| Author | Message | ||
     Iamike |
I think the reason so many here are bashing HD is because the lack of support of so many dealerships. When I bought my '99 S3 I took it to 3 different ones complaining of how it ran at low rpms, especially when cold. All three just told me "They all run that way". During some routine maintenance I found a boot missing on the throttle body. It made a big difference in how it ran after I fixed it. I then wanted my main dealer to do a TPS reset and they kept telling me "You don't need that". Well guess what, after BluzM2 did it with his laptop it ran much better. I only had 53,000mi. on it at that point. When I started looking for another bike I wasn't real thrilled with having to deal with the dealer anymore so I bought a Honda. If the 3 HD shops that I dealt with didn't have salesmen tell me "I don't know shit about Buells" maybe I would have bought another one. I lay Buell's demise directly at the feet of the dealer network that wouldn't support a product that they carried. I don't see why we should be asked to continue to support them now. | ||
| Jramsey |
I wonder if Buell er I mean MoFoCo will still supply oem parts to Al at American Sport Bike . | ||
| Oldog |
Al is connected like no ones business, If a source can be found for stuff Al can do it the way I see it the only thing that is majic on the tubers is the rear isolators. every thing else can be crossed from sportster or found aftermarket, Oh yeah belts are another issue ( Xb 1125 & tubers ) I guess that chains can be had. | ||
| Crusty |
Iamike; +1 | ||
| Whatever |
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| Whatever |
It is not funny. I just couldn't think of a better anology. I am very saddened by this... It sucks and I feel powerless to do anything about it... | ||
| Reepicheep |
I'm not nearly as angry with Harley for stopping their support of Buell as I am for the fact that they didn't give somebody else the chance to buy it. I could be ticked off as a stock holder (I was, until about 2pm this afternoon) or I could be ticked off as an owner (I will be for a long time to come). But I am MOST ticked off as an American. Buell was the American dream, and a bright hope for the future. Real innovation in a real workable model from a US company. Harley just killed the American dream. | ||
| Spank |
Tonight my house will be kept warm by the burning of anything that has H-D on it!! | ||
| Rah7777777 |
Personally i'd like to take a shit on the Harley CEO's desk......... Buell is a tried and true deal! I bet Erik comes back bigger and stronger...look at the love he has poured into Buell the last 26 years! I don't think a man of his wisdom will just waste that! | ||
| Hangontight |
Harley-Davidson is a GREAT company....... ....FOR ME TO POOP ON! | ||
| Xbrad9r |
i personally will never give $1 of my money for any Harley Davidson purchase...i hope their downfall continues more rapidly than ever before... screw it, lets ride anything but a Harley | ||
| Xbpete |
I bought my first HD in 1969 and first new one in 1972, yup, a bowling ball Sportster Ironhead and through 2004 pretty much loved them. Then came a ride on a XB12R.... this is what Harley should have done years ago, innovative, function, form, superb handling and the Harley sound,,, it does not get any better... Until today. Now I will NEVER buy a freaking thing with the HD logo on it, I will ride my Buell and change it as I get older to suit my needs physically. I will never ride or think of the HD geezer glide assless chap leather lifestyle as anything but posing, HD, all show and no go.. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE MY BUELL AND THOSE THAT RIDE THEM. | ||
| Gregtonn |
"I'm not nearly as angry with Harley for stopping their support of Buell as I am for the fact that they didn't give somebody else the chance to buy it." One possible reason: Erik's agreement with HD was that if they sold Buell, 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 | ||
| Deadduck |
Thank you HD for putting that final nail in the what cruiser do I buy coffin....It'll be a Victory for me, I've been leaning that way for a while now, but yall have helped finalize the sale. Congratulations! | ||
| M2me |
I think Gregtonn is on to something. By closing Buell down instead of selling it, HD can still use the Buell technology, still sell Buell parts in their dealerships, etc. Besides, who would buy Buell? How much could HD get for Buell today? My guess is not much. HD simply made a business decision. They decided shutting Buell down was their best option. | ||
| Blake |
Better to shut down, pay millions in severance pay, pay tens of millions in contract obligations, kill off an entire brand and alienate tens of thousands of customers while ditching what promised to be a major growth sector for the corporation... better to do that than make a sale for millions of dollars? Not in any business world I know. There are forces other than good business in play and it sucks. Buell Motorcycle Company was truly poised to make another giant leap in the sport bike market. Just seven more months from the closing date, a mere four months from the end of the effective severance pay period. They couldn't hang tough for one more year. It's one of the most unbelievably short-sighted and dumbfounding "business" moves I've ever seen. | ||
| Rpm4x4 |
Blake I couldnt agree more. | ||
| Gregtonn |
http://freecountry.harley-davidson.com/statement.p hp Post here. It may give a tiny bit of satisfaction. (Thanks Psych.) G | ||
