| Author | Message | |||
     Court |
I'll be getting the ADDRESS LIST to Mark and we'll get it posted here in the next day or so. The plan, at this moment, is for letters to fly next Tuesday. This way . . when folks return from Thanksgiving they should all have arrived. Done right . . . this could be effective. | |||
| Xbrad9r |
i think wording along similar lines as the "kneeslider.com's unfinished business" story would be highly effective. | |||
| Xbrad9r |
so this could fittingly end up being called the "1125 uprising" (11/25)- the date when all the letters are making their way | |||
| Psychobueller |
I'm in. Buell 'till the end. | |||
| Blasterd |
I'm in! We will all be waiting for that list Court, I know I want my voice heard. | |||
| Rpm4x4 |
so this could fittingly end up being called the "1125 uprising" (11/25)- the date when all the letters are making their way  | |||
| Blasterd |
Originally Posted by Dragonslayer : ...Willie G. Davidson isn't even worthy to wipe the sweat from Erik Buell's forehead. | |||
| Gregtonn |
Court, Once again I have to say thank you. I owe you more than one. Some day when you least expect it someone will walk up to you and say..."Do you remember when we traded spark plug gauges? Lake Geneva I believe it was." G | |||
| Hex |
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| Lemonchili_x1 |
Hey folks, I kinda lost this thread for a few days while concentrating on other things. The idea is for a whole heap of letters to arrive at the same time? Get me addresses and I'll mail some letters, they may be a few days behind you guys though. Xbrad9r and I are continuing to make noise on H-D's facebook page too  "Little beat big when little smart. First with the head, then with the heart. You can remember that?" | |||
| 86129squids |
Bump! I'll be ready to burn up the keyboard by Monday- will have to, actually, before I head out-of-town for the holidays. Court, et al, if you please, can someone post a good "cliff-notes" version of talking points- verifiable facts and highly educated guesses, not just hearsay and innuendo- that I could use as stone and mortar in my arguments? Since the 10/15 announcement, we've had the benefit of time passing and many inquiring minds who are PISSED about Buell's treatment- plenty of time to gather ammunition for the counterattack. I look at HD's action as a tactical ambush, dirty pool for sure- BUT THE WAR FOR BUELL IS FAR FROM OVER. Looking forward to the long, inclusive list of addresses to be sending letters to, soon... PS- anyone have some good ideas for combining the AMF logo with Buell's in a decal or patch? | |||
| Hex |
Seeing how HFL used my Free Erik Buell design, I've been working on a hat, maybe they'll see it here and produce it as well...  | |||
| Xbrad9r |
thanks Lemonchili... the backlash from the Harley folks has backed off, I think they are not so anti-Buell now that we have posted some things to back our opinions. I hung another hornet's nest up, we'll see if anyone pokes it with a stick. here is my H-D facebook post for today... Harley --- you are given the opportunity by AMF to continue to stay alive, you help get tariffs placed on large displacement foreign bikes to help your business, and then the government pulls the "mango-motorcycle swap" to help you grow your business. But you, in return, do not give Buell any options, you decide to pull the plug. I hope everyone takes note of how you "do business" and never offers a helping hand again...TAKE, TAKE, TAKE, but never give, it's the Harley way it appears. | |||
| Hex |
Court, does this mean we no need to rite to good--EBR? Hex | |||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
Hex, can you speak English? | |||
| Hex |
English Second Language... Translation: Court, is the letter writing campaign officially scrubbed? | |||
| Babired |
sorry Court for being slow on the other thread I got caught up with Rider's Edge mess and a dysfunctional HD shop and trying to maintain my RE certification. | |||
| Wolfridgerider |
Court, is the letter writing campaign officially scrubbed? its in a holding pattern for now.... I know I will need to change some of the wording in mine.... and maybe change who I'm sending it to. | |||
| Court |
>>>>Court, is the letter writing campaign officially scrubbed? Not necessarily. Hold for now. It may be just a wording change. I've got the mailing list and talking points list and will visit with you tomorrow. For now . . hold, don't abate. | |||
| Mndwgz |
1. BMC is still being held hostage. 2. Erik has been set free. 3. The moco still has "some 'splainin to do, Lucy". Now holding for more 1125s' and the B2. | |||
| Wolfridgerider |
Mailing Address: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel C/O Chuck Melvin P.O. Box 371 Milwaukee, WI 53201 According to the MJS website, Chuck is the Assistant Managing Editor for business... Just got off the phone with Court and the general consensus is, we should write to the MJS. We don't want to flame H-D at this point.... But we would like to encourage them to let Erik build street bikes that have no H-D parts in them.... Like the new CudaII They just need a gentle nudge in the right direction.... | |||
| Brumbear |
OTAY PANKY but I gotta tweak the letter a bit try to mail it tomorrow | |||
| Brumbear |
Would this be acceptable
| |||
| Wolfridgerider |
I like it.... | |||
| P47b |
