| Author | Message | ||
     Hughlysses |
I don't doubt that this story is true, but there is still nothing about it on EBR's webpage or FB page, and nothing about it on LAP's FB page. It also seems very odd that the press release came out after normal business hours last night. Maybe Court or an Anony will fill us in today. | ||
| Reepicheep |
After work on a Thursday is when a lot of companies tell their people their position is being eliminated. Tell them to take a three day weekend, and come back the following Monday, and start planning the wind down. | ||
| Upthemaiden |
"After work on a Thursday is when a lot of companies tell their people their position is being eliminated." Via Office Space: Peter Gibbons: You're gonna lay off Samir and Michael? Bob Slydell: Oh yeah, we're gonna bring in some entry-level graduates, farm some work out to Singapore, that's the usual deal. Bob Porter: Standard operating procedure. Peter Gibbons: Do they know this yet? Bob Slydell: No. No, of course not. We find it's always better to fire people on a Friday. Studies have statistically shown that there's less chance of an incident if you do it at the end of the week.  | ||
| Hughlysses |
Maybe Erik had a meeting with the Bobs. | ||
| 86129squids |
This sucks giant, hairy, stinky goat balls. A world without Erik Buell's fantastic machinery is a pretty bleak and grey place... That said, I'm with Joe on several levels. I got rid of my Triumph 955 Sprint ST because I faced the reality that I used to be fast, and although I loved the power, character, and beauty (thanks again Vern!) of that bike, I really need to stick with my more mundane and sane BMW. I've seen what Frogs can do with his bike- WOW, but no thanks. Many manufacturers are trending toward smaller bikes... I doubt EBR could afford the resources to diversify in that direction, but it makes you wonder. HAAATE this for Erik and the Elves, for sure. FWIW, a good buddy let me know that a Knoxville area CL ad listed a white 09 Ulysses, with 20K miles, for just $3000...  Whoops, just looked, I guess someone bought it. DANG I wish I'd had the extra scratch! (Message edited by 86129squids on January 27, 2017) | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
Sorry to say this, but... I called it. I don't think it comes as much of a surprise. Despite what anyone says bike sales across the board are anemic. A lot of competition fighting over a diminishing market segment - liter bikes. Factor in a crappy economy and the high cost of insuring one of these beasts and EBR ,with their one-trick bike, was doomed from the onset. A different time - a different era and things might have succeeded. Mr. Buell reminds me of the character, Jaguar Paw, from the movie, Apocalypto, who is given the nickname, "Almost". The story of Erik Buell's motorcycle career - Almost ! | ||
| 86129squids |
...just got my latest issue of MCN. Kinda sad to read it, given today's news, but what the hey. BMW's little 300cc bikes look neat, and I've got a serious chub over that Ducati "Desert Sled"...  | ||
| S1owner |
American made bikes is a tough market. Victory shut down have not made profit in several years. Sad they are both here in the midwest. Only benefit for Polaris is they sre shifting all the effort to the Indian. Would be nice to see that flat tracker hit production | ||
| Hughlysses |
Despite what anyone says bike sales across the board are anemic. Not for everybody: http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/ducati-reports -2016-was-another-record-year-for-its-motorcycle-s ales/ | ||
| Lake_bueller |
^^^ A quick takeaway from the above link: " sales of bikes in the Multistrada family were up by 16% compared to 2015. The renewed Hypermotard family enjoyed double-digit growth (+15%) Moreover, during its second year on international markets, the Ducati Scrambler brand extended its worldwide success: over 15,500 bikes were delivered" Build a bike that people want and they'll buy it. The "new" Scrambler is 27% of Ducati's overall sales. Most "urban riders" don't want/need a high powered machine. They want something small, light and easy to ride. To be perfectly honest, I've been a Buell supporter and rider for 20 years. But there is nothing in their current line-up that meets my needs. Revised version of the S3T or Uly....I'd probably own a new EBR. | ||
| 89rs1200 |
I have three S3T with a total of over 250K miles on them. Was hoping he would build a replacement for the S3T. I am not alone in this because others on BadWeb have also asked for and S3T replacement. Aghhhh! What a year already! Trump, and now this and it is only January. | ||
