| Author | Message | ||
     10404697 |
http://www.buell.com/en_us/bikes/blast/index.asp are they done making the blast? | ||
| Xgecko |
I would say yes  | ||
| 10404697 |
nvm i see someone else already posted about this. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Not only are they done making the Blast, they are done admitting they made the Blast. | ||
| Mesa_cityx |
I called CS today AND ...they said stay tuned. More info is coming in Aug. | ||
| Monzaracer |
It's out. Buell is dropping its name from the Blast. it will still be produced ,but since it isnt a supersport bike its gonna strip its name off of it. I honestly figured they would do a redesign to bring in more small sport bike riders. They just havent pushed them because they lose about $1000 a bike when they sell them. Oh well at least its not dropped completely. | ||
| Ezblast |
Blast makes money - just not the big stuff the twins roll in - lol - though RE courses usually recoup the cost of the bike before selling it, then, sell for straight profit for them, that's why I say get a warranty, and look over the bike closely, and test ride thoroughly. RE bikes take a lot of abuse in stride, though, and it seems the majority are treating their owners right. Still you never know what your really getting with an RE bike. EZ | ||
| Garlic_sauce |
Well as long as I can still get parts for my Bastard BLAST I'm happy. My bike had no decals when I bought it, I like it that way. People ask me if it's a Ducati, I just say it's an American sportbike. (even if Erik Buell disagrees.)  | ||
| Rainman |
My RE had 800 miles on it. Hard miles. Most of the issues with RE bikes are pinched o-rings around the clutch cable that make them leak, that's from going down hard on the left side. Don't ask how I know. Mine has run an additional 9,000 with no problems other than dripping tranny oil and das boot. | ||
| Monzaracer |
Like I said, the sales manager has been with HD for many years, been to corporate offices and all, they showed them how much it costs to produce, the blast was never built to make money, they lose $1000 approx. on each one. Think of it this way, they spend a $1000 on each RE bike if it gets sold for new, at $295 to $350 if each bike makes 5 to 10 students competent and then they buy other bikes, the RE bike sells for say $3500 (retail $4395) but you sell 3 or 4 HDs and 3 or 4 Buells then it has paid its dues.This si way my dealer guy explained it. He said each RE bike acounts ofr company wide AT LEAST 5 other model sales per (RE) unit. New ones are for ones who want to stay o n them. Think of it this way the Blast was Buells loss leader. Trouble is if they just changed to multiple rear sets(ie stock for training,,,then bolt ons for later) add several handle bar options IT WOULD SELL AS A SMALL handling bike. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Nicely explained, thats kinda what I thought you meant, but... As for the rest "you're preaching to the choir"! | ||
| Conwaybrew |
Does that mean that we now own limited edition, collectors bikes. . .  Now, where did I put all of the original parts?  | ||
| Monzaracer |
roflmao | ||
| Fast1075 |
"Where did I put all the original parts?" Guess I'm screwed on a restoration to original...I paid forward all my stock parts...except the bars....nobody wanted them...lol | ||
| Themagster |
Still Blasting Away, plan on Blasting into the future...with or without Buell, Erik or HD. I just need you guys and the knowledge ya'll provide to help keep my two on the road and running. My debt lies with you guys here at the THUMPer forum - Thanks   | ||
| Garlic_sauce |
In that video on Buell.com Erik Buell mentions you. Not by name but he says "They run em for years in the RE programs, people ride em across country". I thought that was pretty cool. | ||
| Themagster |
I am very fortunate to have a job that allows me time off in the summer when my teacher husband is on vacation so that we can take off. Given the right circumstances I would bet any one of ya'll would love to be able to hit the road for days on end. I wish you could. As for the Blast, I've ridden it through almost every state east of the Mississippi and a few to the west. Before my story is complete I will have ridden that single through ALL of them. As said elsewhere in this forum, touring is an addiction I do not wish to be cured of. | ||
| Court |
I'd second that . . . . . I've ridden my S2 in 44 states, 37 on one trip and it's additive. I haven't done it in a couple years but once you've done it you never loose the bug. I think everyone, at some point in their life, needs to get on a motorcycle with 3 or 4 free weeks in front of them and head out with no particular place to go. I used to change destinations 8 hours into a 14 hour day on a whim. I'd wake up in the morning . . . . with no idea where I was going and just get on the bike and follow it. It was fun to be the very first person to put a Buell places like the Blue Ridge Parkway, Mt. Lemon, Mt. Wilson and Mt. St. Helens. . . . . I still enjoy the pictures of Road Thing on his "Lost Summer" when he got on a bike and just "left". Twin, single, triple or whatever . . . . it's a ball! | ||
