| Author | Message | ||
     Ericcogdell |
Hello everyone, I have a question that has been bugging me since I left the Kansas State Fair Sunday. The Polaris/Victory motorcycle dealer was set up there and I was admiring some of the nice Victories he had. I was talking to the salesman and told him that I rode a Buell ULY now. I told him one of the reasons I chose Buell was because it was an American made bike. He went into this long spill about how only 30% of my Buell was made in America that it was only assembled here in the USA. I know on cars the sales sticker has a percentage of just how American the vehicle is or is not. What the salesman said upset me and now I am on a mission to find out the truth. I am hoping that the salesman is wrong and I can set him straight. I made sure I took his business card to send him the correct information so he wouldn't bad mouth Buell anymore. Can anyone out there help me on my quest for the truth? Thanks  | ||
| Blake |
Anytime ANY salesman starts badmouthing their competition, I just ask them matter of factly "why can't you sell your product on its merits alone?" I won't purchase anything from a salesman who badmouths his competition. Buell motorcycles are conceived, designed, engineered, and built in America. That counts for a heck of a lot. The engine and transmission are American as is the frame. The body panels are American as are the muffler and headers I believe. The seat is American as are some of the other ancillary chassis components. The rest may be procured elsewhere. 30%? I'd say that just the engine counts for more than that. | ||
| Tginnh |
This was the topic (or hijack) of a recent thread. The Uly is what Blake described, but many, many parts and pieces have an international source. Actually, that was one of the facets that attracted me to the bike - the best (cost wise) pieces that could be found went into the bike. I had mentioned seeing a graphic depicting the outsourcing of the bike and Court confirmed seeing the same sometime around 05 or 06. Blake - what are "body panels" on the Uly? | ||
| Florida_lime |
I had mentioned seeing a graphic depicting the outsourcing of the bike and Court confirmed seeing the same sometime around 05 or 06. Cycle World Magazine had it in their first Ulysses article. Maybe someone could scan that page ? | ||
| Court |
>>>>He went into this long spill about how only 30% of my Buell was made in America that it was only assembled here in the USA. At that point . . the moment he PROVED he knew so little . . I'd have walked. Were you in Hutchinson? If you have the salesman name, e-mail it to me. I'd like to visit with him and find the source of his information. What did he say the "Domestic Content" of the Victory is? You may be surprised. | ||
| Teeps |
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| Dentguy |
Definitely American bike, but many of the first year Uly parts were sourced out according to the article. Some of that may have changed now. I looked for the article. It was basically praising Buell for using some great manufacturers for parts all designed to Buell specs (like the Rotax). I think I have it and will keep looking. I'm sure somebody can come up with it. There was a picture of the bike with different flags for all the outsourced manufacturers. | ||
| Dentguy |
While I was typing so slow again about the article, Teeps got it posted. Thanks Teeps. I've gotta get faster on the computer. | ||
| Tginnh |
The engine and transmission are American as is the frame. The body panels are American as are the muffler and headers I believe. The seat is American as are some of the other ancillary chassis components. Looks like the seat is Taiwan, The headers are Austrian, and the frame is Italian. At least on the 06 model. Percentage's aside, looks like the salesman was on the right track regarding the international sourcing of the parts. I'd give it to the salesrep for knowing anything about the Uly. Try that same question at your local HD-Buell shop and see what you hear. Thanks for the graphic, Teeps. | ||
| Johnboy777 |
I was at a BMW open house in Cleveland this summer (2009), and a guy comes up to me and says, "so this is a Buell, it's nice to see one up close - we make the frame for this". Just saying what he said. John | ||
| Ericcogdell |
Court- Yes it was in Hutchinson and the Victory dealer was out of Wichata. I will go and look for the dealers card in the large bag of crap that I wife gathered at the fair. From the post from Teeps, it looks like the salesman was pretty close on the numbers. The salesman was telling me that Victory still has all their wiring harnesses made in the US and many other things. I really didn't retain everything he said, I was letting most of it go in one ear and out the other. Thanks from everyone that put some input on this. | ||
| Ulykan |
Eric, The dealer in your post is Biker's Edge. They've been selling Victory for a few years now but you don't see very many on the road around here. They're in the same class as Alefs HD here. Not very respected. Where are you located? To go to the fair you must live in Kansas. | ||
| Froggy |
About the confusion over the frame, the 1125R frame is made in America, while XB is Italy. | ||
| Court |
>>>I was letting most of it go in one ear and out the other. Smart move, his numbers were way off. More importantly, as has been mentioned, I am weary of those who denegrate others products. BMW does not make the frames, Verlicchi does. There is, sometimes, some confusion because at one time Verlicchi made a high end custom frame for the BMW F650. The Victory is an excellent motorcycle. For detailed first hand information get in touch with JB2. He owns and rides one a LOT. It is no better than a Buell, just focused in a different direction. I can ride any motorcycle I choose and REALLY enjoy my Ulysses. I miss Hutchinson. Is the restaurant at the airport still good? I did tons of work there at the power plant and built hundreds of miles of power lines in and out of Hutch. I used to love flying past that mile long elevator. Thanks for the memories . . . | ||
| Florida_lime |
I was at a BMW open house in Cleveland this summer (2009), and a guy comes up to me and says, "so this is a Buell, it's nice to see one up close - we make the frame for this". Court, for the record - he didn't say BMW made the frame. But as Froggy already stated, the 1125 frame is US made - maybe where "that guy" works. | ||