| Malott442 |
You mean I can finally say how I've felt about HD since 2002 when I bought my Millenium X1. With the exception of a disappointingly small number of employees, pretty much every HD worker has been a truly ignorant idiot that did nothing but hurt Buell. I have never had so many headaches in my life than with dealing with the HD dealerships over the years. Fletchers, Brandon, Witchduck, Southside, to name the WORST in knowledge. Not far behind is the sales crew at Precision HD. Learn your bikes you friggin idiots. All too late, too little. I have never seen such a snobbish attitude since, well since I was a kid on a HD with my dad, and we were the scum of the earth. Now HD is for all the limp crotched gutless, idiotic, fat, stupid, mediocre moron that wants to fit in and crowd up the damn lines at bike week..... HD treats Buell like the world treated HD until the 80's. I'm with Pkforbes on the derby cover, I have an HD one sitting around. I'm gonna bring it to them shortly with a letter written on it congratulating them for assisting in the closing of the factory doors of a company they were supposed to support but refused to. My local dealership, NO I WON'T MENTION PELHAM,AL is mostly filled with the youngest cheapest labor they can find, and there is only one decent parts person that even recognizes a Buell has a sportster based engine. Okay okay, I'm going to bed before I throw sheet off of the balcony. I'm thoroughly homicidal right now. Erik, I have faith in your ingenuity and ability to bounce. There are two types of people in this world. Tiggers and Eeyores. You, Erik, are my Tigger. Go get em sir! | ||
| Court |
>>>>Erik, I have faith in your ingenuity and ability to bounce. Very cool and very important to hear. . . . . I'm speaking for only myself . . . THANK YOU | ||
| Court |
Ya think?  | ||
| Drkside79 |
So about 5:30 last night my phone rings it was a sales guy for City Limits HD in Palatine IL trying to see when i wanted to come in and buy a new Road King. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or yell. either way he hopefully got the point and won't be calling again. | ||
| Spdrxb |
Yes I'm no business guy or good with numbers.However It seems that a good portion of future HD sales use to be with current Buell riders. The numbers may be failry small but they compound by relationships word of mouth etc right? I know I was going to buy one someday when I was tired of sport rideing.And the even younger croud just starting to ride wonder who they will turn to now? When the last HD rider is too old they will be left with nobody. BTW I have been on this website more than I have slept in the last 24HRS I am done on here for awile moving on and riding the crap out of the XB12! | ||
| Xbpete |
Worst corporate bean counting mind numbing decision by Wharton grads I have ever witnessed.. I will continue to marvel at the engineering and performance of my XBR, Erik built the bike I was looking to build for 40 years on a HD based power plant, he is a shining star in a sea of imploding self important HD execs. I await with great hope the next incarnation of Erik's dream and am totally at a loss over HD's actions. The video was so hard to watch, tears fell like rain, my desktop was Erik at NJMP looking at Danny when he won. That picture was and is priceless, Erik was the happiest man on the planet at that moment. The video was of the saddest man I have ever seen... I join him in my sorrow over the closure.. I look with great anticipation for Eriks next move, I am sure it will be positive, life will not keep Erik Buell down.. HARLEY DAVIDSON CAN KISS MY ARSE!~ | ||
| Cataract2 |
Blake, you might be right. What HD did looks very vindictive in how they are just shutting down Buell and not selling them. I think there is MUCH more to this and I feel that it was done to hurt Buell himself. There's no good reason they can't sell the company. This whole closing thing is just out of the blue. | ||
| Macbuell |
Gregtonn, go post a comment at that link. It won't let you write Buell. I guess Buell is now a 4 letter word, literally. I changed it to BMC and it posted correctly. (Message edited by macbuell on October 16, 2009) | ||
| B00stzx3 |
So does Erik own the name and technology patents? Fuel in frame? ZTL? under-slung exhaust? Oil in swingarm? Corner destroying handling? So it can't be bought, as HD is just shutting it down. Wonder if anyone offered to buy them up. Now I'll never get an 1125r  | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
Just got a call from Corey (Geforce) He's on a firing range getting ready to blow up a tank after gracing it with a bar and shield sticker. So much for not bashing HD  | ||
| Ezblast |
Screw HD! EZ | ||
| Rainman |
H-D as a company, well, I don't want to talk about it. My H-D dealer, where I got my blast and where I teach Riders Edge, is doing the best they can. They've treated me and my bike well, even if they didn't always get it, and they supported the brand as well as they could. They've been selling 1125rs and crs pretty well as the racing went better, but the XTs and XBs, my favorites, were slow. I can't bad mouth my dealer. They're good folks who don't get why Buellers are so upset -- just get a XR1200 -- but they're trying to listen. So, I won't bad mouth HD or the dealers. I'm just looking forward to when Buell is up and running again, maybe with Can Am on the tank or Victory or Pegasus. They'll be another Buell and I will be in line to buy one. Until then, I'm Blasting on the dark side with EZ |
