Just as the company said earlier in the year, Erik Buell Racing has a new model coming out soon, to be released at the Long Beach motorcycle show this week.
The new EBR Black Lightning will be a naked bike, the second such model in the company’s lineup. When the 1190SX debuted back in 2014, much ado was made about the fact it was “a naked bike that wasn’t detuned for the street!!!” Turns out, an unfaired superbike might not be ideal for real-world usage, so we get the Black Lightning model a couple years later, with changes to engine tuning and suspension.
EBR is still claiming 185 hp for the Black Lightning, but says it has more usable torque. The seat and pegs are lower to the ground, but the handlebars are higher, putting the rider into a street-friendly upright position instead of a racer’s crouch.
We have not seen any mention of advanced electronic rider aids like traction control, leaning ABS, or even standard ABS for the Black Lightning.
Will we ever see the Black Lightning in Canada? EBR has been in and out of business for years now, and we’re still waiting for the brand to make it to our market. Given the European market’s tempting promises, we’d guess EBR is still going to try to make it there first, before focusing much attention on our frostbitten wallets.
They should really be more careful where they park their bikes. that one looks like someone backed into the front end.
Oh Boy ! ! ! – Gaaaaaaaaaaak . . .
They should really hire a designer with a background and interest in motorcycling. Or any designer, really.