 Re: Buell is out of business
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Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
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Actually I think there are good deals to be had if you like Buell. I also firmly believe they will honor all warranty work without a hassle.
Harley always sees marketing as the first priority. They will sell you the Buell intending to sell you a V-rod later.
I try to aggravate one person a day. Today may be your day.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Learned Hand
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Its an 05 at a local dealer 12k miles for 5500. But your probably right the deals will be even better at the HD dealers.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Quote:
Actually I think there are good deals to be had if you like Buell. I also firmly believe they will honor all warranty work without a hassle.
Harley always sees marketing as the first priority. They will sell you the Buell intending to sell you a V-rod later.
Brand NEW 2009 1125 at hdocala for $5995
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Re: Buell is out of business
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I went to my local dealer that I've been doing business with over the years to order some Buell parts before it's too late. Good dealer. The owner stated that Buell never did fit their Harley Business Model: selling at list or above, selling tons of chrome accessories, t-shirts and swag, and a profitable service department. I got the feeling he thought good riddance on the Buell line, as that's not where the $$ was. He's right. I have probably spent 3 times more on the Harley bikes/accessories/swag I bought from him than on my Ulysses.
As far as the bikes themselves, he likes the Buell. In fact he said he had his eye on one certain Lightning he had on the floor. But as far as business goes, he never liked the Buell situation. I asked about the 15 or so Buells he had in stock - discount them or sell them as collectables. He smiled and said that was up to the buyer. He mentioned that he had two calls that morning inquiring about certain Buell models.
I would think Erik Buell is financially okay, but seeing how passionate he is about bikes, I'm sure he would trade his $$ for a chance to still be designing and making his own bikes. I really hate to see anyone go out of business and employees losing their jobs.
04 Speedmaster
07 Ulysses
16 Sportster Roadster
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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Good read there, Bob. 
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Quote:
I went to my local dealer that I've been doing business with over the years to order some Buell parts before it's too late. Good dealer. The owner stated that Buell never did fit their Harley Business Model: selling at list or above, selling tons of chrome accessories, t-shirts and swag, and a profitable service department. I got the feeling he thought good riddance on the Buell line, as that's not where the $$ was. He's right. I have probably spent 3 times more on the Harley bikes/accessories/swag I bought from him than on my Ulysses.
As far as the bikes themselves, he likes the Buell. In fact he said he had his eye on one certain Lightning he had on the floor. But as far as business goes, he never liked the Buell situation. I asked about the 15 or so Buells he had in stock - discount them or sell them as collectables. He smiled and said that was up to the buyer. He mentioned that he had two calls that morning inquiring about certain Buell models.
I would think Erik Buell is financially okay, but seeing how passionate he is about bikes, I'm sure he would trade his $$ for a chance to still be designing and making his own bikes. I really hate to see anyone go out of business and employees losing their jobs.
i got the same impression from the Harley sales guy i talked to,they seemed glad to be rid of them
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Very short sightedness on HD's part. These ventures were to bring new riders to their family, and now they will loose the future. I really was considering a buell for the mountains in NC. Now I'm not so sure. 
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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Quote:
Very short sightedness on HD's part. These ventures were to bring new riders to their family, and now they will loose the future. I really was considering a buell for the mountains in NC. Now I'm not so sure.
Yeah, it probably is short-sighted on H-D's part alright Paul, however I never got the impression that H-D management OR, as Bob mentioned above, the dealerships really were ever all that much into helping Erik Buell in his venture, other than maybe throwing money his way and hoping for a return in their investment.
Case in point:
A decade and a half ago Harley campaigned their prototype engine in their VR1000 race bike which they entered into the AMA Superbike series. It never did all that well in that series, however it was a major step forward in design for them. That motor, which would ultimately be placed into their V-Rod models WOULD HAVE BEEN much better placed into a Buell motorcycle than what Erik appeared to have been regulated to do, which was tryin' to make a relatively ancient design Sportster motor perform as well as he could in his lineup of mostly sport-oriented motorcycles.
But, as we know, the powerplant in Buell motorcycles never did become reasonably "modern"(i.e. water-cooled, OHC or DOHC) until just recently when he made the decision to outsource them from Rotax.
