The January 2011 issue of Motorcyclist magazine is just out and has a very informative interview with Erik Buell where Erik talks about some of the developments during and after the time Buell was shutdown. One point I thought was interesting was that Harley Davidson licensed the Buell name and allowed Erik to sell derivative Buell racebikes, but only until December 21, 2010, a date fast approaching. The agreement kept the brand alive so Harley could sell off the remaining Buells in inventory. Though Erik is obviously working hard on a street bike, none of his future bikes will be able to carry the Buell name.The historic British motorcycle brand Norton is set to return to the United States with its Commando 961′s next year. Heading up Norton’s push into the US market is former Ducati North America CEO Dan Van Epps, who also served time with Ducati in Bologna, acting as the company’s Director of Overseas Markets and Head of Product Marketing. Starting in May 2011, Van Epps and his crew will begin importing Norton Commando 961 Sport, Café Racer, and SE models. Built off the classic Norton lines, the Commando 916 series features a 916cc fuel-injected parallel twin motor, along with Öhlins suspension and Brembo brakes.
“We have been producing the new 961 Commandos for almost two years, and the orders have been well beyond our most enthusiastic expectations. We’ve had to  … Details
Erik Buell never got a chance to build a proper naked version of his final Buell sportsbike, the 1125R. We’d like to think that if he did, he’d have ditched the bulbous side-mounted radiators and found another way to water-cool his new Rotax engine. Either way, Germany’s Pegasus race team and Gruner Engineering have paired up to build an 1190 Buell superbike racer into the tarmac-ripping streetfighter that could have been. One hundred and eighty-five horsepower, 161kg dry, buck-naked and ready to roar – meet the Typhoon 1190.