| Author | Message | ||
     Court |
P.S. - I am still begging for the "toggle" for the instrument display to be moved from that goofy button to the vacant switch hole in the left grip. | ||
| Doerman |
Court. I will PM you with some more comments on Motivation and Information access later this afternoon. Asbjorn | ||
| Anonymous |
Doerman, BMC's product delivery schedule is the best in the corporation, as is it's parts delivery. Why in the world did you list those as issues? | ||
| Anonymous |
Don't believe me? Ask a dealer like Dave S. | ||
| Anonymous |
BMC employees not on the same page as what management? Buell management or H-D management?! I can assure you Buell employees are on the same page as Buell management. As to being on the same page as H-D managemment; that's hard when it's not even the same book. | ||
| Kootenay |
In retrospect, it is easy to see that the product vision at BMC is great. Over the last 10 years, there's been more innovation and product improvement coming out of East Troy than companies 100 times their size. Perhaps because they're not 100 times as big? Seems to me that the larger the company, the more ponderous; innovation often comes from smaller companies (which then sell their technology to the behemoths...). A but more on the Blast: from the conclusion of an article on introductory motorcycles, including the Blast, in a recent Cycle Canada magazine: "The Blast is unlikely to convince a novice to seek out a bigger Buell, which is unfortunate, because the twin-cylinder Buells are worth the step up." Having ridden a Blast, I'm afraid I have to agree--the production process used to manufacture the Blast may be state-of-the-art, but I dunno about the bike... | ||
| Doerman |
Anonymous: I have PM'd Court with more details. Asbjorn | ||
| M2nc |
Wish List to add more Buells to the Barn! 1. I would like a more dirt oriented "FS-Style" Blast variant. Right now the DR & KLR are on top of this list for me. An inexpensive relative light weight Dual Sport that can travel down single path trails. If you want to expand the product line make two versions of a revamped Blast. A CityX version for the Super Moto crowd and a BMW FS style version for trail riding. For me, I am really looking at DR & KLR to fill this want, but if Buell jumps in this market, I would be interest. 2. Sport Tourer - I am perfectly happy with the Uly so this wish is for those afraid of the Uly's height. I'm 5'7" so a bit confused with some forks taller than me that are not comfortable with the Uly's height. Talked to the GM at my local dealership and he said one of his Uly customers lowered his and stated that this was the way Buell needed to go. This person stated that the lowered Uly was just a light weight Tourer. He traded his Road King on a Uly. I have to agree. A true Sport Tourer would fit better in the HD dealership and may pull more of the faithful over to Buells and get many of these Tuber faithful onto a new Buell. 3. A fire-breathing Firebolt & Lightning. You can put me in the group that wants a more powerful power plant for their sport bikes. I would like to see this new power plant above and beyond the present engine. I think the Uly works better with its present engine. For me the Daytona 675 is the present front runner, but a more powerful XB Firebolt is really what I want. I love the V-Rod motor. Its smooth, powerful and has a long rev range. I am not asking for the V-rod motor, but something like the V-rod motor, just more compact and lighter weight. Power is just off the need. The last Night-Rod test was hitting 105rwhp. That's 21hp more than Stock XB's but still not enough. The present R1200R is hitting almost 120rwhp. Thats the target! An XB with that much power will play with any Sport Bike on a road course. | ||
| Court |
>>>Asbjorn I got it. It was well written and gave me some valuable insight. Thank you. Court | ||
| Daves |
Anon wrote BMC's product delivery schedule is the best in the corporation, as is it's parts delivery. Why in the world did you list those as issues? I totally agree! | ||
| Rocketman |
Non are so blind as those who refuse to see or are willing to learn. I fully understand why a company of Buells size and merit would want to show off its advanced production methods, but the real issue is building motorcycles and not showing off to corporate goons intent on building television sets next year. Rocket | ||
| Liquorwhere |
I agree with Sean...note that for the record cause it may never happen again...hehe..just kidding..he is right alot more than wrong I think. | ||
| Rocketman |
