| Author | Message | ||
     Cyclonedon |
Nobuell, I agree with you on most of your post. I also think that the EBR motorcycles are designed for the younger riders that can't afford $18,000 motorcycles when you can purchase Japanese I4 motorcycles for much less! We are always talking about the makeup of the typical Harley rider is getting up in age, I think the same holds true for the Buell riders. I've been to many Buell Homecomings and the faithful are defiantly getting up in age(such as I am) and want a more comfortable motorcycle to ride these days! I've sit on both the 1190RX and the 1190SX and I wouldn't even want to test ride either of those because there just not a comfortable motorcycle for my likings! I'll just continue to ride my Ulysses until a comparable replacement is made! If I was buying a new motorcycle today, the Triumph Bonnieville would be my choice! | ||
| Rex |
My Bonneville is fantastic! Great riding position, handles great, runs good, always starts first time, easy to ride, etc. Great bike | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
Bring back the tuber ! | ||
| Nobuell |
Cyclonedon - I agree. The Ducati's, KTM's, Aprilia's etc. most likely go to more established clientele unless being considered for the track. It will be a very tough for a new bike company competing in that market. From what I have seen and heard, nobody could market much worse than EBR did. About the only good idea I saw was the traveling Corey show since the cost had to be very low. Getting folks interested at the club track level could certainly raise enthusiasm as part of a good marketing plan. The other would be to not race if doing well is not achievable. You will not sell many bike finishing almost last or breaking down. I do want the new entity to be a success. I would sure like to be able to order race parts from them again. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I have sympathy for dealers that were burned... But not selling bikes from a company that has had financial troubles and burned dealers pretty much means you are selling Yamaha, Suzuki, or Kawasaki. No Triumph, no Norton, no Indian, no Harley Davidson, no Aprilla, no Ducati, etc. Its a risky, ballsy, feast and famine business. My neighbor is taking his BMW to get serviced. He had to hook up the trailer, load up the bike, drive it two hours north (he could have driven it two hours west too), and he will drop it off and drive two hours back. In a few days, he will jump back in the jeep and make another 4 hour round trip to fetch it. And it's not like we are in rural new mexico here... we are 15 minutes from Cincinnati. Yet BMW is declared as thriving. I don't think it takes as many dealers these days. In 100,000+ miles of Buelling, I only had to actually take my bike to a dealer once (for the M2 shock recall). The rest, frankly, would have gone better by mail order. Heck, the shock would have gone better by email too, the HD dealer ordered me a shock, confirmed it was on the shelf waiting for me, then when I got there it had magically vanished and I had to wait another month until they got one in. My "local" dealers are Al and Pammy. | ||
| Tpoppa |
I thought the Cory West trackday thing was a decent idea to get some exposure. When the timing is right maybe that idea could be dusted off. Race teams now...NOPE. Don't build anymore RX or SX until the one's sitting in show rooms are sold. Lot's of buyers would be more willing to give EBR a chance with a beginner bike or middleweight than dropping $15k+ on a company that has been on shaky ground. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
Maybe a $14,000 - $15,000 AX model I would go for but $17,000 for an RX or SX model that I couldn't comfortably ride longer than a Half hour? Not for me! I'll stick with my Ulysses! | ||
| Macbuell |
I understand and share Erik's passion for motorcycles. But it is a VERY tough business for start ups and small businesses. | ||
| Terrys1980 |
The RXs were down to $15k just before the shutdown. All the I4 1000s are close to or more than $15k. | ||
| Milar |
At $2.25 million one wonders why Erik didn't buy it. I'm sure he knows a lot of rich guys for whom that is chump change. The court valued the assets at $20 million. Plenty of collateral for a loan. Odd he would let it go so cheap. M | ||
| Hybridmomentspass |
It is surprising that this all went for that little (I say that, 2 mill is still a lot of money, but not for what would be included...you know, a COMPLETE AUTO MANUFACTURER!). It is surprising that there were only 3 bidders I wonder why this is - are people scared of it? | ||
| Reepicheep |
He couldn't buy it, and he didn't own it. It went into receivership, so the receiver "owned" it. And under the rules of receivership, he couldn't be the buyer (nor could Hero). That prevents receivership from being used as an arbitrary "reset" switch to escape from debts. And there were $20M in assets, but also $20M in debt. I doubt you could get a loan on that. That being said Milar, it kind of seems to me, that exactly what you are proposing, may have happened... | ||
