Not Harley, Not Indian: This Was America's First 150 MPH Factory BikeSlashGearEli ShayotovichMon, September 14, 2026 at 6:45 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleATFIII - CC BY 3.0 / Wikimedia CommonsToday, bikes that reach or exceed 150 mph are a dime a dozen. However, the very first production bike to hit that mark was the 1948 Vincent Black Lightning. To be fair, only 31 were made, and it was more or less built to break speed records. Then, during the golden age of the '80s, two Japanese super-sports bikes — Suzuki's GSX1100ES and Kawasaki's now-legendary Ninja — both roared onto the scene in 1984, and the rest is history.What about American bikes? Uou might think that Indian, which sold its first bike in 1902, or Harley-Davidson would have been the first to make a 150-mph factory bike in the United States, but they're not. Well, not directly anyway, and that's the real story here. That title actually goes to Buell's 1125R, which wasn't born until 2007, more than a decade after the first Japanese superbikes hit the road. Part of the reason for the delay was that American motorcycle manufacturers were more focused on producing cruisers with torque and comfort over outright power and speed.Ironically, Buell was founded by Harley-Davidson engineer Erik Buell in 1983, who left the legendary company to chase his own racing aspirations. A decade later in 1993, Harley came knocking and purchased 49% of the company, hoping to attract younger riders. So, when Buell rolled out the 151-mph 1125R in 2007, it was technically a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson — a wild child, if you will. During Harley's financial woes in 2008, Buell fell into its crosshairs and was shuttered in 2009.AdvertisementAdvertisementRead more: 12 Classic Cars That Turned Out To Be ProblematicBuell's many iterationsWanderBuild / YouTubeWhile Buell was accustomed to making bikes with air-cooled engines, the 1125R (and 1125CR) was its first liquid-cooled 1,125cc DOHC V-Twin Helicon engine. It sat in an Intuitive Response Chassis that also acted as an in-frame gasoline reservoir, a signature engineering and design trait of Buell bikes. In doing so, the Helicon initially produced 146 hp at 9,800 rpm, and as mentioned before, it had a top speed of 151 mph and zipped through a standing quarter-mile in 11 seconds.Aside from being the first to mount the exhaust under the bike (keeping its weight as low as possible), it also was the first to put oil in the swingarm. Their goal was to make every part perform as many other jobs as possible as fewer parts reduced the bike's overall weight. What's more, Buell used cutting-edge aerodynamic technology, including computational fluid dynamics, to fashion both the front fairing and radiator cowling, and a brand-new eight-piston front brake adapted from Buell's race bikes was also introduced.After Harley-Davidson closed the Buell subsidiary, Erik formed Erik Buell Racing (EBR) and continued building race-specific motorcycles. Hero MotoCorp became a minority stakeholder in 2013; two years later, Liquid Asset Partners bought them out. In 2019, news broke that Erik had teamed up with French financiers to form Fuell, an electric motorcycle company. In 2024, it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, but it appears they're back and accepting new orders. Amidst all of that, the Buell brand was resurrected by EBR Motorcycles in 2021, and while its bikes are made here in the U.S., some parts are sourced from overseas, including Europe and Asia.AdvertisementAdvertisementWant the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google.Read the original article on SlashGear.