Sorry but I find it quite condescending when we are told Buell has this influx of foreign visitors specifically looking at production methods Buell are using, and these same suits are not even vehicle manufacturers. Lots of automotive manufacturers offer sightseeing tours but I've never heard of one using their sightseeing tours to falsely lead people into believing other industries brass are checking out the Buell system to enhance their own production facilities. Just this very week we are told how secretive Buell are and how they will not tolerate any leaks to the outside world of what the company are engaged in. Given this I can only imagine getting an invite as an overseas visitor one must pass rigorous scrutiny to eek out those industry spies all wanting a piece of Buells production nouse. Sorry but the hypocrisy really sucks. Then there's the Blast, which we are told will impact the way many things, motorcycles among them, are manufactured. I think for example Aprilia might have Buell beat on that one, as they are extremely adept at restructuring their state of the art production facilities to incorporate changing designs within an ASSEMBLY ONLY plant. How long before Buells are built in China might give a clue as to who and why those non automotive suits are visiting Buell with an interest in seeing the production facility first hand. Could these same suits be the future of Buell? Rocket | ||
| Woody1911a1 |
Rocket "Sorry but I find it quite condescending ......" damn Rocket i spent the entire afternoon removing the name "Buell" from my blast because of you . now will you please tell me what i should do with my triumphs ? one is an original . can i keep the triumph on that one ? but then my hinckley thunderbird , do i have to rename that ? sorry but i'm really waiting for your espert advice ? | ||
| Woody1911a1 |
sorry , but i couldn't help myself . Rocket , virtually every post you make lately is condescending to someone !!!!!! | ||
| Court |
Asbjorn: I've had the chance to read through it and will offer a couple observations that I think will be helpful to readers and good news to you. Before I start, I want to thank you for both taking time to provide details and for recognizing the circumstance under which your thinking was formed was sensitive. You showed insight and integrity. The nature of some of the good news I was going to send back to you is much more general and may benefit this conversation. First I want to clarify that the 4 points you mentioned were based on personal experience over 6 years ago and were not obtained from recent J.D. Powers data. That was the source of my initial concern as I read your first post. Schedule In the mid-90's, up through the time of your experience, Buell parts delivery was very poor. Lines of responsibility were blurred and Buell was not getting the resources necessary. This has changed. In fact, Buell is now a leader in the vehicle (that includes cars and John Deere tractors) business in terms of parts delivery. I, as you likely know, intervene in many a "I can't get this" quandary and am thrilled that in the last couple years, I've yet to find Buell as the root cause of a parts delivery problem. (WAIT: There was once. . . the recent 1999 X-1 tank sticker with the checkered flags. . . each time a right was ordered, a left arrived. I finally mailed the right one, hooked up with the folks in P&A and got the system sorted out. That one Buell owned) In almost all cases, (some of you recall the recent "I've been waiting a month for a recall from Chandler") the part was never ordered from Buell. Another lingering source is dealers telling customers "You can't get that from Buell any longer". Any dealer tells you this, write me. Buell excels at parts delivery. Now before anyone starts on the "Court sings the company line" whining. . . let me remind those of you new (in the last 6 years) to Buell that during the time Harley-Davison folks were labeling me as an "anecdotal alarmist" with no data, I annually did my "Totally Unofficial Parts Survey". I used to have 10 people around the world order a clutch lever and a right front turn signal at the same day and the same time. Good old Arvel (S2No1 on Badweb) did the forms for me and helped me track it. Buell parts delivery was a disaster. Erik and I have been toe to toe on this in the past and when the HD folks told him their data showed all was fine, I'd give him my data. I was a royal pain in the ass and damn proud of it. I refused to relent. I am pleased, and proud, that today Buell delivery is AS GOOD AS any company in the world and the schedules Buell provides to dealers are accurate and tightly adhered to. Internal Motivation I'm quite certain that I can't speak to this objectively. I have my own thoughts, and they are good. But, I realize they are based on relationships with a group that may not be a representative sample. In fact, most the folks I know at Buell . . .if you just stopped paying them. . . they'd keep coming to work. Therefore, take these as a couple PURELY PERSONAL observations. . . About 30% of the folks at Buell have been with Buell for 10 years or more. This, again to me, speaks volumes. To really appreciate the "Talent Magnet" that Erik Buell is I always suggest reading excerpts from Warren Bennis's Organizing Genius in which he goes into great detail describing how some of the most innovative and creative collaborations