And so, I feel this once again seemed to be a major mistake on Harley's behalf YEARS ago, and in my mind pretty much sealed his fate years ago too!
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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1125 Ulysses photoshop
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Learned Hand
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I think Harley's woes are as much about market saturation as it is the economy. First saturate the states, now they're desperate and trying to go abroad. I wonder how many $20k road kings they're gonna sell in India?
ROFLMAO.
Excellent comment John. 
01010100 01110010 01101001 01110101 01101101 01110000 01101000 <3
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Re: Buell is out of business
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$20,000.00 is 927,399.98 Indian Rupee's.  ---Bob
04 Speedmaster
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
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1% of India are upper class. They can afford motorcycles. They have 87,000 "$" millionaires. What is 1% of 1.1 billion? 100 million potential customers that can afford a HD. I think India is the 2nd fastest growing economy just under China. Now, will they buy bikes. I dunno but they can afford to buy them.
I try to aggravate one person a day. Today may be your day.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Loquacious
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Loquacious
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1% of India are upper class. They can afford motorcycles.
They have 87,000 "$" millionaires.
What is 1% of 1.1 billion? Lets say 5% of 87,000 for the really rich. 100 million potential customers that can afford a HD.
I was also thinking, given the population, that there is a massive amount of people in India that can afford a HD.
Bedouin.
Blessed are those eyes that have seen more roads than any man! (Homer).
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Re: Buell is out of business
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My guess is that they would prefer a Vespa to a HD. Granted I've only known
a dozen or so folks from India, but I haven't met one bent for leather yet.
I talk about bikes quite a bit and the consensus I've gotten is that cruisers
are too big/bulky and loud for their tastes.
If there's nothing wrong with me,
maybe there's something wrong with the universe!
-Dr. Crusher
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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Hmmmm. So they're not much into cruisers, huh?! So Rev, in essence you're sayin' here that the Indians wouldn't be much in buyin' those new Indians either then, and ahh, MAYBE would've been more into buyin' BUELLS instead, huh?! But alas, NOW it seems they'll NEVER have the opportunity to do so, huh???!!!   (...and BTW, how did we end up here in the subcontinent anyway guys??????)  (yeah...who the heck flew this here aeroplane to MUMBAI, HUH???) 
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
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Bluenose,
I am a pretty good surfer but just can't find it. Can you give me a link showing Triumph sales up 2% this year? Not that I don't believe you just want to read it.
I thought every motorcycle manufacturer was down by a significant amount. The two dealers close to me are 30-40% off this year.
I try to aggravate one person a day. Today may be your day.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Joined: Sep 2009
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Banned
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Banned
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Erle:Clothing?
Jake13:i'm sure what i'm about to say will stir up some stuff,but i kinda like doing that so here goes.Harley is a victim of their own success.i've been saying this for some time,but they were never meant to sell as many motorcycles as they did during their peak sales years.they simply road the RUB/wannabe wave that ensued after The American Chopper craze.i remember that up until 8 years ago you used to be put on a waiting list to be able to buy a new harley.now that all the people who like playing biker on the weekends have been laid off Craigslist is flooded with 1 or 2 year old bikes that are practically brand new going for cheap,so basically Harley sold A LOT of bikes to people who aren't serious about motorcycling and inadvertantly flooded the used market to the point that they can't sell new ones,and it's sad that to compensate they hack Buell instead of scaling back on the 10 different softail models,or 10 differnt dyna models,or 10 different touring models
DaemonWulf:I found this out a little while ago on TriumphRat and I suspect it'll gnaw at me for a while. I'm really just disgusted at HD right now, moreso than ever before. I will never own a new HD, as they're just a sad, greedy pathetic excuse for an American company. I hope these tough times finally crush them, though I suspect it's nearly impossible for the motorcycling world to be that lucky.
These guys said it all.The hd image is a load of crap,too bad buell couldnt have been a company unto there own without hd.I would rather have heard hd went down the tubes.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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Wow Mike! While I, and I'm sure almost everybody here knows EXACTLY what you're talkin' about here, I think you're confusing those folks WHO as you said know nothing about motorcycles at all, or as I prefer to say, "Those folks who didn't do their homework before they plunked down those big bucks of their on a Harley and maybe found out that owning a TRIUMPH is not ONLY as "cool" as owning a Harley BUT for the MONEY you get much more of a fun and enjoyable to RIDE kind of motorcycle TOO...WITH, the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, WHO, like ALL companies out there are JUST tryin' to make money by selling a product as best they can.
