| Author | Message | ||
     Loki |
Gotta like this one. A brand new dealership just opened down the street from me. Not much on the floor that is Buell related. I had four part numbers in hand that I was looking for. Walked up to the parts counter, plopped the paper on the counter. Parts type plugs the numbers into the computer. Of the four numbers two were in stock. They actually had the millenium foot pegs in stock. They have yet to sell one Buell let alone a tubed Buell. The other two part numbers(see above) had to be ordered. I was impressed they even had any of the four in stock. Loki | ||
| Jsunstar |
2 of the dealers around here (out of 3 i had asked) are doing away with buells all together. bikes and parts... one tried toi sell all of their stock to a bunch of surrounding dealers cHEAP but had no luck... sounds bad to me...very bad | ||
| Spiderman |
J your sellin your bike ?!?! Just saw it on E-bay. | ||
| Y2k01x1 |
Loki- Thanks for the advice. I'm gonna give them another shot and, if necessary, try another dealer. The thought of the parts supply suddenly drying up is 'kinda scary. More so because the '03 models have barely begun to ship and many dealers are still trying to unload '02 models. Would not bode well for Buell if the dealers, current owners, or prospective owners started believing that BMC would turn its back on them just as soon as their particular model was no longer in production. I like the fact that many "basic" X1 parts (mostly motor/trans related) are interchangeable with Sportster parts. Aftermarket parts will be available for a while, but because the number of tube framers on the road will never increase and will only decrease from here on out, at some point they will be forced to turn their attention toward a larger audience. Many so called "Buell parts" only exist because they are also applicable to the Sporty's or they were originally Sporty parts which happen to fit and work on Buells. What aftermarket manufacturer would choose to limit its revenue ($) by continuing to focus its energy on products being demanded by a very small (and getting smaller) group of consumers? A few do, and succeed, often because their products or services are the very finest available, and their customers pay quite a hefty premium for the privilege. What about those small "Buell only" parts that can't be cut from billet or chromed? May not be financially feasible for anyone to spend/waste their time making them. Once the leftovers are gone, they're gone. Talented individuals with the necessary tools and equipment will be burning the midnight oil churning out "one-offs". But hey...I don't want anyone to think that i'm predicting the end of the world. I thought we were just playing "what if?". Bob | ||
| Jsunstar |
i have to sell it, the house needs work... i dont wanna sell it. I cant ride 2 up on it with a 6' tall girlfriend so the sporty has to stay (if she would learn to ride, i would sell the sporty, but she likes to sit on the back and sightsee...)If i come up with some extra cash, im not gonna sell it. im loosing alot of $$ at the selling price on ebay ...im sure you know how it goes, the bike gets all the attention. owell, we will see how it goes. | ||
| Blake |
Y'all fretting over parts availability are getting yourselves all worked up over nothing. | ||
| Dave |
Order a front fender for a Snap Red '95 S2 and see what Buell has superceded it with .... DAve | ||
| Rudebike |
Blackbelt, HHIIIYYYAAA!!! I totally agree with you. I think the tubers personify what Buell is really about, not the new bikes. | ||
| Anonymous |
We tend to meet any new situation by reorganization -- and what a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralization. | ||
| Rudebike |
The fact that you posted anonymously makes your cryptic post all the more mysterious... Are you from the future? | ||
| Anonymous |
From the past!!!! This is a PLAGIARISM of Petronius 200 B.C. | ||
| Davegess |
PARTS SUPPLY I have to believe that Buell will make every effort to support these bikes for a good long time. After all this is a company that supplies parts for bikes that have not been made for 10 years and these bikes were made by a company that does not exist and has no legal connection to the current company. In other words Buell has no legal obligation to supply parts for a 1987 RR 1000 but they do. And at a pretty substantial loss BTW. I am pretty sure that Erik will not allow the tube frame bike to go unsupported, after all this is the guy who once stopped the entire assembly line for two weeks (with much hand wringing and whining from the bean counters) to allow body part production to catch up to spare parts orders. No one at Buell is ashamed of these bikes, on the contrary they are proud of them. They are neat machines assembled and sold in very small quantities to unique individuals. The owners of these bikes are what have allowed Buell to reach this point and are the result of long hours of hard work and much pain from many Buell employees. They may be gone from production but will always have a special place in the hearts of Buell folks, both employees and owners. They are destined for classic status. dave | ||
| Anonymous |
Order a S2 fender and see what is received. | ||
| Libnosis |
C'mon anonydave  I'm sure you can find a fender on ebay. Just ask S2pengy. He out bidded me for one a few weeks ago. lib | ||
| Psychobueller |
Anon, What is received? I'm curious. | ||
| Court |