in history were formed. . including Disney, the Skunk Works, PARC, The Manhattan Project and others. People like Steve Jobs when he promised his staff that they were "creating something not just great, but insanely great". The rule busters, mavericks and non-conformists. Erik Buell, like Jobs, realized that it is essential to not just deflect the criticism but the attention of the bureaucrats. . . to keep them from infecting fertile minds. In addition, witness the age of the Buell engineers, and you'll see parallels to Seymour Cray (you may have heard of the Cray Super Computer) who hired young engineers "because they don't know what's impossible or has never been done". Recently, I journeyed to Buell to spend time with the new TT . . . to help me understand the bike and the thinking behind it. I spent over an hour with one engineer talking handling and suspension and then I met a kid who could pass for a high schooler who was the project lead. Not only was he smart, but he was as passionate about doing what he did perfectly as he could be. Impressive. In addition, and right along the lines of motivation, Buell has been blessed to have Jon Flickinger come on board. One of Jon's qualities, honed in the world of Ford, is that he is smart. . .REALLY SMART and a genuine listener. But, his greatest asset is that he is honest and passionately committed to success. Jon sees the "big picture" with far greater clarity than I ever could and he is an asset to Buell. Personal Sidebar: I met Flick for the first time at Homecoming 2 years ago. He spoke at dinner the first night and explained he would NOT be there the next night because of a family commitment. The moment I saw his priorities, he had my vote. To quote Bennis . . ."Many great groups have dual administration. They have a visionary leader, and they have someone who protects them from the outside world, the "suits"." (Page 22) Let me revisit for a moment, that I'm talking my PERSONAL observations here. . . but the greatest thing that has happened since Flick boarded the Buell rocket was that Erik is vibrant, healthy and DREAMING again. Creatively the team has never been more motivated. I could write for days about Buell, but during my recent visit I got to talk to lots of old friends. One thing hasn't changed, they love their jobs. Funny thing about Buell. . . there are folks like Dave Gess and I who no longer work for Buell. I went to Buell for a reason; I was a finger in the dike. When my duty was done, I was smart enough to go back to the real world. I now earn many times what I did at Buell. . . if Erik or Jon called and needed me; I'd be there next Monday. . even if they couldn't pay me. Buell does that to people. I sometimes dream of what a couple of those Buell engineers, Erik included, would earn in the real world. My Mom still reminds me weekly . . "when you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life". I really need to take you to Buell sometime . . . this stuff just doesn't convey in words. . . Access to information This is likely the area, since the time of your observations, that has changed the most. It's a long story, some of you have read of ELVIS. But in short every person has constant access to the precise information they need, in the format they need it. That sounds general and it's all I am going to say . . . but think of a FULLY (I mean the timer for the outside lights, customer comments from the internet and order entry to China for wheels in the same database) INTEGRATED DATA SYSTEM. Picture the toolbox in the Craftsman catalog. . . everything right where you need it, when you need it. Some of the individual components are "off the Star Wars Techy charts". . the benefits of hiring folks who grew up playing video games. I have a bold prediction for 3 years out. . . remind me to tell you sometime. Product channels You said
I could not agree more. For my take, read the 2nd issue of Battle 2Win. . . little has changed, on the dealer front, since I wrote those words. This is where the concept of "negative transfer of learning" interferes. The very same reason my PMI (Primary Marksmanship Instructor) in the United States Marine Corps HATED training people who has previously fired weapons. . . there was so damn much unlearning. One problem is that every time this gets broached, insecure people hear the words "we need to do some things differently than Harley" as "we are mouthy, arrogant and think Harley sucks". Present impediments range from pure laziness "I'll do it when I have time" to active sabotage "I'll be damned if I'm helping Buell get something we don't have" ((yes, it's a REAL quote)). Buell and Harley-Davidson required decidedly different mindsets. That does not convey a "one's right and one's wrong". Some of the innovative things, presently being incubated at Buell, will likely play a key role in ensuring Halrey-Davidson's long-term viability. There are a group of folks who need a real mental awakening to understand that perpetual quarterly EPS growth is not a birthright. The DESIRE is there and it's moving . . . but way too frickin' slow for my taste. I hope we see changes and you can count on me being a pain in the ass to some folks until the pace picks up.  Gosh . . . I said all that in just 200 words. . . efficiency, eh? Court | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
