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Demise of an independant thinker, Buell

bobelpfan

bobelpfan

Tuned and Synch'ed
Joined
May 25, 2009
Messages
40
Location
Northampton UK
Hi,

as most of you will be aware this last week Harley Davidson pulled the plug on Buell, Erik Buell's announcement on youtube made me feel for him, he put everything into it, but Harley has had an 84% drop in profits, and is also trying to flog MV Agusta,
Apart from it being a shame that a small firm trying to do things a little differently has gone from the scene,despite a few reliability issues, every Buell I have ridden has been very entertaining, and they handle like nothing else on a back road, the worry for me is a big parent company dumping less profitable subsidiaries might give Piaggio ideas !

I don't doubt someone with the talent of Erik Buell will be snapped up by a firm less into conchos and tassels, and more into engineering, but a pity for all those who currently own one of the bikes, as it gives us all less choice, which cannot be healthy.

I however am more than happy with my quirky V Twin, the 1200 Breva goes like the proverbial train with the BMC filter and Quill pipe fitted, stonking midrange, and I am sure more to come when a proper Power Commander V is issued, which I am sure will eventually happen, anyone with the prototype one got it up and running yet ?

Regards Bobelpfan
 
Erik will remain employed by H.D., and with talk this week with some smaller investment firms trying to keep Buell alive in Troy, things should be interesting. I wouldn't be too surprised if, once the economy recovers, Buell re-emerges. I would think parts will not be an issue for quite some time, and as Erik stated, new & current warranties will be honored by H.D.

I got to meet and spend time with Erik in '96~97 as a competitor in the NASB Pro Buell Lightning Series... and he's a great resourceful guy. He'll be around for some time to come.

As for words on the PC-V, see the Custom PC-V thread in the main Tech section.
 
I think someone or a group of investors will grab the Buell brand before long. Buell has a good following and if marketed outside the traditional HD leather chaps and tassle model I think they can be a viable company. Most dealers I went to had only a couple bikes on the floor and quite honestly couldn't be bothered with Buell questions.The sales blowout continues, a friend of mine bought a brand new 1125 cafe racer for 6k!

Hal
 
So, he leaves HD & starts a company that will make race-only parts for existing Buells. So what, unless this is just an interim step to making new bikes later. (If you care-I don't.)
 
Buell Sport or simply BS :) DMG, AMA & BS can all go down in flames...you know, "birds of a feather" :p F around together.
 
Sorry to hear about this news. Maybe some folks are single minded enough that they cannot appreciate machines made by other marques, but showing disrespect to another manufacturer because it isnt one's own choice... we are all bikers, all brothers as far as Im concerned. I will happily shake the hand of any rider whether he has a 50cc Monkey Bike or a fire-breathing Hog. *sigh* We should be supporting each other, not laughing at our brother's demise.

Shame to see Buell suffer like this. They've tried to innovate what is in all fairness some pretty old tech motors. But then again, MG has done the same with practically all their latest models.

Hopefully they will bounce back. It'd be nice to see if they can somehow make a motor deal with, say, Rotax or one of the Japanese makers, if they dont get support from Harley.
 
Eric Buell is a positive asset to the motorcycle community. I will miss Buell and hope they are able to make it back to proper Manufacturer status. One of the coolest streetbikes I have ever owned was a Buell X-1 tube framer.
 
Yes we should all hug. Funny thing is, this is word for word Buells most recent ad:
Listen, we’re not against waving in general. There are dozens of situations where a well-executed wave is in the best interest of all parties involved. If you should find yourself on the top tier of a parade float, or on the deck of a departing cruise ship, or protruding from the sunroof of a stretch limousine, waving is the perfect way to let someone out of earshot know how you care. But a Buell is not a social networking tool. It is a performance motorcycle, and it’s meant to be ridden as such. So the next time someone with an extended swing arm and neon ground effects waves at you mid-apex, it’s ok if you don’t return the gesture. Your hands have better things to do.
 
Lupo said:
Yes we should all hug. Funny thing is, this is word for word Buells most recent ad:
Listen, we’re not against waving in general........ next time someone ........waves at you mid-apex, it’s ok if you don’t return the gesture. Your hands have better things to do.
Click to expand...

Gotta say, in this context, mid apex, I'm with Buell 100%.
 
Aww cmon, I think we both know that if either a Buell or a Guzzi is making an apex, we have one hand on the bars and the other holding our arses trying not to crap ourselves :D
 
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