Written by Martin Hodgson
We’re not the first to say it, but Erik Buell is a genius and over 100,000 examples of the sports bikes wearing his name have been sold around the world. But that didn’t stop the company from failing, twice, and now turning his attention to electric, it is unlikely his very American twins will ever return. But the company’s demise means prices are low and boy do you get a lot of bang for your buck. More used to seeing European machinery in his native Rotterdam, Sergei Papyan of Ruthless Customz decided it was time to bring a Buell to the city’s streets. So he picked up an XB9R and transformed it into this wicked weekend warrior fit for an urban assault.

Having previously worked his magic on a Yamaha XV, Sergei is no stranger to unconventional, mono-shock’d, V-twins that divide opinion. But the configuration, with its naturally slim profile for such a large capacity machine, offers many advantages and potential avenues for customisation if you’re ready to take on the challenge. Having opened in 2015 Ruthless has been doing just that on every build, with a client focussed ethos that lets the cheque writer dictate heavily on each decision.
In search of the right bike for the project Sergei came across this XB9R in white named by Buell the Firebolt and released to the press under an all new category the company called a ?sport fighter”. A short wheel base, just 21 degrees of fork angle and the weight held re...