| Author | Message | ||
     Rocketsprink |
as if we need another thread, but here goes. Why in the hell would H-D just kill off Buell rather than shop them around? And I refuse to believe they did. SOMETHING would have slipped had they done that. Just like the rumor, which we all know now is true, slipped about the closing. | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
Reading the other threads I really didn't know what to say. "Pissed off" sounds about right. I do hope this is a chance for Buell to start up again on its own without the mismanagement of HD. | ||
| Brinnutz |
The reason is because Harley hired a CEO with no ties to the motorcycle industry for a reason. They were losing money. The CEO was hired to bring Harley back to a profiting company at any cost and this news is a product of that plan to bring Harley back to a profiting company. At least that's what I heard from a former Buell/HD employee a month or so ago. It's from a VERY reliable source. | ||
| Rocketsprink |
I don't doubt you at all. Seems the cut off the nose to spite the face applies here. Wouldn't selling them make more sense? It's not like people didn't know H-D was hurting. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
I think Harley has made a bold statement about what they think of Erik Buell. They could sell the company and make some money, but they go an cut it? To me that's a murder of passion, not of business sense. Buell wasn't costing HD money. | ||
| Poppinsexz |
I guess that begs the question, would someone buy? With a depressed economy, a small market share, and poor sales, I don't think anyone would take the plunge, especially with winter upon us. I sincerly hope that Buell and family survives to fight another day. Maybe now, as some others have said, they can divest themselves from HD and get into a sport bike surrounding. | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
My right wrist, broken in a bicycle crash last summer, is throbbing again after I slammed my fist into my desk upon reading this horrible news. I'm gonna have to redo my makeup too. And I'm resisting the impulse to trash the local HD dealer. | ||
| Garp |
Who would you sell them to? What company wants to buy a small and presumably not profitable boutique motorcycle manufacturer that is closely entwined with HD? I understand the passion of the Buell faithful, but I just don't think there are enough of them to make the brand commercially viable. Could they survive as an independent brand? Maybe, but they would need to raise the funds to buy the factories, tooling and patents back from the mothership and I can't see too many people being willing to lend them money at this point. It is truly a shame for Erik and for the employees, but on a business level I can understand the decision | ||
| Hughlysses |
Who would you sell them to? What company wants to buy a small and presumably not profitable boutique motorcycle manufacturer that is closely entwined with HD? Why not Volkswagen? http://www.motorcycledaily.com/13october09_volkswa gen.htm | ||
| Rocketsprink |
Who would you sell them to? What company wants to buy a small and presumably not profitable boutique motorcycle manufacturer that is closely entwined with HD? Ya never know until you try. Who says they aren't profitable? H-D? Got news for you, H-D's lack of vision is catching up to them. You can only repackage the same bike a few hundred times till people grow tiered of the same old shit. H-D shot themselves in the foot many years ago. Sorry, but NOTHING they've introduced over the last 40 years is new, including the V-Rod which was a Buell powerplant! Erik took a turd and made it fly. H-D is obviously too stupid to realize it. (Message edited by rocketsprink on October 15, 2009) (Message edited by rocketsprink on October 15, 2009) | ||
| Skiaddict |
I think another question is, "Who would they (HD) sell them to?" Are they going to want a competitor to have access to arguably their best technology? | ||
| Cliffburton |
rocket hit the nail on the head. Harley has done nothing new in 40 years. Buell was the only thing they had going for them.I dont own a harley because I dont have gray hair,arthritis,and Easy Rider sucked.I dont think Eric Buell will stay down for long.If the man had a 200 year plan,whos to say he didnt have a back up plan for a situation like this.Court may be right.time to re-group and look towards the future | ||
| Rocketsprink |
skiaddict, I see what your saying, but seeing H-D is no longer in the sportbike market and they use little to no Buell ideas on their antiquated bikes, it's a non issue. | ||
| Skiaddict |
Rocket, I hope you're right. But doesn't the XR1200 make use of a lot of Buell technology? | ||
| Macbuell |
They should be spun off to go their own way. Buell should be self sufficient from an operating expense standpoint and they should be able to get dealer networks up either through existing HD dealers that are passionate about the brand or Ducati and Triumph dealers. Killing the brand after all the R&D and work the company has made in recent years towards expanding their name recognition and customer base is just a stupid decision. (Message edited by macbuell on October 15, 2009) | ||
