The Retro Bike Erik could’ve built. By Hillbilly-Motors.
This is what a Retro Buell could’ve looked like in 1999, when many other manufacturers decided to bring out a bike that basically consisted of previous bikes’ parts with very few new developments – a minimal back-to-the-roots bike so to say. But Erik never built it, so Jens had to, naturally!
The recipe for success:
Take a nicely polished engine and a X1 frame in a colour of your choice (honestly, British Racing Green is very difficult to beat). Then add a good portion of black cylinders and black cylinder heads, for good measure. Knead everything thoroughly until the battery and oil tank fit under the seat. Now use the space you’ve just earned and stretch the headers until you can fit the exhaust cans under the X1 tail. Add a dash of M2 fork and a pinch of the classical steel swingarm with Hillbilly Motors axle plates.
Try and find a nice piece of S1 tank – your local butcher might be able to help you there. Now to combine these two in a tasteful way, roll out a piece of stainless steel and use a cookie cutter of your choice to create a lovely pattern for your tank band.
Add a smidgen of non-original Buell parts like a clear glass lamp and tail light to stay true to the retro look. While stirring the air, mount the classical Hillbilly Motors air filter, roughly the size of a saucer. It will give you more air volume and more freedom for you knee.
As the cherry on the cake, use the old Pegasus Buell emblem on the tank, rather than the newer one.
Finally, season to taste with your individual finishing touches!
Hillbilly-Motors
For those who don’t know: before we moved to Sweden, we used to own Hillbilly-Motors – the single largest supplier of Buell after market parts in the world. The company was sold in 2006, the same year we moved from Germany to Sweden. We decided to collect all official project bikes here as well – just for fun really!