| Ljm |
For my part, want to see them start slow, build a constituency, get the bikes out there in the hands of club racers and enthusiasts, and let it grow from there. I am not so much interested in racing, at least at the WSBK level, but be nice to see some incentives for higher-level privateers in MotoAmerica. That being said, the next generation needs to come along pretty soon. Like the middleweights or whatever they had in mind. I also hope that they connect with those of us out here. I can tell you that we are probably the best advertising for nothing they can get. | ||
| Lake_bueller |
Why hasn't anybody brought up the obvious...where's Mr. Belfer on BWB? You think he'd show a little enthusiasm on the world's largest Buell owner's forum??? I would personally like to see him (or a representative from Atlantic Metal Group) make some intro/comment. | ||
| Ljm |
Well, he is on the 1190 owners fb page | ||
| Lake_bueller |
^^ I didn't even know there was a FB page for 1190 owners. I can't seem to find it in a search. | ||
| Snacktoast |
"EBR 1190 Owners Group" is your search on FB | ||
| Froggy |
https://www.facebook.com/groups/289943317829883 | ||
| Froggy |
- Bruce Belfer | ||
| Hughlysses |
Article at motorcycle.com: http://blog.motorcycle.com/2015/08/07/industry-new s/new-owners-erik-buell-racing/ Quote from the article:
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| Crusty |
I took an 1190 SX out on a demo ride last September. It's a lot more comfortable that you'd think. I don't know how it would be for 10 hour days, but I honestly believe it would be a lot more comfortable than folks think. Mike told me that EBR was working on a windshield and soft bags for it. At the time, I was locked into "Sport-Tourer"( i.e., fairing and hard bags); but I've been traveling all over the country on a Sportster that has a windshield and soft bags this summer, and I'd love to have an SX set up the same way my Sportster is. I'd buy one in a heartbeat, if I had any money. I think I'll buy a Lottery ticket. | ||
| Hughlysses |
+1 to what Crusty said. I think I'd want slightly lower pegs, but the seat that looks like a 1/2" piece of foam was actually more comfortable than the stock seat on the XB_R and 1125's. | ||
| Froggy |
The stock ones are adjustable, but I do understand you may want them lower than what you can get stock.
Indeed it is. Comfort on the 1190RX is greater than my Ulysses  | ||
| Snacktoast |
The stock ones are adjustable... No, they are not. People keep saying this, but it's incorrect to say this about the stock folding pegs. The only way you can mount a peg in another position on the rearsets is to install a rigid mount peg - not ideal for a street application. } | ||
| Hughlysses |
Snacktoast- I thought the stock pegs could be unbolted from their folding mechanisms and be bolted directly to the peg brackets on the frame in a different position? What I mean is, you don't have to buy extra parts to do this. | ||
| Newmans3 |
Test drove an SX a few months back, surprised how comfortable the seat was, at least it was for that 20 minutes!! (Message edited by newmans3 on August 07, 2015) | ||
| Reepicheep |
Oh my. http://www.crankyape.com/default.asp?pg=DispSingle Item&ItemNumber=56848 $7500 buy it now. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Ouch! Is that a dealership's demo or something? | ||
| Hughlysses |
^ I saw on another forum where at least one person had bought an SX at that price. Man, you have to wonder where EBR goes based on this. The $2000-$4000 discounts prior to closure were "factory incentives", which I'd guess were paid to the dealers by the factory. Now you've had dealers unloading new bikes for $7,500-$10,000 for 3 months. It'll be hard to try to sell these same bikes for ~$15k again. There are also apparently a number of unshipped bikes at the factory and parts to build (many?) more. Where does EBR go from here with the 1190's? Offer even bigger sales incentives? Offer "retroactive" sales incentives to the dealers that unloaded their bikes? Do you finish the bikes at the factory and send them out? What alternative is there?  I'm guessing there's a plan; it'll be very interesting to see what it is. (Message edited by Hughlysses on August 07, 2015) | ||
| Reepicheep |
That's a salvage company. So the bike you are buying from them may have a salvage title, or may have been repossessed by a bank, who knows. My alarm around that particular bike is twofold, because the damn thing is close. One of two things will happen: 1) I will buy it. 2) I won't buy it, and I'll spend the next 10 years kicking my own ass for not buying it. It's a freaking brand new SX for under $8k. What the hell was I thinking not buying it? Right now I'm leaning towards the latter mistake. But the day is young. |