| Steveford |
Sad news. My condolences to Erik and the entire EBR team. My garage is mostly European bikes nowadays but I'm on a Buell most of the time. | ||
| Jon |
Will the tubers will be easier to maintain in the future than the XB line? | ||
| Steveford |
Probably about the same. There's a lot of aftermarket parts for both line ups and Fruitster parts are easy enough to get. | ||
| Ducley |
"I retired January 2nd and planned to buy an SX after we sell our house in the next couple of months. So much for my retirement present." I've got a couple of years left but I was thinking the same thing. Nuts. So do I trade up from my S3T to a Uly instead? | ||
| Zac4mac |
My experience with an 09 Uly says... do it. | ||
| Macbuell |
That Ducati Desert Sled is the coolest bike I've seen since the XB was introduced. | ||
| Phelan |
Just thought I'd throw in my $.02. A lot of people say EBR should have made smaller bikes. The only reason they didn't have a smaller bike is because they couldn't afford the R&D to make it. The only reason the 1190s came to life is because 90% of the R&D was done with Buell for the Baracuda. It's not that they wanted to start with an expensive sport bike with low dividends. Erik and the others aren't stupid. It was either make the 1190 or make nothing at all, because that's all they could afford to build. They were in playoff mode as soon as they opened the doors at EBR in 2010. They hoped the sales would net them enough to eventually grow to make more popular bikes to fund Erik's racing desires, but that just didn't happen. He knew the risks and found it worthwhile to try anyway rather than sit back and build nothing. Just because EBR went under does not mean they were a failure. Some great bikes came out of it, that happened to match Erik's vision and desire to build an American Superbike. I'm glad that he was successful to that extent of seeing his long owned vision come to fruition. | ||
| 86129squids |
True, dat. The evolution of the stillborn Barracuda into the 1190 models was much fun to witness- truly beautiful bikes from all angles. MUCH too small of a market niche to occupy and succeed though. "What if"... EBR's merger with Hero had been successful? DANG if that might have produced some neat machinery by now. | ||
| Hughlysses |
+1 Ross. | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
If you read the article Ducati's sales growth came from outside the U.S. and look at the type of bikes that brought them that increase - not the Panigale. | ||
| Damnut |
A extremely small glimmer of hope?  | ||
| 86129squids |
  | ||
| Hughlysses |
I'm guessing he hasn't bought it yet, but he's trying. This is VERY interesting in light of that other story I posted about Cleveland Cycle Werks.  | ||
| Dave |
http://clevelandcyclewerks.com/blog/2017/1/27/pres s-release DAve | ||
| Dave |
US support, dealer network, larger displacement.... DAve | ||
| Panshovevo |
Seriously, a 125cc FXR??? OMG! All I gotta say is I still want an 1190 or bigger, but I have enough parts to keep an 1125 running for quite a while, I think, and if I can't get my hands on a bigger one, my 1125 never fails to stretch my arms and my grin muscles. | ||
| Sprintst |
Frankly, I hope Bruce steers clear.....I really don't think another come back has a prayer, but if someone can prove me wrong......great sadly, if Bruce or Polaris had bought EBR instead of LAP, there was some hope....but I always felt LAP would finish WIP, sell it, then liquidate the company | ||
| Upthemaiden |
"A extremely small glimmer of hope? " Don't toy with my emotions..... Honestly, I'd say their ability to continue on would all depend on how they're able to handle the transition in regards to the public and how things are viewed. IF Belfer was to buy them, and EBR was viewed as just "stopping production" while the ownership changed hands, I don't see any real problems. They would've managed to come out from under a liquidation company to a genuine investor, and I'd consider that a positive thing. If the story is that "Buell failed again...." and people think he's just coming back and trying AGAIN, I don't see much hope. It would need to be handled in a manner that it's viewed as a simple transfer of ownership, and not one more closing/attempt at comeback. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Action Powersports just posted fire sale prices on remaining 2016 models: $9999 for RX, $8999 for SX. |