| Court |
>>>Guess I'm screwed on a restoration to original. Too funny. My bet is that you'll have no more problem than I did buying 2 (I picked up a spare) windscreens for a 1987 Buell RR-1000. Blast parts will be easy to get. | ||
| Road_thing |
For you, Courtney:  Sorry for the quality--35mm slide scan just doesn't quite do it justice. rt | ||
| Court |
>>>Sorry for the quality--35mm slide scan just doesn't quite do it justice. Worry not . . . in the "Summer of '69" I'm sure you were blurrier than the photo. I'll be thinking of you as I cruise Woodstock for the 40th. | ||
| Buellerthanyou |
From H-DNet: July 30, 2009 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BLAST One of the advertising tactics of the new Buell brand direction involves the crushing of a Blast motorcycle. Print and video executions of this concept are designed to spark conversation and bring attention to the brand. Examples of crushed Blast can be found at www.buell.com or the Dealer Marketing Engine on h-dnet.com. Following is a list of FAQs to assist you in responding to questions from those interested in this effort and the current status of the Blast. Why did you crush the Blast? Crushing the Blast is a clear signal of Buell’s vision to be a world class, performance-centric sportbike brand. Are we trying to say that the Blast is not a good motorcycle? No. We know the Blast is an excellent motorcycle – it’s just not a sportbike. We want to be clear about Buell’s vision to be a world class, performance-centric sportbike brand. Does that mean the Blast will not be produced in the future? We’re going to continue to produce Blasts for Rider’s Edge training; however, the motorcycles will no longer carry the Buell logo on the tank. It will simply be labeled “Blast.” Can dealers still order Blasts? Yes. 2010MY units will be offered for wholesale orders both to Rider’s Edge dealers and to Buell dealers for both limited retail inventory and for immediate service as Rider’s Edge units to allow fleet flexibility for the dealer. Can consumers still order Blasts? A limited number of 2010MY units will continue to be available for consumer sales through dealers. | ||
| Tortoise |
If they are saying the Blast isn't a sportbike then the Uly isn't really a sport bike either. Are they going to crush the Uly next? This marketing campaign is still bothering me after a week and a half. I can usually let things go but I can't shake this one. Has anyone else shown this advertisement to friends and family? I have shown it to many including people at work and the general consensus is that Buell is committing suicide by crushing their best seller. I worried a lot of people in Wisconsin will lose their job over this risky advertising strategy. Maybe its true HD-Buell loses $1,000 per Blast manufactured. But if they had tried advertising the bike or given it a fresh redesign they could have sold it for $5,500 or more and maybe turned a profit. But I guess thats not what "ruthless engineering" is all about. | ||
| Conwaybrew |
I think that this change in direction has a lot to do with the racing program. Erik has always about racing and now that a Buell is tied for the points lead in the AMA Daytona series and other Buells continue to have good showings in AMA races I think Erik wants to go back to his racing roots. Just my $0.02 though. I think the Uly is safe because it is predicated on the XB production line and the Blast was an easy target because it shares nothing in common with the rest of models. It might have a lot to do with tooling at the plant too - as Buell wins more races demand for Buells will probably see a slight increase. What's interesting to me about all of this is that it took moving away from HD engines to have a real run at AMA success. . . | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Thanks Buellerthanyou for posting that. It'll be interesting to see the 'fallout' from this when we show up to race this month. I wonder if we'll still have a sponsored (yes SPONSORED by Buell/HD dealer) 500 singles class or for how much longer. What's interesting to me about all of this is that it took moving away from HD engines to have a real run at AMA success. No real surprise there, but sad just the same. | ||
| Sycho |
Erik, When are you going racing and where? If possible I'd like to tag along to be a spectator. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
3rd Sunday of the month, which would be in a week and a half. | ||
| Slowhand96 |