| Reepicheep |
As far as the XR1200, I think the only thing it has from Buell are motor improvements, which they immediately screwed up anyway on the alter of "proper looking airboxes and exhausts". Actually, the XR1200 may have been what made a myopic HD decide to kill Buell. Buell is producing X amount of motorcycles for Y amount of profit. HD (finally) rolls out the XR1200, and sells 4x of them at 2Y the profit. And they decide, as a result, that they don't need Buell. If you are looking at it from a tactical business standpoint, that's an entirely reasonable conclusion. If you don't think hard enough to decide it's apples and oranges. Ten years from now, when your technology and innovation gap has reached two decades, and the fickle whims of trendyness have people looking somewhere else, you will be teetering and reaching back for something to lean on... and find open space... | ||
| Rocketsprink |
H-D is panning to a dying demographic....literally | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
Let's not forget that HD launched the XR1200 in Euro first. Then here. Now what did they do? Came out with an XR1200X with a sportbike style suspension. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that bike will show up here pretty soon. The suspension set-up is already available here for 1500.00. Dropping Buell will definately open HD up to building any kind of turd they want without worrying about EB blowing a fuse. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Here's something HD can take to the bank. I happen to be in the demographic that they want to attract. I'm 27 and what do you know... I have money to burn too. You know what brought me into the dealerships? Buell. That was it. Now, I was considering a VROD for future purchase. Sorry, not happening now. HD has lost me as a potential customer and I will NEVER recommend one of their products in the future. HD, you're losing the demographic you want to attract. You can't seem to get us, yet here you had a product that did manage to bring us in. This product happened to come out with a revolutionary one in recent years and it had interest. Yet you hinder them all over with crummy dealers. Now, right when they are getting going you kill them. Sad, I might cheer the day I hear you go under. | ||
| Bartimus |
I've been a Harley owner for over 35 years, I've owned Buells since 1995. I remember back in the 70's we used to wear our Harley 'wings' upside down to show our dissatisfaction with how Harley treated its customers. I think it's time to turn the wings upside down again. | ||
| Odie |
The problem is that the young crowd that HD hopes to attract will still come because people are shallow and fickle these days. They want to appear cool and can't think for themselves. Those type of folks far outweigh us type of folks. I can count more Sportys than anything around here right now and they are the instant bad-azz, I'm not waving at you, look at me on my cooooool Harley types. I hate those types. Image is everything these days. More and more everyday it seems. I could care less. I'm to the point where I hate everybody and everything lately. What a crappy day this has been........... ...to the image thing....we used to have a saying in 2-1 AVN when I was in Germany.... An ounce of appearance is worth a pound of performance...... | ||
| F_skinner |
Yep, it is about time to bring that back Bart. FTF.  | ||
| Gregtonn |
"Why in the hell would H-D just kill off Buell rather than shop them around?" One possible reason: Erik's agreement with HD was that if they sold Beull, he and his name would go with it. Because much of Buell's technology is used by HD but is patented by BMC rather than HD it may be an end run to get around that. Otherwise they would likely be paying patent royalties to a company they don't own. I will refrain from saying what I think of those involved. G | ||
| 2008xb12scg |
Nothing worse than seeing one of your heroes almost brought to public tears.. | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
One possible reason: Erik's agreement with HD was that if they sold Buell, he and his name would go with it. That definitely sounds like HD thinking. "oh, don't worry, if we sell the Buell brand you and your name go with" then they turn around and just stop production. Kinda like how HD got the new Pilgrim road line up, they told the union there would be 100 new jobs created, but they failed to mention those jobs would be non-union. Nothing worse than seeing one of your heroes almost brought to public tears.. Seriously. Erik's passion for bikes really made Buells mean something, and he will always be a hero. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Gut punched, just like the day they killed the Rooster... but worse No Virginia, there isnt a Santa Claus, and the elves have left the building. | ||
| Rainman |
They'll meet up in some hollow tree and get back on the track and the road. Someone wants race-proven product and Can-Am Badger sounds like a ruthlessly engineered, mass-centralized, low unsprung weight corner owner designed with riders in mind and a Rotax engine at the core |