| Mrsnuggles |
That pic doesn't mention Mexico, and my wiring clearly says made in mexico on it. | ||
| Florida_lime |
That pic doesn't mention Mexico, and my wiring clearly says made in mexico on it. It also says "here are a few examples" -- NOT every component !  Thanks for digging that up Teeps -- I dog-eared that Cycle World reprint before I got my '07 ! | ||
| Mnrider |
Being from MN and owned Polaris snowmobiles and ATV's I was really stoked to hear Polaris was going to build a M/C. I had a big Victory D/S in my head,then when I saw the first bike-utter dissapointment.I know they are great bikes but not for me. Thanks Buell for building my bike. | ||
| Etennuly |
Yes, my wiring harness was made in Mexico also. Rebuilt in USA, but made in Mexico. Sounds like if he were referring to the 1125 series bikes with their Rotax engines he may be fairly accurate. I have found that in the past twenty years or so it isn't as important where the parts are made, so much as where the money goes(or stays).  | ||
| Johnboy777 |
""I was at a BMW open house in Cleveland this summer (2009), and a guy comes up to me and says, "so this is a Buell, it's nice to see one up close - we make the frame for this". "" My BAD - this was a guy I simply ran into at a BMW event who owned a business in Cleveland claiming to make the frame.  very funny | ||
| Cyclonedon |
my 2006 XB12X Ulysses rolled off the assembly line in East Troy Wisconsin which is about 45 miles from where I live. That's all I need to know about it! mine even has an "American Motorcycles" sticker on the airbox cover!  | ||
| Hangetsu |
Bottom line is, I want a bike that performs the way my riding style needs a bike to perform, as well as one that is reliable. If outsourcing is what Buell needs to do to achieve the level of quality they are looking for, more power to them. The source countries they chose are certainly not the cheapest to manufacture in, so I'm confident that they were looking for the best quality in manufacturing for what I believe to be their flagship motorcycle. That's a good thing in my book. | ||
| Conchop |
I was a Vic dealer. I still sell VIc chips. If Vic decides to develop and sell an adventure touring bike, it will be a bad ass. Period! PS -Highest domestic content of any brand - Vic. | ||
| Ericcogdell |
Ulykan, I have been to both dealerships. When I was looking for a Uly I went to Alfs HD and test rode one. I talked to the saleslady and wanted to know if the demo was for sale. They had an event going on and was really busy so I told her to just call me with the details. Guess what, I never got that phone call. I made it clear that I was in the market to buy and I drove almost two hours to just test ride the bike. So, since they didn't need my money I spent it somewhere else. By the way I an Stationed at Ft. Riley and live west of the post in Wakefield. As far as the #s and % on the bike, I know the Erik Buell designed it and he is one Hell of an American. | ||
| Court |
>>>Court, for the record - he didn't say BMW made the frame. But as Froggy already stated, the 1125 frame is US made - maybe where "that guy" works. Ahhh . . . I misread it and though he meant BMW built it. He could have been right. He'd need to work in either one of a couple states. The 1125R frame is made in stages at various locations. | ||
| Atoms |
I was really stoked to hear Polaris was going to build a M/C. I had a big Victory D/S in my head,then when I saw the first bike-utter dissapointment.I know they are great bikes but not for me. Or me. I think it would be cool if John Deere produced an agricultural D/S bike. A few folks have painted airheads in the John Deere green and yellow as sort an inside joke about the alleged "agricultural" feel of some old(?) BMW trannies and such. I'd be willing to bet that John Deere could take a slice of Ural's giant market share as well as satisfying some of us who were disappointed to see the Polaris motorbike line diverge so far from their roots. | ||
| Maximum |
FWIW...I recently received a shipment of Uly service parts (a bunch) for some maintenance/repairs/upgrades...and about 80% of the parts read "made in the USA", one or two items read "assembled in the USA", and only a couple of the items where labeled "made in (somewhere other than the USA). | ||
| Mnrider |
You're right Conchop it would be badass. I was surprised they went with a cruiser platform because the whole Ecselsior-Henderson fiasco was going on about that time.That huge plant was only 40 miles from my home.I was hoping to get a job there. | ||
| Blake |
"Percentage's aside, looks like the salesman was on the right track regarding the international sourcing of the parts." "Percentages aside"? LOL. That's the whole point of the jerk's attempt to put down the Buell. And in the case of the air-cooled bikes, it is ridiculously inaccurate. And again, no salesman is on the right track when he takes to badmouthing the competition in order to sell his own product. | ||
| Jpl9sx |
I read an article on one of Apple IPods a couple of years ago regarding their Chinese manufacturing. The gist of the article was that of the $60 profit pie the manufacturer received $3 while Apple received $57. From a business perspective you would obviously want to be on the design/ownership end of the equation. The danger is that you are outsourcing your trade secrets and if push comes to shove the manufacturer could "steal" your product. This happened to Japan with Korean televisions/electronics and automobiles. On motorcycles it seems that some components are dominated by particular brands such as Showa and Brembo. In todays world it would be practically impossible for one manufacturer to make all the components and maintain competitive quality. The key is that the manufacturer has to own the design and have strict quality standards. With motorcycles owning/designing your own engine is also key. A unique engine type is prevalent with the non-Japanese manufacturers. I found it interesting that the recently Indian incarnation stuck with their own engine development which had bankrupted the previous owners. (Message edited by jpl9sx on September 16, 2009) |