1) I'd let everybody in on the new motor (oops, did that) 2) I'd keep an eye on these boards to see all the words of wisdom and get a good chuckle from the bickering 3) I'd get Mr Buell drunk at the office Christmas party and find out all the secrets so I can post them here. 4) I'd let Court bown down and kiss my feet. | ||
| Rocketman |
Woody, no problem. Anything from Hinkley pretty much started life as a Kawasaki rip off, so there you go, Kawasaki it is! Rocket | ||
| Doerman |
To Court Thanks for painting a comprehensive picture of today’s vibrant Buell organization that not only will continue to turn out a great product, but are diligently working on upgrades in both the organization and the outlet channel (sales and service). I believe an outsider with a track record like “Flicker” and with your description of him might make a world of difference in pulling all the talents and exuberance in the same direction. A direction that in the end benefit the current customers, but more importantly will draw new ones to the brand. My thoughts on this subject originated in my own experiences and the JD Powers report. The JD Powers report is much like the spreadsheet you prepared on the experience of ordering clutch levers and the result differed greatly from the internal perception of parts delivery. You had to “toe to toe” to get the message across. It is amazing really; companies pay big bucks to hire outsiders to tell them through surveys what needs improvement. And JD Powers is good at it. In the survey the sales and service categories were poor. And although JD Powers disclaim that this was a comprehensive survey, it still indicates a problem that if I were BMC I’d jump on very quickly. I have been subjected to JD Powers “power” myself as a subcontractor to a home builder that treasures their JD Powers #1 position. If I as a sub to them did ANYTHING to jeopardize the string of JD Powers awards, I would get an earful. And if I did not conform to the homebuilder’s demands on schedule, quality, and procedure I would be replaced – right now. Buell needs to take the same attitude with their dealer network. And if the HDI channel won’t listen, then find some(thing/one) else. I hope BMC understands that innovation in the sales channel is more important at this point in time than innovation in the product. Anonymous immediately jumped in and brought up the Appleton example and Dave S immediately jumped in and concurred. I liked both of their enthusiasm on the subject. But the network as a whole (or on average) is not functioning and that is borne out in the JD Power rating of 2/5 on both sales and service. To Anonymous First of all, thank you for chiming in and care on this thread. That shows your commitment and just validates everything Court says. You said the following: ” BMC employees not on the same page as what management? Buell management or H-D management?! I can assure you Buell employees are on the same page as Buell management. As to being on the same page as H-D management; that's hard when it's not even the same book.” Please understand that you (as in BMC) can not serve to divergent masters. The obvious answer is that your playbook is that of BMC. However, you share the delivery end with HDI. So when I as a customer interact with BMC I am really interacting with persons schooled in the playbook of HDI (sales, service, and customer service). So to me, it looks like as if the company is only using the HDI playbook. You yourself state that the playbooks are vastly different. Therein lies a problem. Thanks for listening Asbjorn | ||
| Jlnance |
The Blast has never endeared me an a zillion others to the Buell marque. As good a motorcycle it may be it is in no way a motorcycle dripping in style. Fortunately they build different styles of bikes so we can all have one we like. If Buell didn't make the Blast, I'm sure I would never had heard of them, and wouldn't have owned my other two non-Blast Buells. [the Blasts] major purpose is cheap to build and bigger profit margin, which has little to do with the customer apart from persuading them to part with more dollars than they really should. I have trouble imagining that anyone is getting filthy rich producing $4000 motorcycles. Perhaps they are, I don't really care. The part I do care about is that the Blast is inexpensive. Thats the primary reason I bought it. At the time, I didn't know what I great bike I was getting. | ||
| Woody1911a1 |
"At the time, I didn't know what I great bike I was getting." yup ditto here too . and even better is the crappy resale value :-P amazing how quick some here are ready to put down any bike that isn't up to their high standards . | ||