I can't help but be shocked and offended by this. They could have simply let the Blast fade away or ride off into the sunset rather than demoralizing the Blast and it's loyal fans. This ad smacks of elitism, like Buell is above a bike like the Blast AND the PEOPLE (CUSTOMERS) who bought them. Many people develop brand loyalty based on what their "first" was, (hence my affinity for read heads... LOL) therefore it is a bit arrogant to not supply an "entry level" product. Buell is not at "dream ride" status or the bike you "achieve" yet, and even the manufacturers that do have the "dream rides" provide entry level machines. I have two teenage boys here which means that at any given time I have a dozen or so teenage boys hanging around my garage and "bench racing". They aspire to to ride and dream about Busa's, Monsters, FZ, gz, Yz, abc-z.. this or that, but right now they ride entry level stuff, 250 ninjas, Savages, night hawks, etc. My (Gina's) kids have Kawasakis and despite my best efforts to steer them towards products from THE MOTOR COMPANY, all they can talk about is newer better Kawasakis. There is one kid in the group who has a "Be-last" and of course his dream bike is the new 1125R. If the affordable little Blast didn't exist, he would probably be dreaming about a FZR too. Heated arguments ensue over what is the best brand and it is based on what they ride right now. IMHO brand loyalty and entry level products are one of the reasons Detroit is losing ground to the imports. The dying three don't offer anything youth oriented and "entry level". Once you buy that base Honda and it treats you right, when you need to replace it, you will look at another Honda first, most likely you will stay with Honda for a lifetime. My first car was a "lowly" 340 Dart, it was nobody's dream ride but it was an amazing car, because of this car's reliability and performance, I have owned ONLY Mopars (OK, a couple Ford or Chev "winter beaters") and I wouldn't consider owning anything else if I can avoid it. There was an article a couple years back about how Motorola was losing market share to all the other cell phone manufacturers. At the time it was given that Motorola offered the best, most feature rich phones and were priced competitively, but they didn't have an entry level offering. They were losing ground to Nokia and others who made the dirt cheap "giveaway" phones. The carriers gave these away when you signed up for a package, when it was time to replace that cheap little Nokia, you bought another Nokia because you were familiar with the brand. I got my Blasts by accident, I got them cheap and was going to flip them for a quick buck but I love them. Last year my blast got more ride time than my Road King. If it wasn't for this Blast, Buell wouldn't even be on my radar and a Uly wouldn't be on my wish list. MY local HD dealer doesn't carry Buells so when I need parts for my RK or Gina's Dyna I go the next town over just so I can kick the tires and plant my ass on the Uly on the show floor. I was going to replace my 2000 RK with a 2010 RK or Ultra this year but the ULY is calling me very loudly and may be an addition. The ULY wouldn't even be on my mind and I wouldn't feel loyal to Buell if it weren't for the Blast. After this sucker punch from Buell The ULY has lost it's appeal and the Vstrom ot KLR are looking better. Kawasaki never crushed / cubed a 440 LTD... my first bike, and yes, I was a loyal Kawi guy for a long time and owned many of them. Try this, Google "entry level sport bike" click on the first (top) link. The first bike you see is a picture of a Blast. WHY IS BUELL ASHAMED OF THAT? If these bikes were a failure for Buell it might be because no one knew about the dang things and the company didn't support them very well. I'm sure we all have experienced some amount of disdain when we have to deal with a dealership about these bikes. UGH!!!! sorry for the rant... I'm pissed.. Any good will I had towards Buell is gone. This ad is so wrong on so many levels. | ||
| Ezblast |
I still like the bikes, but it is piss poor advertising. EZ | ||
| Rainman |
Hey Slowhand, I feel your pain. I had no intention of buying a Buell but need a bike, just finished my RE instructor training course riding the things and one came up for sale, cheap. I bought it, figuring it would tide me over until I could afford something else, but I fell in love with the way it handled and did everything from getting out of gravel pitted back roads to in-city traffic. It put an XB-12Ss on my radar and the XT. After 9,000 hard, commuting, city miles, I won't get rid of the Blast, but it's ruined me for heavy bikes. I have to let the marketing thing go. The only bikes I've tested lately that make me grin like the Blast are other Buells. As long as Erik makes one that fits my needs, I'll consider it. I think Buell made a mistake with the way they treated my bike, but it's their mistake to make. I like it. I'll ride it. My next bike will likely be a Buell as long as it has 100 hp or less, lots of torque and fun to ride. |