And, because H-D KNOWS what has attracted the buying public to their machines, and yes once again I agree with you that it's OFTEN that "lifestyle crap", I don't think one can or SHOULD blame them for trying AND succeeding in being as successful as they've been.
NOPE!!! It's more, MUCH more, as you FIRST surmised above...ALL THE MORONS WHO BOUGHT INTO ALL THAT LIFESTYLE CRAP THESE PAST 25 YEARS OR SO!!! And as I said...DIDN'T know SQUAT about motorcycling's rich history, 'CUZ once again, THEY DIDN'T DO THEIR FRIGGIN' "HOMEWORK" before their purchase!!! So DON'T BLAME HARLEY for supplying a product to an "UNDEReducated" american motorcycle purchasing public who BOUGHT INTO it all!!!
HOWEVER, as I said EARLIER above, I think Harley's decision much earlier in their joint collaboration with Erik to not work on more modern engine designs SO'S they could fit 'em into Erik's more modern and VERY innovative FRAMES, and at a time when they were rakin' in money hand-over-fist by sellin' all that "lifestyle" and thus HAD IT to INVEST in somethin' like that, was MAINLY the reason for this ultimate demise of Buell Motorcycles.
And sooooo, in THAT regard, YES, I "think" we can "blame" Harley for THAT anyway!!!
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Joined: Jul 2009
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The reality is, tho... had HD given Buell the VROD lump to work with they would have done two things that would have hurt their own business... A) made VRODs less desirable (which isn't very difficult)and B) made Buell infinitely more successful. having ridden a Night Rod Special I can tell you.. if someone else put that beautiful motor in a bike that could actually handle, HD would never have sold another one. You could paint a flag on the tank and given away $5k worth of leather and not been able to move one more VROD. It was a wonderful (half Porsche) motor in a horribly inadequate chassis. But its like I told a friend at work that owns a Harley... they don't build bikes anymore. When you build something, you DEVELOP it, and Harley hasn't done any motorcycle development since the Hydra-Glide debuted the hydraulic fork arrangement in what... the late 50s? Since then the only thing they've developed is the image.. clothing, logos.... oh, and those little rubber pucks they put between the motor and frame to keep from vibrating ppl off the bike. For f%&k sake, this is the company that thought it would be cool to flip a shock around the wrong way (thereby almost negating it's effect) just to make the frame LOOK almost like a rigid.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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Oh contraire there, Craig. While I think you stated your case very well, I think you're wrong on a couple of points there.
First, by saying that Harley couldn't have sold anymore V-Rods if they would've given that engine(or something very close to it) to Buell because the Buell would've in effect made the V-Rod "obsolete"(and I think that's what you're sayin' here) is VERY akin to sayin' that Triumph couldn't sell Americas and Speedies because the better handling STANDARD Bonnies and Thruxton make our criusers "obsolete", wouldn't you say?! And Triumph STILL sells quite a few of these slightly less capably handling crusiers like ours, RIGHT?! Yep, I'd have to say this argument of mine here is VERY corrolative in this respect.
What I'm talkin' about, and what in effect what you brought up here is the idea of the "modular concept", i.e., making many different styles of motorcycles using as many common parts between them as possible in order to reach as many comsumers as possible...a business plan of which John Bloor has made and continues to make a success of utilizing with his Triumph brand.
And secondly, I think your argument that "Harley doesn't build bikes anymore since the Hydra-Glide debuted" is also more than just a "slight exaggeration" too. You see, it was the Evo engine which came much later than that Hydra-Glide's era, and which Harley threw a heck of a lot of money into to make the Evo and actually made a "reasonably" modern and reliable motor which caused folks to come back and look at and to actually consider the possibility of purchasing a Harley again in the mid-1980s. And they've made "progress"(for want of a better word) in making each and every "new"(for want of a better word again) motor they've come out with even more reliable and smoother since then.
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
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I remember being with very good friends in a place called Jerome Arizona. It was amazing looking at all the old Harley bikes parked on top of the mountain. I remember noting that many had 70-80-90k on their clocks.