| Rocketman |
I never put the Blast down as a motorcycle, just an ugly one. Rocket | ||
| Woody1911a1 |
hey no prob bud you do know there are other buell boards where your opinions would fit right in ? you do know that you're opinions here are viewed totally for the entertainment factor , right ? hey i've been known to make a fool out of myself too . nothing like a good beer buzz and a puter lol whats your excuse ? | ||
| Diablobrian |
Asbjorn, thank you for your clear and concise review and analysis of the customer end of the H-D system. You have stated (in a clear way) many of the concerns that have plagued Buell owners since they started selling through H-D dealerships. I have run into fewer problems personally than many do, maybe because I don't go to the dealership much, but also because I do a lot of business with my extended family (Badwebbers like DaveS, Al, Clown etc..). I personally see a bright future for Buell, and I want to be a part of it. To that end I'm again taking matters in my own hands, I'm in school now to get my degree in engineering. I hope to be working in East Troy one of these days. | ||
| Court |
>>>>The part I do care about is that the Blast is inexpensive. The BLAST® is more than a motorcycle, it was a new way of thinking. Someday you'll know where the BLAST® came from. It's origin, like those of the VROD, is very interesting. The BLAST® represented Buell's (at the request of HD so that they could learn) first crack at foiling the classic "quality-cost'time" triangle. Parts and the vendors who provided them were, for the first time, evaluated by a very tightly prescribed set of metrics that placed quality and adherence to specifications about country of origin. The bike also exhibits (folks who have ridden them feel free to chime in) far better handling and braking that is generally associated with $4,000 motorbikes. I was on the team of folks doing the test riding a year or so prior to the launch and this was the first time Buell had (at least formally) augmented the formal test program with "real world". Each day two of us would take a couple BLAST® 's out (there were two displacements under consideration) and ride the snot out of them. In addition to ending up with a really capable "beginner bike", Buell (and Harley-Davidson) got a great deal of information about how to start engineering components very early in the design life cycle to control cost and ensure quality. Harley-Davidson and Buell have earned more revenue as a result of things the BLAST® has done (bring in new riders, get folks' wives and kids on bikes, tear down fears) than from the sales of the actual bike. Frankly. . . if I were part of the strategic process you'd be seeing some damn fun versions of the BLAST® in about a year. Court | ||
| Blake |
One of the best threads I've seen here in a while. A long while. I want to contribute, but I gotta think on it a while. | ||
| Woody1911a1 |
"Frankly. . . if I were part of the strategic process you'd be seeing some damn fun versions of the BLAST® in about a year. " with every blast they should give the buyer a card with a link to the thumper forum here . that and a credit for $300 to transform the blast into the bike they SHOULD be selling ! a $200 exhaust $12 worth of jets and a k&n . hey i bought mine for a song as a get me by bike , but it's not going anywhere . | ||
| Rocketman |
You know why I rag on about the Blast? It's everything you say it is Court, of which I'm not dumb enough to not understand, but that's the problem. If it is such a success where are the benefits of such that the customers of Buell may share in the profits? You know, like a new engine to compete against those hot V twin liquid cooled things coming out of Europe? Or where is the race effort Buell can't afford? Maybe a completely new bike that isn't based on an XB chassis? Rocket | ||
| Woody1911a1 |
"If it is such a success where are the benefits of such that the customers of Buell may share in the profits? " huh ? You know, like a new engine to compete against those hot V twin liquid cooled things coming out of Europe?" huh ? Or where is the race effort Buell can't afford? huh ? Maybe a completely new bike that isn't based on an XB chassis? huh ? what has any of that got to do with the blast ? that buell doesn't make the bike you want ? buy one from a maker that does geez . why keep ranting here ? | ||
| Gtmg |
Blast is a nice bike but it, I agree it is not a great looking motorcycle. You have to look at the competition in this sport bike starter area - Kawasaki EX-250, 500 and their new 650, Suzuki 500 and their Vtwin 650. Both of these competitors 650's are keepers for a while and have very even power bands through the rpm range. Overall all these bikes look better than the Blast and several of them have been around forever. Imho minimally the look has to be updated and a small vtwin engine would be great. (Message edited by gtmg on January 07, 2007) |
