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Buell Forum » Balancing Allegiance with Rebellion, the H-D Way » Matt Levatich is Stepping Down » Archive through May 19, 2020 « Previous Next »

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Crusty
Posted on Friday, February 28, 2020 - 09:29 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I guess Matt is getting the boot. I wonder if they're going to get a bean counter the likes of Jackass Wandell to replace him?

https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/harley-davids on-president-ceo-matthew-levatich-steps-down/
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Shoggin
Posted on Saturday, February 29, 2020 - 12:36 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

From Hughlysees:

http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/253 912/865870.html?1582946944
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Court
Posted on Saturday, February 29, 2020 - 07:40 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Matt did not “ step down”.

He was thrown out.
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Crusty
Posted on Sunday, March 01, 2020 - 06:36 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I didn't realize that he was such a limp dick. I thought that he was an improvement over Jackass. I was wrong. The comment by Steve Anderson was a real eye opener for me.

I don't know what sort of Golden Parachute he's getting, but I hope that most of the cords are frayed through.

I wonder if he'll be "embarrassed" to accept his parting gift?
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1313
Posted on Monday, March 02, 2020 - 12:15 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

The comment by Steve Anderson was a real eye opener for me.

Same here! Such a shame.

Not even worthy of signing a shirt...; ) Although I remember getting a note from him - back in the day at Buell.
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Court
Posted on Monday, March 02, 2020 - 06:58 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I had some dealings with Matt when he was doing the Buell European gig in Benelux. My opinion of him then was good .... he helped me overcome a VERY major obstacle 8n. European launch (some here recall the front brake drive pin fiasco) by bending some rules and saving the day at Bol D’or..

Steve’s comment was consistent with things I’d heard since Matt joined the 7-figure a year ranks .....

Shame.

Erik could have made him look like a hero.
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Screamer
Posted on Saturday, March 07, 2020 - 12:03 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Levatich was extremely supportive when working through multiple difficult circumstances (recalls), regardless of brand - Harley, Buell or MV Agusta.
He was always passionate about the products, but after replacing the Marketing leadership team, and later the Sales leadership team, and later re-juggling the Engineering leadership team (with a continued sales slump) it seemed inevitable that the axe would swing his direction.
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Crusty
Posted on Monday, May 11, 2020 - 08:58 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Want to know a little more about the new CEO?

https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1245750-cycle-new s-issue-19-may-12

Go to page 30



(Message edited by Crusty on May 11, 2020)
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Court
Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 07:52 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)


Zeitz
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Blake
Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 02:25 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

My sense is that so long as HDI insists upon focusing on brand recognition and ancillary sales, their motorcycles will continue to suffer and their supposedly new cutting edge high tech and sport offerings will continue to be laughing stocks industry wide.

I could be wrong.
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Court
Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 05:53 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I can’t get those words I heard that late night in Daytona when o e of the Hanson’s gave Erik some crap ....”I did it the old fashioned way. . . . I built the motorcycle first”

Said in response to their ridiculous display of chaps, jackets, bling and ancillary crap whilst they were pissing away $300,000,000 of investors money on Playmates.

Caveat: I would like to thank the Hanlon folks for putting the Playmates on the same floor we were on. Susie . . . That special night , when the girls locked you out, lingers sweetly on my mind. Glad I could be of help. . . :-)

Harley-Davidson has their corporate tit in the wringer and the one person, that I know, who could save them is off playing guitar. . . .after they shit on him.
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Crusty
Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 06:30 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Hey; there's nobody like a shoe salesman who knows what motorcyclists want.
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Tpehak
Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 06:36 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I want reliable motorcycle, not that crap Harley Davidson and Buell produced.
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Crusty
Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 07:31 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Troll.
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Court
Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 07:44 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Maybe your Buell was unreliable but I took mine. . . . After offering to pay $10,000 if I had to touch anything other than oil, fuel or tires.

I made it through 37 states on one ride with no problems

If you have Information we’ve missed . . . By all means share
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Screamer
Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 08:49 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

The hope in the late 90s - early 2000s, was to someday match (or at least be in the neighborhood of) Honda’s “Repairs per Hundred” warranty numbers. The Blast was the first to get there and eventually dropped below the target. I don’t remember the specific models or years, but the RPH data of a few XB models was at times some of the lowest in the industry.
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Court
Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 09:39 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

And .... some of the tube models darn sure had their quirks but be mindful that in addition to the fact that the nominal numbers were small .... let’s be honest ... we had a Buell recall that impacted “every M2 I. The country (Canada)” once. . . . The internet was abuzz with “unreliable Buells” chatter ... it consisted of a total of 7 bikes. Yeah. . . Less than $50 USD of parts.

I sent the entire “recall parts inventory” to Deeley in a shoebox.

The BLAST was an entire new way of doing business with an entirely new (Lisa) mindset. We went a long way from lifting the rear jug and all the text riding of the 2 displacements under consideration to final production.

The XB line. . . Not long after the S1 was declared the best handling bike ....was on the cusp of becoming the standard of reliability in the industry.
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Blake
Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 10:27 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Every once in a while Crusty slips and broadcasts his perceptive genius for all to see.