Since the block heads came out in 83 on the 84 supers these bikes will drive the highway very well. Harley worked the EVO with annual improvements every year for the next 10 years. They have a very dependable machine now. No HP out of the box but very dependable.
The lack of HP is understandable too. They get to charge the RUB for installation of different performance stages.
I would tell you who collaborated with HD to make the EVO to avoid unfair competition tariffs but you wouldn't believe me. It also starts with an H and ends in onda. Hmm, maybe that is why the Shadow came out the same time.
Harley did not tank Buell. Erik Buell was unable to succeed. Harley owed Buell nothing. They survived for many years past their life expectancy had the Davidson family not stood beside Erik because they considered him family. He would have failed in 1993 when he couldn't give a bike away. No law ever told Erik he couldn't make is own motor for his first 18 years. After that is was really a HD decision.
He just wouldn't invest in a motor because he liked the Harley ones or unless Willie G. paid for it. He was literally out of business in 1993 were it not for HD.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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Well my very good friend , I agreed with ya there UNTIL you said that last line about Erik "investing in a motor". Now come on Ron, THAT is, or WOULD BE the MOST expensive investment ANY motorcycle company would have to make when it comes to designing a new motorcycle model. Witness how Kenny Dreer went bankrupt only AFTER he decided to design and attempted to refine his own propriety motor for his ill-fated Norton venture recently. And so, my point that with Harley having the deep pockets they have, or now maybe DID have I suppose, I ask you WHY didn't Harley fully commit to this Sportbike venture instead of just "dabbling" in it all those years??? (THERE was Erik's AND Willie G's problem, ol' buddy!!!)
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
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I have never heard Erik say he wanted an inline or anything other than what he built Dwight. Yes that was the problem. I don't know that Harley or Erik ever considered the motor geometry was the problem with sales. They had the AMA give them special favors in racing and only of late, and too late did they look at and use Rotax. I think we all agree the Sportster motors were not sport bike material but I think Erik and Willie did not see that at the time. I believe if he wanted a motor he could have gotten Willie to buy him one. HD poured money into Buell and as we see now it was a bad investment. Do we know that Erik was not allowed to go the Porsche route? The V-rod is not a sport bike by the way guys. It was never meant to be. Its a fast boulevard cruiser. It really doesn't compete with anything. It is the technology they need to move forward when the RUB movement is over. Maybe in the next 10 years HD will have to go fast on the street. We will see. For now they sell tank badges with a bike attached to them. When I twist the tail on my Victory and it jumps out of the hole, I just shake my head wondering why HD does what it does. But, they are not an evil company for goodness sakes.
I try to aggravate one person a day. Today may be your day.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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Once again Ron, Well said! (...but you're still wrong about Harley not investin' in a modern engine for Erik, ya know!)
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
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Yeah I know 
I try to aggravate one person a day. Today may be your day.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Buell not having a modern engine is half of the true problem,the other half being that Harley was never really committed to sport bikes.the core sport bike consumer buys a sport bike for speed,period.Buell's antiquated engine design never even compared to the japanese engines.and for the record there are a couple of japanese production v-twins pushing over 130hp,the Honda rc51 comes to mind,so Buell could have developed a better engine and still stuck to v-twins.i do find it odd that Harley is basically "crying broke"but i just read"introducing the 2010 model range with 34 models,our largest range yet".i feel that they refuse to accept the facts,that for the most part motorcycles have been a fad for the last 7 or 8 years similar to the "Fast and the Furious"import cars of 10 years ago,and now the fad is over.the true "bikers" or "motorcyclists" or whatever you want to call us will still be here,whatever your brand may be,but that will require putting sales expectations back in line with what they were before the "RUB/American Chopper" craze/fad wave that ALL motorcycle companies rhode the last 5 or 6 years.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
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That's right Jake. Cept Harley had nothing to do with sport bikes from 1983 to 1993. In that 10 year period Erik set the tone for the power in the Buell, not Harley. In 1993 Harley took 49% of Buell, again Erik set the tone for power. 5 years later Harley took control. Then they started to highly modify the engine. Hmmm, in 98 they started looking hard for more crank up power and spending money.
