| Author | Message | ||
     David Beaman |
WEll hello everyone. Its been a while for me here, as i used to own a 96 S-1. I purchased it new in 96 and was proud as a peach to be the first one in town to have one. I rode that bike for 35 thousand miles. I loved it. I rode with Eric in 96 up in Arkansas, and meet Court as well. I see this new model coming out, and im curious what people were saying here, so im reading and aborbing thoughts. Just like a fellow up the list there, i feel the same about the dealer and service issues. I want one of these bikes, but i dread having to go to my local dealer to get one. They havent changed a bit. I will most likely wait and shop out of town. even the slightest bit of attitude i get will prolong the purchase, so i figure ill get one in a couple years.  I ride with the lead mech at the local dealer. Hes a great guy, smart and a good rider. He rides a Kawasaki. I sold the Buell a couple years ago, to get something else, I ride a Suzuki TL1000 now and im very happy with its performance and abilities, tho it doesnt have the name BUELL on the side. Listen up BUELL, I have the money, i have the desire, tho ill not go to my dealer for a t-shirt much less a bike. Ive got a friend that bought a GSXR1000 several months ago. He saw the bike in the magazines, went to the dealer, put money down, and was greeted eagerly with open arms. THey called him when the bike came in, and even gave him the box it came in as a momento. He got dealer incentives, a new jacket, and a smile. AT the Harley dealer, i asked about the Buell, and i got a smirk, and a stupid reply. "dont know when we will get one, and the first ones we get wont be for sale". "price? something around 11 thousand" This is pathetic salesmanship, pathetic dealer performance, pathetic service". oh well.... David Beaman | ||
| José_Quiñones |
You think a sub 37 year old squid will buy a Firebolt after reading that, especially when the R6 is cheaper? Anon, As mentioned, that's Ducati's GP Bike. That's not fair! You don't need to compare that to a Buell, a 748 is more than enough to beat a Buell at the Track....... | ||
| Aaron |
Hey David, how you doing? The old S1 is still going strong! Someday I'm going to rework the top end, but man, I'm having a hard time finding an excuse. AW | ||
| S2no1 |
David, Dealer performance is a separate issue. I now have three dealers I prefer. None are in Oklahoma or Texas. Dealership mentaility is the biggest problem with Buell ownership. Regardless of product, we want and demand good service, lack of good service will kill Buell, especially in a recession/stalled economy where there has to be a difference to earn my buck. YOU CAN HAVE A BAD PRODUCT AND GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND STILL BE SUCCESSFUL. EVEN WITH THE BEST PRODUCT IN THE WORLD YOU WILL FAIL WITHOUT GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE. This however is a different issue than the bike themselves. Arvel | ||
| Anonymous |
Yes, Ducatis offering is going to be entered in GP1 and yes it going to cost two arms, a leg, several internal organs and probably half of your reproductive system....AT FIRST. Technology like that is too expensive to stay in GP forever, it WILL come to the street sooner or later. My REAL point in putting out that information up there was to prove that these V-Twin's we ride on can do a LOT more than HD/Buell are giving us. While they're playing with V-Rod and Firebolt the rest of the world, even people in their marketspace are doing things that are making YOUR eyebrows raise. Ducati is supposedly in the same marketspace as Buell, so what is Buell doing to answer this? What are they going to do when the Duke V2 i blowing the new Firebolt off the road? Blake, you've never hear of the Duke? I think I mangled it...supposed to be KTM methinks! ;) (I'm stupid some evenings...) Also, I have never once stated that HP and racing ability are the only things to sell a bike. However, would I really REALLY like it if my S series had an extra 60-80 Horsepower on tap? Oh yeah baby, and so would you. So would a LOT of people, or we wouldn't expend so much time, energy and money trying to get more HP out of these things and that's the only arguement I need to prove the point. I still think it's an ironic twist that there is an honest, from the factory, Harley-Davidson CRUISER that has more ponies at the rear wheel than any Buell made, past or present. Don't you? If life were a battletrax course then the 'Bolt would probably be the ultimate motorcycle, unfortuneatly life has straight aways too. Wow, I really need to relax...motorcycle ranting is hard work first thing in the morning! Sorry for the long post. The fact that I put this stuff up here means I care about Buell and their long-term success. I want to see them succeed and I want an AMERICAN motorcycle I can be proud of. Is that so wrong? | ||
| Steveshakeshaft |
I asked myself when the Firebolt was released in the press, "who's going to buy one?". The only people I know of who have one on order are existing Buell owners. And yet this is supposed to be the "make or break bike"? I have never seen so much talk of "who is it aimed at?" in 30 years of motorcycling. And I still don't know who the traget market are either. Steve steve@ukbeg.com http://ukbeg.com | ||
| Buelliedan |
Geez you guys are making mountains out of molehills(too bad your not cosmetic surgeons) Aaron is right, it's not our role to say if Buell/HD made a bad decision by building the Firebolt the way they did. It is our role to decide whether we give up our hard earned money for one. This is how you make a statement to a company. Hell, people bitch about Harleys cost and reliability but they continue to sell every one they make even before they are delivered. So what message does that send? Do you really think HD cares more about the folks complaints or do they care about selling bikes for great profits? Does we even need an answer to that question? If you don't like the Bolt don't buy one. Thats your choice. I myself will not be buying one for many reasons but the price is a big one. If they bring the price down to around $8,500 I will be plunking down my cash. Until then they will not get my business. This is my way of making a statement and in the corporate world it is the only thing manufactures really care about. | ||