"Hey; there's nobody like a shoe salesman who knows what motorcyclists want."

That's gold.
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Tpehak
Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - 11:01 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I'm waiting when Buell goes back to business to fix his motorcycles.
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Captainkirk
Posted on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 11:00 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

This is what totally pisses me off; a CEO making MILLIONS who has no history, no love of the game or product, no shame when he bails after 5 years with a golden parachute. Like Wandell (the jerk); does this guy even RIDE? Erik might have saved the company from itself. And now we got a guy who makes shoes that's gonna pull the handle as we watch HD circle the toilet bowl before vanishing down that dark hole. And they'll blame it on CV-19 and the financial crisis...

The first thing they need to get straight is that not every American rider wants a 2 ton tractor.

(Message edited by captainkirk on May 13, 2020)
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Mnscrounger
Posted on Thursday, May 14, 2020 - 01:25 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

"Caveat: I would like to thank the Hanlon folks for putting the Playmates on the same floor we were on. Susie . . . That special night , when the girls locked you out, lingers sweetly on my mind. Glad I could be of help. . . :-)"

And yet he still won't write the dang book.....
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Midknyte
Posted on Thursday, May 14, 2020 - 10:35 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Might not be a rider,but he's at least got some financial skin in the game...

https://www.barrons.com/articles/harley-davidson-s tock-has-plunged-ceo-jochen-zeitz-made-a-huge-buy- 51589454056
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Midknyte
Posted on Sunday, May 17, 2020 - 02:51 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Or not. I dunno. Anyway...

https://youtu.be/EOwxxsPaogY
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Tpehak
Posted on Sunday, May 17, 2020 - 03:49 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Harley Davidson is officially dead.
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Captainkirk
Posted on Monday, May 18, 2020 - 02:34 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

That YT vid was spot-on.
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Mnscrounger
Posted on Monday, May 18, 2020 - 05:35 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

How ironic it would be if the current owners of EBR, (technically still an OEM manufacturer), were to purchase the HD brand with the same cents on the dollar type of valuation. I'm sure in such a sale there would be higher bidders that LAP, but its an interesting thought experiment.

I don't see Polaris, , wanting anything HD has, as they axed Victory due to redundancy, HD would be more of the same for them.(or for that matter any any of the larger motorcycle manufacturers) But what about a group like Bombardier? They don't have anything like the forthcoming or existing HD products in their portfolio. Depending on the quality of future designs, buying a brand after the bankruptcy provides a new owner opportunity to shed the old tired skin, and the debt that came with it. They then are allowed to start off in a new direction with those new designs that are, "too little, too late", for the current debt encumbered iteration.
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Court
Posted on Monday, May 18, 2020 - 08:05 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Hahahaha. . . . Unless you are Harley-Davidson

Then you pay all the debt, all the back taxes, pay Thrice the market value . . . THEN as they did .... drive the company into bankruptcy and sell it back to the original owners for $1.00.

Some pretty shrewd operators there. . . . .

What does Harley have that anyone would want?

The party is over.
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Cvc
Posted on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 - 04:00 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Only thing Harley has I am thinking of would be intellectual property rights to Buell related bikes. Crazy out there I can buy an XB for only a few hundred more than a Blast. Somebody must have heard about the reliability of them.
If bankrupt how inexpensive would tooling up for a global sourced Blast type bike be and let it fund a new XB.
Must be late I’m apparently dreaming.
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Tootal
Posted on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 - 10:59 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

My neighbor took his Road Glide to the dealer because the "drive by wire" was screwing up. When he went to pick it up the service manager told him they put on new cables. He paid his bill and told him he'd never be back.

Quality control has been one of the downfalls of Harley. My 89 Softail vibrated so bad it cracked some chrome pieces and a floor board flew off. The 91 Electra Glide had the cylinder studs pull out on the right side because the casting was soft. My 2002 Road Glide had the cam chain tensioners wore out by 20,000 miles. My Buell did have some teething problems, like the stator burning up. I'm on the third muffler actuator. The nice part is they made improvements and those improvements could be put on the older bikes. (rear wheel bearings) Since then it's been reliable as a rock and it gets run a lot harder than the Harley! I've seen the insides of the new Milwaukee 8. Man they have cut every corner they could, I wouldn't own one. Years ago, during a Harley factory tour, I talked to some of my brother machinist. I asked if engineering ever took any of their advise. The answer was no. It shows!
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Mnscrounger
Posted on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 - 11:41 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

"What does Harley have that anyone would want?"

Worldwide brand identity and recognition?
Every rider in the world knows about HD. They may be critical of the products, or ridicule the rider image. (or envy both, depending on the rider), but they always look at the newest offerings, even if only to scoff. Getting people to at least look at your product is the hardest part of marketing. I would not have expected Triumphs return but look at the product line they have now. Granted it took 20 years, 80- million, (source Wikipedia), and focused management.

Polaris is having relative success with their Indian revival after decades of coughs and sputters by smaller investors. I have no idea how much money they put in, but the brand identity was worth binning their own Victory product line they took 20 years to build.
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