| Author | Message | ||
     Hybridmomentspass |
Maybe yall just had crap dealers near you. Hell, I've had bad experiences in Big4 dealers to, not like its limited to HD But that doesnt fit the narrative many of you want. | ||
| Figorvonbuellingham |
I didnt like Harley dealers when I rode Harleys. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Easy to pick on Harley, and they certainly were both stupid and malicious when they shut down Buell. But my experiences with Harley dealers were about the same as my experiences with all the other UJM dealers (I have owned many Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki bikes). Some dealers are awesome, some suck, some are helpful, some have inventory, some aren't and don't. True across the board. The HD had more stupid attitudes and stupid people, but they also had better inventory and better distribution. Try ordering a motor mount bolt for a Yamaha Radian... it took several months. Anyone could buy EBR and do well, anyone could buy EBR and be stupid. I just hope somebody buys them and keeps it as an intact entity, I still think the world needs what they are creating. | ||
| Jon |
Depends on where you bought your Buell. I bought my beloved X1 from Bob Dron's HD in Oakland. Bob hated the Buells. In an interview that was printed in a Moto newspaper, he likened the Buells on his showroom floor to an out of work brother in law that stayed on the couch and never worked. Ouch. Then over the hill at McGuires HD in Walnut Creek, the enthusiasm and support were very much better. Stellar, in fact. Depends. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
Folks Matt Levatich was one of the top Buell people in the company! I think he headed up the foreign sales of Buell Motorcycle Company where that division did remarkable and with his knowledge of sport bikes, he would turn the Harley Davidson dealers completely around because he knows that if Harley can't bring new younger riders into the company, it will just be a short time until that brand name is doomed! I think everyone knows the age group of Harley riders is coming to a end | ||
| Hootowl |
For the record, I was not bashing HD. Simply pointing out that it's untenable for them to carry a selection of sport bike tires because they can't move them. They'd just sit around getting old. They've got a business to run, and stocking a bunch of sport bike tires in your cruiser dealership is a bad business decision in most cases. | ||
| Hybridmomentspass |
"I think everyone knows the age group of Harley riders is coming to a end" I'd say that 'everyone' is wrong then Have you been out much, its not just old retired guys riding HDs, lots of young guys are riding them LOTS I'll give an example - stopped in a shop in Vancouver last week, was there about 45 minutes talking with the owner. In that time a dozen or so people came in, all under 40 Go to big events like Born Free in California and its almost exclusively guys under 40 Smoke Out in Rockingham - same. Brooklyn Invitational - see a trend? HD isnt losing customers, they have a huge number of young buyers (20s) I just turned 33 on Saturday, and of ALL of my friends (not facebook friends but real friends that I hang out with), there are only three of us that DONT have harleys (me with my Buells, my buddy on his Bonnie, and another on a CBX), the other 10 or so are on HDs...and of all of us that ride Im one of the oldest (the guy on the CBX is also 33) I would love to see someone with experience and knowledge pick up EBR and do something positive with it. If its HD under Matt, cool. If its someone else that has a real vision, cool. Hate to see it go to waste | ||
| Xb984r |
I see an awful lot of young guys on Harleys myself. Buell never did bring young people into Harley at any numbers that would get H-D's attention, to many other sport bikes out there that beat the XB and Blast in just about every category. When the 1125 came out it was ugly and expensive to the young crowd plus they looked at the fact it had to compete against bikes half it's size to be competitive. | ||
| Tpoppa |
I would agree that the primary buyers of XBs and 1125s weren't the "young" crowd. It was more seasoned sport bike riders that would otherwise be looking for Ducatis, Triumphs, etc. The overwhelming majority of young sport riders want I4s. HDs demographic may be changing, but it's not dying away. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Young crowd too stupid to realize the differences between a V-2 and I-4? Eh, whatever. | ||
| Hybridmomentspass |
Im sure they realize the differences, but bang for the buck many could buy a i4 with a proven engine making the same hp as a brand new v2 that was getting bad reviews. If you have no ties to the company, no loyalty to Buell, then why spend thousands more for the same or less power when you can get something that has a strong aftermarket supply and has proven to be a reliable motorcycle? Or spend the same amount and get a liter bike with all the newest gadgets and quite a bit more HP | ||
| Hootowl |
"If you have...no loyalty to Buell" "Or spend the same amount and get a liter bike with all the newest gadgets and quite a bit more HP" There it is. | ||
| Lake_bueller |
This sure has digressed  | ||
| Buelliedan |
as it normally does. | ||
| Hybridmomentspass |
Keep pounding your head Lake_ I think its working, just try it a bit harder | ||
| Jwblue |
Hybridmomentspass wrote: "why spend thousands more ... when you can get something that has ... proven to be a reliable motorcycle?" 100% This! They _never_ lost that poor reputation. - | ||
| Lake_bueller |
Keep pounding your head I've quit pounding my head over the HD/Buell relationship years ago. As for the current state of affairs....I love my two Buells. They will continue to remain in my stable for a long long time. But my next bike will probably be something from the Japanese companies (or maybe European).} | ||
| Hughlysses |
 | ||
| Lake_bueller |
^^^ That's not super old school but I definitely remember the okra days. Buell homecomings were a ton of fun!! | ||