I think it is safe to say that for the first 16 years of Buell, Erik had control of what powered the bikes.
Their 34 models are 6 models with different do-dads bolted on 5 or 6 different ways. Actually its pretty cool to have a big menu to pic from wouldn't you agree? Controlling production numbers of those 34 models and closing York will make them survive the fad or the end of it just fine. IMHO.
Would you say the "fad" also helped Triumph with their retro bike line? If so is Triumph about to tank too? I heard they report a 2% increase in sales this year. I can't find it but heard that rumor. If that is the case, what makes Triumph immune from the failing fad?
I try to aggravate one person a day. Today may be your day.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Quote:
That's right Jake. Cept Harley had nothing to do with sport bikes from 1983 to 1993. In that 10 year period Erik set the tone for the power in the Buell, not Harley. In 1993 Harley took 49% of Buell, again Erik set the tone for power. 5 years later Harley took control. Then they started to highly modify the engine. Hmmm, in 98 they started looking hard for more crank up power and spending money.
I think it is safe to say that for the first 16 years of Buell, Erik had control of what powered the bikes.
Their 34 models are 6 models with different do-dads bolted on 5 or 6 different ways. Actually its pretty cool to have a big menu to pic from wouldn't you agree? Controlling production numbers of those 34 models and closing York will make them survive the fad or the end of it just fine. IMHO.
Would you say the "fad" also helped Triumph with their retro bike line? If so is Triumph about to tank too? I heard they report a 2% increase in sales this year. I can't find it but heard that rumor. If that is the case, what makes Triumph immune from the failing fad?
i would venture to guess that Triumphs low production numbers compared to Harley/Yamaha/Honda have been what has kept them in the black.to be honest a lot people who come up to me to ask about my Speedie don't even know that Triumph still makes motorcycles.that coupled with the fact that most people seem to want a v-twin,whether it'a Harley or Japanese clone.i'm beginning to think that us Triumph guys are comparatively small niche group of people.here where i live in Dayton,Ohio we have a very large bike nite every Wednesday at a local bar called Jack A$$ Flatts that brings in about 4,000 bikes in the summer on a regular basis.between that spot and all the Ohio events i've attended i've only seen one other Speedie,one America,and a couple of Bonnevilles.the people who own Triumphs to me seem to be just as dedicated to the Triumph brand if not more so Than any Harley die hard.i would also say Triumph attracts a different kind of customer;where HD and the japs seem to attract all kinds,from the dedicated to the brand new,Triumph seems to me to attract people who have previous motorcycle knowledge and expierience and when they buy one it's because they have already ridden other brands and are serious about their purchase.HD customers buy a bike thinking if something happens,they can just sell it for what they paid for it,which they try to do.Jap bike riders seem to buy those bikes to hold them over until they can afford an HD,Triumph doesn't seem to attract either of those two kinds,which happen to be the ones i believe have the most impact on those brands current sales.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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as an addendum to what i posted above above i must admit that up until 3 years ago i didn't know that Triumph still made new bikes either.i was riding around on a 1999 Suzuki Savage wishing i was on a Harley.it wasn't until i saw an old Bonneville in a movie that i thought i would look for one.i googled Triumph,found their website,saw the Speedmaster and fell in love.i couldn't afford a brand new one and all the ones on ebay seemed to get bid up really high.i searched craiglist for 6 months before i found a used one that i drove five hours to buy,and so began my labor of love.but that's part of the point,it took a long time to find a used one,people who own them,keep them.i can't imagine selling mine,HD owners sell them without batting an eye.i've been unemployed for the last 7 months.luckily i've been able to get by on my Unemployment benefits.the Speedie is paid for,my truck is not.and if for some reason i reach a point where i can't make it,they can come get my truck,i'm NOT selling my Speedmaster.period.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,694 Likes: 22 |
I thought Triumph in 2006 said they make 50,000 bikes a year. That makes them 25% the size of HD. And, at a 2% increase since that would make them now at about 60,000 units a year. If that is correct they must be selling them in Europe because I really don't see that many here. _____________________________ I don't believe the above at all but I find it curious that Triumph does not produce any production numbers. Granted Mr. Bloor does not have to do that but I think they make about 25,000 a year now to be more realistic. _________________________ I wish there was documentation about the company. They hold their numbers like they are State secrets. Maybe if they bragged a little they would sell more. Then again if they really do make 60,000 bikes every year they don't need to brag.  Like you Jake I know were one America is that is not for sale. Its in my garage.
