So, if this is an opportunity for wild speculation or rational planning, I hope whoever wants to pull this off immediately implements a plan of action, while putting the game plan together, to support Buell privateers and amateurs, and the Buell drag racers. Keep the brand in front of the fans and in the motorcycle media.
Motorcycles are a hobby for most people, so expectations in the current economy have to preclude unrealistic expectations, both by investors and management.
Motorcycles are a business and often a hobby for dealers. It shouldn't hurt independent and multi-brand outlets to add another bike to their line-up. Just yesterday I drove past the Kwacker-Ridley-Chi-com scooter outlet in a decent business district in St. Louis. Empty and for lease. I was surprised, but the lease may have been too costly for their current sales environment.
While the dollar is down, Buell prices will be more attractive to the overseas market.
The country is littered with empty factory space.
Adding a line of products targeted to the current economic climate and the few growth areas for our domestic markets, under the company umbrella, might be attractive to investors who want the company to spread it's products away from being a one trick pony. Build medical equipment, like wheelchairs, hospital beds, or rehabilitation equipment that might benefit from the eye and mind of an Erik Buell. Perhaps alternative fuel or high mileage scooters.
IF he is going to work for Harley as has been suggested by several sources (including the video), that could be a good sign.
I can't believe he would stay on to tweak sportsters. I'd think they'd have to make some promises to keep his concepts and a racing program alive.
There was a lot of talk about the Harley "brand" and we have been assuming/interpreting those statements to mean they will keep their outdated way of doing things while cutting Buell loose.
There's at least some possibility that Harley realizes they need to have some innovation associated with the actual Harley brand rather than having all of their best products being made by a company they own but that isn't directly identified as "Harley".
If I was on the Harley board, I'd rather have Erik's innovation used to illustrate that Harley can make performance bikes . . . and I'd want to go racing.
Is it presumtuous of us to assume that Harley will always stay as mired in tradition as they have for the past 20 years?
. . . but that would certainly be a break with tradition. But the XR1200 is at least something of a break with tradition, isn't it?
I said as much to Court. I believe for HD to do otherwise would be totally insane. Like it or not, the Harley name carries a lot of weight and they have a long history and heritage. They must attract the next generation - period.
. . . There may very well be some Harley board members who got sick of hearing "Buell" Buell" "Buell" every time they turned on Speed, and they may have asked the pointed question: "Why aren't we hearing 'Harley' Harley' 'Harley'?
Harley-Davidson is simply too small, too confining and lacks a cogent vision of the future to allow Buell to thrive.
Well, Court, in this I think we are in total agreement.
Harley-Davidson has always been too myopically focused on big twin cruisers to ever make the investment required--not only in money, but in risk tolerance, and emotional commitment--to make Buell a roaring success.
I would love to see Buell start again without an overbearing parent to prevent it from expanding. I don't know where the capital would come from. I don't know when the economy will improve enough to make a motorcycle startup viable.
But I'd love to see Buell be able to build what they want, without some fuddy-duddy corporation holding the reins.
As distasteful as it would be to us in some ways, a $30,000 street version of the 1125RR with full fairing and Black and Orange paint scheme would probably sell twice as many units in its first year as all models of Buell combined in their best year.
Is it presumtuous of us to assume that Harley will always stay as mired in tradition as they have for the past 20 years?
No. Not at all. Harley-Davidson is a major American Corporation. Sure, they may have Willie G and Bill, but the central operations of the company are run by MBAs and Lawyers. I don't know which is worse, although, as an MBA myself, my choice is Lawyers. Lawyers suck.
But, often, MBAs do, too. And it's pointless to talk to either group about passion, or the joy of motorcycling.
But investors who DO understand passion, commitment, and the joy of motorcycling are what Erik needs, if, indeed, he's gonna try to start over. And those guys just don't work at the management level of HD.
Elvis, what you said, while true, will get you tar and feathered by some around here.
I wonder if Warren Buffet might be interested. He has more money than God. He certainly doesn't need more money. Perhaps, at his age, the joy of watching a company grow and prosper could be enough incentive. He already owns Geico. Buell could get their own cute little gecko.
From DMG: “The Harley category is quite clearly because we think it’s ludicrous that that the largest selling brand in this country and the largest body of motorcyclists in this country are totally ignored when it comes to road racing,” explains Edmondson.
The more I learn the more I'm convinced the closing of Buell is less about Buell and more about Harley. I see Buell's closing as a consolidation of efforts under the Harley name, which as a brand, is as recognizable as Coca -Cola.
Anonymous
Posted on Sunday, October 18, 2009 - 05:00 pm:
Sorry, Elvis, that isn't true and isn't going to happen. They tried it with the VR, the Street Rod and more. H-D also took re-labeling Buells as H-D's out into the sportbike market for study/focus groups, etc. and it was a FAIL with them. Not a sportbike brand.
That was why they shut Buell down once and for all. H-D is going to focus on making their style/brand/image work with younger generations. End of story. No more sportbikes from H-D.
Unless you consider the XR1200R a sportbike. If so, you'll be satisfied. Just remember not to compare lap times when they get to New Jersey, best XR lap vs. best Taylor/Cory 1125RR lap.
I am no mougle but H-D is only making enemies so to speak they are not gaining customers that I can see. The thing I can't get is why the company born in a barn in 1903 is killing the company born in a barn in 1983. The American dream is in dire need of a boost here and H-D is broke so give Buell the opp. to live by leasing the Troy plant heck hold back the lump motor if you must but cut loose the platform so the XB model can be built with say the now defundt suzuki sv 1000 motor. The 1125 lines That would be enough and the investors do the rest. That would be doing all that H-D could do
From what I understand, Erik has plenty of designs Harley knows nothing about (Court correct me if I am wrong as I heard it from you)... This should free him from any non-compete verbage... Then wouldn't it just be a matter of raising capital? I don't understand him continuing to work for Harley at all... I know I wouldn't want to deal with the stuffed shirts every day that canned 200 of my "family" on a whim. I most definitely will never buy a Road King now, I would much rather have a nice touring Beemer or a lowered S2.
i posted this on another thread and thought i would ad it here as well.
on an optimistic note...
anytime a red light happens anywhere, a green light comes on in a different direction...and you can also make a right turn as well
i think Erik has made several "right turns" or gone in different directions in the past when a red light came out of nowhere and i can't wait to see the road he heads down as he accelerates away from this one.