| Steeleagle |
They still are! | ||
| 1313 |
They still are! AGREED!!! No matter what size the crowd (although bigger is always better), no matter what the weather (although fair weather is preferred), I couldn't agree more! BTW, I have NEVER seen ANY okra at Homecoming. Just sayin'... | ||
| 86129squids |
OK. THIS is a Court quextion. No "remind me to tell you" BS.... What's the whole Buell thing about Okra? I've posted for some time on BW, managed to figure a few things out, but- Don't be prejudiced about Okra. Allow me and my hon to fix you some- I'm actually growing two plants, an heirloom variety from Madisonville TN, "Red Okra". I have enough seed to provide everyone- and it's essential to make a lot of N'awlins stuff... Awesome fried! Open invitation, as long as the plants are producing.  | ||
| 86129squids |
I went up and back over the UP on the way to HC '10, thought pasties indicated an overabundance of strip clubs, until I was out of the UP, and couldn't try them. | ||
| Court |
The okra tradition started during the time that the team Elves Bonneville land speed record, that broke the record records broken in the day, visited the Buell factory to celebrate capturing the various records. I still have … Probably displayed on my bookshelf… A can of okra signed by all the beautiful people in attendance. It seems like yesterday… But that was 15 years ago. | ||
| Classax |
Im sure they realize the differences, but bang for the buck many could buy a i4 with a proven engine making the same hp as a brand new v2 that was getting bad reviews. The is a separate bang for the buck to be found if: A: You don't like I4 power delivery and prefer v twins B: You enjoy not having the same bike everyone else has C: You prefer a machine optimized for cornering D: It fits you ergonomically. I admit even my RX has had more niggling issues than I would prefer but it has never left me stranded and all the fixes turned out to be fairly easy. PS the 1125 was ugly because HD wanted it that way, a full fairing cleans that bike up rather nicely. | ||
| Tankhead |
Yeah but why Okra? What is the joke? | ||
| Tpoppa |
A: You don't like I4 power delivery and prefer v twins I still think this is a myth. It's true that if a I4 is tuned for max top end the low rpms will suffer to some degree. But what if an I4 is tuned for bottom and mid? Look at this dyno. It has the flat torque curve of a well sorted twin. It's a Kawasaki Z1000. The numbers are nearly the same as an 1125R. http://www.ridermagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/20 14/04/web-2014-Kawasaki-Z1000-ABS-dyno-run-CHART.j pg (Message edited by tpoppa on July 23, 2015) | ||
| Hootowl |
"I still have … Probably displayed on my bookshelf" I still have...encased in carbonite (or a cardboard tube in my garage) a large format printout of said LSR motorcycle, signed by the team, that was on display during that event. Has it been 15 years? Sheesh! | ||
| Jaimec |
Tpoppa: The original BMW flying bricks were all known for their flat torque curves and bottom-end grunt. The "Long Bang" engine used in the Yamaha YZF-R1 (based on the MotoGP YZF-M1) also produces a long flat torque curve with the added bonus of a screaming high top end. | ||
| Bartimus |
The is a separate bang for the buck to be found if: A: You don't like I4 power delivery and prefer v twins B: You enjoy not having the same bike everyone else has C: You prefer a machine optimized for cornering D: It fits you ergonomically. Just to add my 2 cents. I've been a Buelligan since '95 when I bought my first S2. I've owned 9 Buells at one time, and still own 2. With my 1125, I've grown weary of the "box of marbles" engine sound, am pretty pissed about the gas pissing out the vent every time I park it, and really don't enjoy draining oil out of both sides of the engine, or an oil filter that pukes on the bike and kickstand when I change it. I DO LOVE the handling, I've NEVER ridden a bike that handles better than my Buells. I do Love the awesome Torque when I twist the throttle coming out of a curve. I do Believe they are the best bang for the buck if you want a "TRUE" sportbike that will outrun anything in the curves. But I still dislike the quirks. That being said, last year I bought a '14 Ninja1000 thinking it might replace the 1125. It came with hard bags, upright bars, and I installed a set of Buell XB12s pegs Makes about 135HP at the crank, and is supposed to be tuned for more midrange. (if you say so...) Coming from a v-twin, the torque on the I-4 is laughable. Kawasaki's idea of suspension on a sport touring bike is laughable as well. The bike handles ok, but does get unsettled due to the lack of real suspension components that are not fully adjustable. I laugh to myself every time I fill the gas tank, take off, and can feel the tank sloshing in the tank, causing the bike to wobble slightly as the gas moves from side to side. fuel in Frame? The ONLY way to go in my opinion. The smooth I-4 engine is sweet, despite it's lack of torque, it does spin up quickly, and it's smoooooooooth. no box of rocks, just a sweet sewing machine kind of sound. :-/ The Ninja has quickly become my go to bike for running to work, running errands, and going long distances on curvy roads. It's smooth, predictable motor is pretty enjoyable in all situations. Unlike the 1125 which hates being ridden around town in stop and go traffic. The 1125 is parked in a climate controlled, carpeted room, waiting for the days I choose to go out on my favorite twistys, and ride like the Buelligan I am. I wasn't interested in the EBR's because they are not the kind of bike I am looking to purchase. I do not need a street legal race bike. I do understand that that is where Eriks passion is, with racing... What I WANT is a great sport TOURING bike. I understand there is not a profitable market for that kind of bike, and don't expect one to be designed anytime soon. I'm not interested in Motus, nothing there can compare with a Buell IMO. If only the Ninja had belt drive... |