I try to aggravate one person a day. Today may be your day.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,816
Freelance Jedi Knight
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Freelance Jedi Knight
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,816 |
in novmber 2008 on factory tour bloke said that they are close to build 50 000 units a year
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,694 Likes: 22
Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,694 Likes: 22 |
Wow, that's a lot of bikes. In ten years Triumph could be the new HD. They have a full line of bikes not just cruisers.
I try to aggravate one person a day. Today may be your day.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 119
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 119 |
i believe smaller production is beneficial,no huge sales spike alha HD,no huge sales crash.keeping the company privately owned can be a good thing,no greedy shareholders to satisfy.personally i quite enjoy the fact that when i ride i'm on a bike that no one around me has.last Sunday i rode with 7 other bikes down to the Devil's Staircase Hillclimbs,all HD riders.when we were inside eating breakfast a small crowd of 6 or 7 people gathered around to look at the bikes and the one everybody kept staring at was my Speedmaster,i must admit i enjoyed it.just imagine how all of the dedicated HD riders felt when they got invaded by RUBS,i'd like that to never happen to us.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 711
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 711 |
Quote:
Quote:
... I'm really just disgusted at HD right now, moreso than ever before. I will never own a new HD, ...I hope these tough times finally crush them...
well said.
F-hd 
+1 on all counts. They were the last great hope of American motorcycling, IMHO -- I just hope that Erik is just down, not out, and/or that someone else steps up and grabs the reins... 'cause HD is suffering from a terminal case of cranial-rectal inversion.
--Jaeger
NEUTIQUAM ERRO
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,694 Likes: 22
Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,694 Likes: 22 |
Unlike you guys, that over the years have supported Buell by owning several of them. Maybe its a marketing thing. You guys have owned and own Buell right? Ya see that is how he would stay in business.
I try to aggravate one person a day. Today may be your day.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 48
Greenhorn
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Greenhorn
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 48 |
maybe HD should have kept Buell instead of marketing this:
[image]http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2009/harley_davidson/sportster/xr1200/pictures/32513/05/index.html[/image]
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,694 Likes: 22
Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,694 Likes: 22 |
 There you go
I try to aggravate one person a day. Today may be your day.
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2 |
Quote:
maybe HD should have kept Buell instead of marketing this:
[image]http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2009/harley_davidson/sportster/xr1200/pictures/32513/05/index.html[/image]
WHAT???!!!
Sorry Cyrille, but THAT baby THERE is Harley's BEST, COOLEST and MOST FUN bike they make, duuuuuuude!!!
That IS unless you're JUST into cruisin' 'round and tryin' to show everybody how "cool" ya look while ridin' a motorcycle that can't handle anything but straight roads!!!
(...so PLEASE perish THAT thought IMMEDIATELY, if you will?!!!)
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
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"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
I met a Buell rider on a 100-or-so-Harley Poker Run a few years back. He and I were the odd men out. Both of our bikes could run circles around the rest of them in the twisties (I'm sure his could beat mine though). He loved that bike at least as much as we love ours. Funny/sad/unsurprising how none of those other HDeffs would give him the time of day. ::sigh::
Come to think of it, they accepted me MORE because many of them had a Bonneville "back in the day." But that only went so far. Not that I needed validation from them but poker runs are supposed to be about the camaraderie, right? Right?
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Re: Buell is out of business
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2 |
Oh, and Cyrille, just to further expand upon my previously stated "rebuttal" above...Mr.Buell never did experiment with the idea, OR even come CLOSE to designing or manufacturing a classic STREET-TRACKER style of motorcycle, which is EXACTLY what Willie G was FINALLY doing (and I emphasize the word "FINALLY" here, because it's about TIME the man mass-produced a FUN motorcycle to ride!!!) when he came out with the XR1200. A motorcycle, I might ADD that was and is inspired by HARLEY-DAVIDSON's very rich history of dirttrack racing!!!
(...and of which Mr.Buell's motorcycles were never involved in any manner at all...at least as far as I KNOW anyway!!!)
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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