EVERY once in a while a new motorcycle comes along that takes your breath away, a bike that will have you scampering for the nearest race track to thrash it to within an inch of its life and wring every ounce of available power from it... without losing your precious licence, writes John Gilbride.

In the eighties it was the Kawasaki Z1000 and in the mid-nineties the mantle was taken up by Suzuki with the blisteringly fast 1200 Bandit.

The thing they both had in common was the 'no frills' raw power, delivered with an awesome punch that took the rider to the edge and tested riding skills to the limit. Manufacturers caught on and most now have a bike of this style in their range ... enter the Buell American Motorcycle Company and the X1 Lightning.

An uncompromising machine with looks that could have been carved from granite and enough raw power to make your ears bleed, the X1 combines originality and functionality to provide a streetfighter-style ride, that may not be everyone's cup of Darjeeling, but is guaranteed to have you grinning like a Cheshire cat every time you sit on it.

Introduced to the British market in 1999, replacing the best-selling S1 Lightning, the X1 draws some of its heritage from Harley Davidson, but unlike its cruising Milwaukee cousins, its roots are firmly set in the sportsbike world.

Its unique tubular steel frame holds the Harley Davidson 1200cc air-cooled 45 degree V-twin Sportster engine via four rubber-mounted tie bars. The engine may be stock Harley but the similarity ends there.

Tuned to the hilt, the motor puts out 83bhp at 6000rpm and while lumpy at the bottom end smooths out at around 2000rpm and pulls like a train through a clunky but positive transmission to an estimated top speed of around 141mph. Mid-range grunt is staggering. The odd thing is, the speed is deceptive. The ergonomics, of what is basically a naked and physically huge chunk of metal (check out the width of the tank and you'll know what I mean), are so good that illegal figures come up on the clock well before you think they should.

Suspension is taken care of with upside down forks at the front and the simple but brilliantly clever rear Showa shock absorber which is slung under the chassis, linked to the swing arm and extends under pressure rather than compressing like traditionally designed shocks.

Add an ample and well-padded seat and an upright riding position and the X1 is capable of eating up the miles with ease and even the 6ft plus among us shouldn't complain.

Improvements to the Y2K Buell include a transmission upgrade with a new second gear ratio giving better drive between 2nd and 3rd gear, a recalibrated engine control module for better cold starting, upgraded brake fluid to improve braking in extreme thermal conditions and a new sealed battery offering improved reliability and durability.

Like their Harley cousins, Buell owners demand to be different and as with everything in the Buell range the X1 is certainly that.

Its menacing looks give it a charm of its own and while do-gooders might pronounce it as the coming of Satan, motorcycle purists everywhere will see it for exactly what it is, a bike which isn't mass produced and has a personality all of its own.

Story date: Wednesday 09 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.