+1 Brumbear Court Need some help on this. As a next step or thought. As I was doing some phone calls last Tuesday asking for help and some ideas. There was a comment made by the Representatives, & Senators, secretary that we need to talk to the Governor about this. I have found out thru them that the state of Wisconsin gives concessions to Harley, as any good state should do. My thought now is, even for a company like Buell that exports parts out of the US, to figure out a way of getting some sort of a concession for Buell to help keep them going. Or am I opening my mouth for something that needs to be left alone for them I know that Buell is still under Harley but some how I don’t see much of that going to them. Just a thought. Throwing that out there to get some more thoughts on it. | |||
| Xbrad9r |
Are the East Troy officials that were trying to help (post 10/15) a part of EBR's birth? If so, we need to offer them a huge thank you. Will they offer help to Erik when the current lease runs out and Erik has the chance to take it over? Just wondering if they played a part in what has happened and if they can play a part helping in the futre. (Message edited by xbrad9r on November 22, 2009) | |||
| Iman501 |
alright guys, so i'm a little confused as to whats going on anymore regarding these letters, if its not to late, i'd love to participate. i understand that the letters arent to bash harley, but is in fact a more buisiness like formal letter regarding the shutdown of BMC. are we going to be sending these letters via snail mail, or email?, and also are the letters going to one place, or should i make multiple copies of my letter to send to multiple places? | |||
| Oldog |
Some thoughts for the letters Sir: It has come to the attention of a group of owners of Buell motorcycles and stock holders of HD, That the closing of the Buell motorcycle division of Harley Davidson, May have been brought about for reasons that have Little to do with business and are in explicable in any accounting or busine terms, The employees of Buell and the stock holders of HD need the assistance of a responcible and respected media outlet to investigate the situation and bring to light a possibly illegal act by senior managers at HD, with reguards to Wisconcin Based Buell. HD who is suffering in the market has shut the division down, and by all accounting and logical reasons should not have when only idling the work force may have been all that was needed. Additionaly millions of dollars have been spent buying contracts out and fire-saling the Buell produce to "GET RID OF IT" We have been able to determine that Buells product sales have improved over the past several years, They were poised to bring new customers to HD, with a national Roadracing championship this year, They have designed and built cutting edge products that ARE gaining acceptance, in the World market as "superior" - and "Unique" What is even harder to understand is that in light of the finnancial Plight of HD their unyeilding refusal to sell / release Buell patents and rights, HD purchased a poorly performing Italian Company prior to this closing and is now attempting to sell it as well, This defies logic as to why HD will not sell the Buell Business to Erik Buell its founder and allow him to proceed to build american sport and street motor cycles with local labor, With jobs being lost to cost pressures from off shore manufactuers, Buell was efficent, and produced not only high quality sports machines, but rugged transportation, and even an economical training cycle used by many schools, They did this paying US wage scale, They were price competitive, Innovative and responcive to their customers wants and needs. In short in this day of second rate products here is an american manufactuer producing quality goods is seems odd that they should be closed I believe that this merits serious attention by a competent and commited orginisation and a group of truth seeking journalists to dig deeper into this situatuon your audience deserve the truth, the folks at Buell deserve the truth Please spend time to get information on the Buell marque's Unique history as a perspective will help sharpen the incongruity of this situation Thanks you for your attention.. Do you think that say 2 or 3 hundered of these hand written might get some ones attention or am I totaly off base? | |||
| Jon |
Save your ink. They did wrong; they are NOT invited to my birthday and that is final. | |||
| Court |
We are sending the letters by snail mail . . snail mail, unlike e-mail, must be dealt with. I'd suggest that if folks are going to write only one letter that it goes to: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel C/O Chuck Melvin P.O. Box 371 Milwaukee, WI 53201 I'm going to be sending 4 letters today and will be using material from the list below. My POINT is that Harley-Davidson, regardless of motivation, is free to do what they choose with regard to Buell. However fairness, equity and public interest supports allowing Buell access to the "useless technology" to build street legal motorcycles, create and save jobs and succeed or fail on their own merits. Some points my letters will include today:
I have been a Buell owner since 1989 and am familiar with some of the amazing history and Buell's reputation as a premier American manufacturer. I hope that in view of the above that Buell owners can compel Harley-Davidson to release certain Buell technology and assets, those not "integrated" into the Harley-Davidson system that they have stated they have no intention of using, to allow Erik Buell to continue building street legal motorcycles. This decision would simultaneously benefit Harley-Davidson, Buell, American manufacturing and entrepreneurism and the local Walworth County economy. In a time where unemployment continues to rise I understand Harley-Davidson needing to make tough business decisions. I do not understand them needlessly and capriciously denying a creative group of people the ability to save and create jobs, build innovative products and to grow and prosper in Wisconsin. |
