I spent an afternoon on a Buell fun day at Castle Combe and tried this back-to-back with the 1125R.
I went out on the track on a 1125CR after the 1125R and found it actually more of a hooligan bike than anything I've ever ridden in my LIFE! This thing is crazy fun.
As with the R the controls are a bit clunky and it takes more getting used to than I had time to do, but the only real stand out problem was the disparity between the back and front brakes. Front was very sharp - great on the track, but a pain anywhere else. The rear brake did nothing meaning that slow speed stuff was a pain. Despite it's being eminently chuckable I would not feel happy with one in town as it just doesn't like low speed stuff. I don't think this is a twin thing as the SV650, the naked one especially, is a dream in traffic going slowly.
However, it was great to ride. I loved the setup, it was comfortable and forgiving and gave me loads of confidence. The engine pulled like I was attached to a giant elastic band. I could happily spend more time getting used to that magic lump!
If I was in the market for a bruising street fighter bike I'd definitely put this on my list of potentials. It's only the rear brake, HORRIFIC depreciation and iffy feedback on build quality that really hold this back. I was very smitten, I have to say, and I hope they do well.
