Nitrous-injected Buell 1125R motorcycle reaches 148.7mph on frozen lake

7th May 2009

Extreme temperatures, extreme bike, extreme speed – Buell’s resident stunt rider Craig Jones has just returned from Sweden where he braved subzero temperatures to set a world first for the fastest bike on ice.

After a short test period and several practices, Craig’s modified Buell® 1125R™ sportbike reached the phenomenal speed of 238Km/h (148.7mph) on a frozen Lake Dellen, with only a few centimetres of ice separating him from 1,226 million metres³ of icy water.

With extreme riding conditions comes the need for extreme equipment, and the bike used for the attempt boasted some mammoth modifications. Complete with nitrous oxide injection providing an estimated extra 50bhp, the white Buell® 1125R™ reached top speed on a 1.1km run. The tyres were specially adapted with protruding spikes (20mm on rear and 15mm on front) designed to increase grip on the perilous surface.

Undeterred by the risks associated with the attempt, Craig said: “I firmly believe that your head is the biggest limiting factor in pushing to the edge. The less you think about the risks, the further you can push yourself. So I kept it simple. I just put the bike into gear, tucked down and went as fast as I could.”

Craig’s daredevil attitude mirrors that of Buell founder, Erik Buell whose dream was to build the ultimate American sport bike. Buell began his career with Harley-Davidson in 1979 when he joined the Company as a Junior Test Engineer immediately following his graduation. Since then he has become a forerunner in motorcycle innovation, taking sports bikes to the next level.

Visit www.buell.com/extreme to see Craig’s antics and discover more about Buell.