In 1993 the Harley Davidson motorcycle company bought a 99% interest in United States sports bike manufacturer Buell, giving Harley Davidson the potential to explore new markets without alienating existing customers. By combining the latest hardware from Buell with the financial backing of Harley Davidson the 1994 Buell S2 Thunderbolt motorcycle was poised to make a serious run at the popular sport bike market ruled by the Japanese sport bikes.
The Buell S2 Thunderbolt was a development of the original Buell concept but with revised styling details and a 20% power increase thanks to improvements in the exhaust and intake systems. The engine used was a modified version of the Harley Davidson Sportsters 1203-cc V-twin. The frames for the S2 were built by hand from chromoly tubing and included rubber mounts for the motor to sit on thus reducing vibration. Stopping power was provided by a huge 13-inch brake rotor gripped by a six-piston Brembo caliper, while in back, an aluminum swingarm activated an extensive coil-over shock mounted beneath the engine.
The bike used a drive pulley instead of a roller link chain, came with custom lightweight Marchesini three spoke alloy wheels, car style muffler, dual seat and lightweight carbon fiber hugger and belt guard. More features included two into one stainless steel exhaust system, suspension damping dial for the rear suspension and the horizontally mounted WP shock absorber is operated in tension. Up front the Harley Davidson and Buell designers added chrome steel handle bars, air vents in the mini fairing, knee cutouts in the five gallon gas tank with fuel breather pipe, headlight mounted in the fairing, original Harley Davidson motorcycle control levers and the aerodynamic windshield was tinted.
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The combination of a low center of gravity, sophisticated suspension, and compact 55-inch wheelbase ensured that the Buell S2 Thunderbolt handled like no other Harley Davidson motorcycle and the Harley Davidson Sportster-based engine produced a unique exhaust sound. The slim profile of the Buell S2 Thunderbolt was achieved by using the Harley Davidson Sportster power unit in combination with the Buells traditional sleek design to produce a motorcycle with very quick performance and excellent handling on a twisting road.
Harley continued to evolve the S2 and in 1999 Harley Davidson bought another chunk of Buell, taking their ownership of the sport bike company to 98%. In 1999 Harley introduced the Buell X1 Lightning, and more refined and polished motorcycle than earlier Buells, while retaining the unique look of the earlier Buell motorcycles. The ride was improved, the styling was cleaned up, and a new electronic fuel-injection system was added to the Sportster engine. However, in refining the Lightning some of the original raw charm of the earlier motorcycles was lost.
The 1999 Buell X1 Lightning used Showa suspension units front and rear resulting in a far superior ride over the previous models, and another cool feature was the alloy seat subframe. Mechanically, the new fuel injection system increased outright power and allegedly made power delivery much smoother. Harley Davidson motorcycle hoped the X1 would attract a more mainstream buyer to its sports marque. The Lightning had a top speed of one hundred and forty miles an hour, 5 speed transmission, weighed 441 pounds and produced 101 brake horsepower at six thousand rpm.