Dave: Once again, you leave me with little to add. I'll simply echo that Erik Buell and every employee of Buell Motor Company is tremendously proud of the tube frame bikes. Unless you understand Erik Buell, you can never really understand what happened with the tube frame Buells. Count me as proud as the dickens of all the accomplishments that Erik and the "Elves" have achieved. The bikes have heart like few others. Ok.....you knew I was going to work my way to yet another Buell story. DATELINE: East Troy, WI - 1997 - I'm standing in the R&D area when DU walks out. There's been tremendous pressure coming from Buell Distribution Corp to get the first S2-T's out the door. The first saddlebag brackets were designed with a small metal "tit" welded on them to prevent the bag from shifting and coming off the bracket. During durability testing it was discovered that the "tit" could fatigue and fail. The unit was subsequently redesigned with a small dimple like indentation that allowed the sagglebag latch to slightly recess in it. It was much more secure. A party, who will go Anonymous, was onsite from Milwaukee insisting that the bike be shipped pronto Chick's HD/Buell. The final design brackets were not schedules to be in house for 2 days. DU looked at the bracket and said "no". The visitor insisted "look, the thing is never going to fail and besides it's only one bike". DU grabbed the bracket, took it to a bench grinder and destroyed it saying "no bike leaves here unless it's the best we can build" I'll grant you that the small of mind can throw stones at the concept of "perfect Buells" but this stuck with me for years. This guy put his job at significant risk to keep, what in his mind was, a "less than perfect Buell" from being shipped. Keep it up and I'll tell you the rewards I used to give Nate and Des in shipping for "catching" things as the bikes were being crated. The employees of Buell Motorcycle Company are passionate about building you the best motorcycle they can and are "ashamed" of nothing. Court | ||
| Josh |
I believe an S3 fender in the S3 color is received. I also think a call or two to an Elf would fix it if you can get Court to part with a contact. | ||
| Rick_A |
or you could always get an aftermarket CF S2 fender...it's *only* $100 more...Airtech also carries an unpainted fiberglass copy. Who says you're stuck with getting parts through Buell? | ||
| Rudebike |
I'm sure that the old tubers get the BMC folk misty. My dissappointment is that they have abandoned the original platform. I can't get behind the new breed. I do think the tubers are destined to be classics....because the thing that Buell started cannot be finished or even continued on the new goofy bikes. I'm sure I am in a minority here, I don't know Erik, etc, but I am right. The after market for these older models is a wide open opportunity for some one with some money. Mark my words. | ||
| Court |
Josh: You are buttering me up for one of the RARE S-2 fender with the hole in the front of it, aren't you? Court | ||
| Josh |
Not me but maybe Anonyd is. A hole in the front? Like my Sportster's was before I realized they mounted it backwards? On the list of things not to mention on a Harkey site, "Why is there a little hole in my fender?" is near the top. | ||
| Justjoe |
Court, Please tell me that NO ONE at Buell is proud of the 99 X1 Lightning. I hope they are ashamed of that bike and how it made it's way to the buying public. In fact, I hope that bike is the main reason the release of the XB9R was delayed "until it is ready." JustJoe | ||
| Court |
>>>I hope that bike is the main reason the release of the XB9R was delayed "until it is ready." It was. The X-1 (this is MY opinion) was the rolling incarnation of what happens when marketing folks push engineers to do it cheaper, faster and before it's ready. The XB program was (this is MY opinion) Erik Buell's way of saying "never again". Watch for the XB to post some interesting starts (early figures are already coming in but don't, at this point, provide a statistical sample) within the next 18 months. Things are the best they have ever been at Buell and the future has never been brighter. Canary in a coal mine.....my ass. Court - (this is MY opinion) | ||
| Rudebike |
Court, Why didn't they just fix the specific problems with the X1 rather than steamroll the thing entirely? Or all the other bikes for that matter? There is a significant number of people (I met a bunch of 'em at ASBN) that prefer the older models. 2001 X1 Jon | ||
| Court |
Jon: For what it's worth......I absolutely am in love with 1959 MGA's, 1964 Falcon Sprints and Honda NT650's, none of which are built any longer and it ticks me off. Frankly, the Buell "tube frame" endured 17 years, few bikes make that product life cycle. In fact, you have me thinking that I am still kinda ticked they quit making the RS-1200...now THERE WAS A BIKE! Court | ||
| Grndskpr |
well Court, in your opinion what if anything should be done to help out the people who bought some of the bad x1's Roger | ||
| Rudebike |
Court, I see your points. I guess I associate the original rawness that Buell personified, with the tubers. I don't recognize that quality in the new ones. My X1 is solid, by the way. Thanks | ||
| Davegess |
Erik want's bikes that are a reflection of what he is thinking and feeling about motorcycles. The tubers reflect his thinking in 1983. The XB reflects his thinking between than and abotu 6 month ago. The major items like the fuel in the frame go back ten years while i am sure many of the smaller items go back to weeks before the final design date. The bike he has in his mind now should not take as long to arrive as the XB did. He has a lot more in the way of resources than he did in 1991. One thing you can be sure of, the next generation of Buells (whatever and whenever, I have no idea) will be farther along than the XB. I am certain that Erik is thinking about doing things to the XB platform that will make it better, cheaper, cooler and that he has 4 or 5 ideas for a platform that will replace it. In fact I am pretty sure he has ideas for the platform that will replace that platform. Dave | ||
| Rudebike |
Dave, That's an interesting analogy and it's probably true if he does have that kind of dog wagging (he being the tail) power. One of the things I don't like about the new breed is what I consider over sophistication. A swing arm is now an oil reservoir/cooler. The frame is now the gas tank. To me, that over complicates replacing or fixing damaged pieces... additional factors I don't want. Will his next creations/vision be even more sophisticated? | ||
| Davegess |
Rudebike, I suspect the bikes will continue to increase in sophistication. One of his themes is to use less parts. Combine things. make them do multiple functions. this serves several purposes; one the bike costs less, if not becuase the combine part costs less than the the parts it replaces than at least becasue you have to spend less time ordering, tracking , shipping planning because you have one less part to worry about. Two the bike weighs less and three it can be smaller. I am pretty sure that if he could figure out how to do it he would make a bike the size and weight of a BMX bicycle. Now that would be trick. Dave |
