer of ours took one to an ECTA speed event at an abandoned aircraft base and hit 176 mph, right out of the box.
ECTA Motorsports - opens in new window or tab. (formerly East Coast Timing Association) is the principal sanctioning organization for land speed racing in the central United States.
Sub-10-second quarter-mile times make the Hammerhead one of the fastest accelerating motorcycles on the planet. The source of that speed is the 1,190-cc, 185-horsepower ET2 (East Troy 2) V-twin engine. It’s based on a successful Rotax - opens in new window or tab. design that takes the original Austrian concept to the next level. There’s a huge increase in power and especially torque—up to 102 pound-feet.
Brand New and Highly Optioned
This was a brand new machine, so condition wasn’t an issue. We can focus instead on its spectacular paint, eight-piston brake calipers, those wild brake rotors, and the exhaust (or apparent lack of one).
Almost all of the exhaust system is hidden behind the fairing at the very bottom of the bike. The end of the pipe is barely visible on the right side, ahead of the rear wheel, protruding from behind the bodywork. It’s almost invisible. Kaplan said:
This one has our race pipe on it, and it sounds incredible. It livens the bike up a lot. I’ve ridden every one of the Hammerheads we’ve sold, and the power-to-weight ratio is spectacular.
401 Pounds or Less
The Kaplan race pipe not only releases some of that V-twin character, but it also brings the Buell’s weight down to 401 pounds. Kaplan said that the addition of a tail tidy kit (not yet installed on this bike) will bring the weight below 400 pounds. That’s significantly less than a BMW S1000RR - opens in new window or tab..
Another visible extra is the red stitching and embroidery work on the main and passenger seats. It’s delightful to look at, but buyers were after this bike for its performance.
It’s very light, very powerful, very fast, and beautifully made by hand in Michigan. The $24,790 Buy-It-Now price shaved thousands off Buell’s MSRP. Order some smart Buell leathers - opens in new window or tab. to go with the bike, and you’re all set.
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