| Court |
Dan: Good news....you ain't buying any 200HP Ducati either. The boys at Pompton Plains are hoping I am right about it being on the way, but they have never heard of it. KTM Duke?.....now you are in my COURT ! Court (good news is that "flagship" dealer in Times Square carries.....you guessed it KTM and Ducati. | ||
| Blake |
David: Good to hear from you again. You still wearing that "custom" helmet? | ||
| Anonymous |
Court, Like I said...go buy the newest edition of "Motorcyclist" magazine...the Ducati info is right there on page 24. The ktm Duke 2 info is on page 23. Make up your own mind... | ||
| Blake |
Anony: Have you ever ridden an honest to goodness 100+RWHP Buell? That's only 20 more HP than my virtually bone stock M2 pumps out. I've ridden a 120RWHP X1. Through 3rd gear, you are taking your life into your hands if you whack open the throttle! And you want 140-160RWHP? In a low revving engine, for street use? That's just silly in my opinion. In a Busa it's another matter. Yes I've ridden one, and well into triple digits. You have a significantly heavier bike, with a longer wheelbase, and the power comes on very smoothly as the big IL4 revs to over 10 grand. You have a chance to short shift before things get out of hand. If that's what you want, go buy a Busa. If the KTM (yeah I figured you were meaning KTM) racer is putting out 130HP, what do you think the street version will do in RWHP? And while you may not have stated succinctly that you believe that HP and racing pedigrees are paramount to Buell's success, everyting you say implies that. More HP this, more racebike that, it's practically all you talk about. Have you considered that the XB9R has, while keeping pretty much the same HP, dropped 50 pounds compared to it's ancestors? Have you ridden one yet? I just don't understand all the pontificating before even riding the thing! I mean c'mon, that's the true measure by which a bike should be judged. And that's all I have to say about that, cause I ain't about to be puttin' on no gall durned thong! | ||
| Lsr_Bbs |
Truce, no need...first time we ever get to meet face-to-face, you can bitch slap me good, then we'll shake hands. XB=miata...but want a Vette/Viper. Now, if you'd made that analogy from the get go...we probably could have saved a few hundred kb of bandwidth as I agree 100%. Though, dodge does race the viper in a proper sportscar league, and wins....sorry, just couldn't resist. ;) ====== Thinned skin? No, you just better backup what you say. Aaron's a special case and knows how to burrow really well. Though your second post really hit home for me, and is yet another weakness...contrary to Arvel's assertion IMNSHO. I *dread* just having to go the local H-D to get some of the simple shared parts...forget about a buell dealer anywhere near here. Though it won't happen (I'd bet), and even if it did it would be a hard sell, they really should consider opening up either stand alone shops or sell franchises to dealers of the Big4. In the meantime, quit hiding behind "they're independent dealers, we have no control over them" lines. BS! You get enough complaints, cut 'em off! Force them to maintain certain parts inventories, blah, blah, blah. But dealers GREATLY affect potential sales, especially for a cross-over consumer. ====== Holy Cripes Rocketman...don't lump me into your middleaged miasma. Damn, I just turned 30 and don't even act that age (as can be seen here)...let alone 40+ ====== Don't know steve, I've been trying to wrap my mind around who's the target market too...to no avail, and really haven't seen any insights here either! ====== Though, Anonymous did have a good point at the end...the fact that we take the time to put all this stuff out here means we *DO* care about BMC. If I, or we, didn't...this discussion would have quickly degenerated into a Labusa's style "Buell's suck, so fuck-off" contest. Neil Garretson - whether you like me (or my opinions) or not, I do keep it interesting around here...have a good weekend y'all. X0.5 | ||
| Aaron |
Glad to see you back, Neil! The Viper to me is relatively old tech and unrefined compared to the 'Vette, IMO. Hell, they just stuck a big honkin' motor in there (488" V10). I don't know much about'em now, but I know the original ones were pretty crude. Didn't even have roll-up windows if I remember correctly. Bodies fit like crap. Who the hell needs high-tech and refinement? Just make it fast and simple. Hit it with a hammer instead of engineering a high-tech motor. I like that philosophy. Make my next Buell that way, please! Yeah, we all care. And, sometimes, we struggle to understand why they're doing what they're doing. And of course, we all want them to do it our way. But there's as many different ways to do it as there are potential buyers. I just think we gotta cut'em a little slack, assume that they have reasons for doing what they're doing, that's all. They're VERY smart people, doing what they think is best for them, and while we may know very well what we want, they have to consider a whole lot of factors that we can easily dismiss. Anyhoo, didn't mean for it to get so personal. Some people say I'm a hot-headed type A. Don't know how anyone could ever get that idea  See ya, AW | ||
| Blake |
(sniffle) I love happy endings (sniffle)  | ||
| S2no1 |
LSR_BBS Neil, I lost track of my assertions, Which one were you referring too? Must of been when my screen overloaded from the frying pan. Arvel |
