| Author | Message | ||
     Barker |
Why give up if ur making lettuce. So, appleton wasn't making $ off of buell? | ||
| Nevrenuf |
"Don't know about Fond du Lac H-D. Is there a shop in Manitowoc?" i'm pretty sure fond do lac doesn't but i do know manitowoc does. my daughter moved up that way and is working at the manitowoc store in the parts dept. i'll give her a call and see if she can convince management to step in and become a sponsor to take the place of appleton. if you don't ask, you don't know. i know for a fact that they have buell clothes cause that's what she send me and the wife for our birthdays. | ||
| Hughlysses |
I suspect sweeping change is in order for the Buell dealer network. One way or the other that must be true. I guess we were under the impression that all the "deadwood" dealers had dropped Buell a few years ago, and then the "not-really-that-enthusiastic" dealers had dropped Buell in the last year or so. It's pretty worrisome when you see a dealership thought of as one of the 2 or 3 most enthusiastic Buell dealers drops the brand, especially the year after the hottest model in the brand's history was introduced. Hey, as long as I can order parts over the phone or internet and buy a new Buell SOMEPLACE, I can live with it. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
"i'm pretty sure fond do lac doesn't" you're right, strictly HD and under new ownership. | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
I suspect sweeping change is in order for the Buell dealer network. hallelujah | ||
| Typeone |
glad i hopped on Daves 'Buy, Fly & Ride' promo back in '04. still have great memories from that trip out to Appleton, sad to hear this news. i considered them one of the best, happily dropped some nice coin there over the years.. . | ||
| Mikej |
Don't sing that song until you know what the net changes are. | ||
| Koz5150 |
I live in Appleton. When Dave thought of coming to Appleton he asked me what the area was like. While Dave was at Appleton the dealership twice won the Pegasus Award for being one of the top 5 Buell dealerships. However, Dave probably could have done that at any dealership because he worked his butt off to do it. This past year, Appleton has had dwindling supply of Buells and I am guessing sales have been down. As long as I still can get parts for my tuber I will be happy. As a side note, the few times I have had my bike there for dyno tuning, they have done a great job. Also, they have been a sponsor of Hoban Brothers racing for some time also (I am not sure if they still are at this time though). Finally, I can't blame them for dropping the Buell line. Personally I don't think Buell has made a bike worth selling since 2002. The blast is outdated, overpriced, and weak. The XB and new 1125r line are niche bikes that have no real Harley roots (unlike the tubers), have reliability issues, and can't keep up with similiar priced sportbikes. The only reason to buy one is to say you own a Buell, and personally I don't think that is quite enough. | ||
| Damnut |
Koz your last statement is laughable. | ||
| Typeone |
i chuckled too.. . | ||
| Wile_ecoyote |
The XB and 1125r niche bikes? I thought they were the evolution of the tubers that Erik had envisioned way back. A powerful great handling AMERICAN MADE sportbike. Their roots are BUELL, who cares if they have any resemblance to a Harley.   | ||
| Court |
The 1125R is a "niche" bike that precisely targets a niche of about 1.7M riders in the USA and excels in that market segment. I've already lost count of the times the bikes, like last Saturday, has finished on the podium and I'm was thrilled to see the beat on and hammered Euro Launch bikes taken to a race track where they trounced both Ducati 1098 and BMW factory efforts. A 1:43 gap between the leading Buell and 2nd place is going to bring a large group to your "niche". It is an amazing bike and the Uly has redefined the "adventure" market. No doubt that BMW created it with the GS but at $18,000 the crowd gets pretty thin. I've been waiting for 3 weeks for a carb needle for a BMW. Not impressive. Wish I had a Buell. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Having a dealer drop isn't new. I think what is so disturbing is losing a dealer that we all thought was one of the leaders and would ALWAYS have Buell as part of their equation. If Appleton can go, who else could go? Could we lose the entire distribution network? We've complained about bad dealers, but no dealers would be much worse. Makes you wonder a little more about the discussions with MV Augusta. "We like your motorcycles and all, but can we just rent space on your floor?" | ||
| Ratbuell |
Wish I had a Buell. Um...you do, don't you? It's just at the wrong end of the country at the moment...  | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
I'd classify the XB as a niche bike but not the 1125R. It may not ultimately end up being a huge seller, although if it keeps winning it will generate interest.I see a bright future for Buell if external forces don't spoil the party. | ||
| No_rice |
so why dont some of you look here and tell me what you think. maybe i can take a shot. maybe not, but i would like to weigh all my options. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/406 2/374740.html?1215616220 | ||
| Spiderman |
Buells just don't sell here! | ||
| Koz5150 |
It's a niche bike in the sense that it doesn't fit into the 600 or 1000 cc group. When looking to do a comparison test it can be difficult to find a comparable modle to test it against. The last test I read was the 1125r vs. a 1000cc twin, a model that has basicly gone unchanged for 10 years. You say the Buell took the podium at some races. Well, they were not races that involved the top talent in Motorcycle racing? It's not like you read about Buell racing results in any magazines? It's second tier stuff. When Buell started to first get popular (the tube frame models) it was known as a "Harley Sportbike". They shared many engine parts, sound characteristics, some looks (basicly the engines) and any sportster mechanic could work on them (or perform multiple TPS resets on the FI bikes). Then came the XB which shared very few parts (heads?), sounded different, and basicly were underpowered vs the rest of the sportbike world. Now you have an 1125 that was released to the press WAY too early with inconsistant suspension setups, FI problems (again), overheating issues, and bikes that wouldn't even start? Buell has yet to build a touring model that has things like cruise control, or even a throttle lock? Overall, I still think all the bikes look like they have been pieced together with whatever was in the Lego box. If you want to build a bike that is different, make sure it is better then what is out there. The 1125r is not that bike. If it were, Appleton would be losing a Yamaha dealer instead of Buell. | ||
| Koz5150 |
By the way, Court, I still (and always will) have a TON of respect for you, but Ducatti is a niche bike also... The big four are called the big 4 for a reason. | ||
| Metalstorm |
This sucks big time. Appleton was always the go to place. but on a positive note concerning so many dealers dropping Buell.. The ones that stay and continue with Buell are the ones who are truly serious about the brand and worthy of carrying the logo. This might be a simple case of gardening. Remove the weeds so that the flowers may grow more bountiful. | ||
| Chrisrogers3 |
I think that we all need to keep one big thing in mind. Buell is only 25 years old. In reality Buell only hit the mainstream in 2003 with the XB's (in my opinion). The tubers, a great bike for their purpose just didnt stack up to the XB's. So in reality we have only seen the XB lineup for 5 years. There will of course be people still calling then niche bikes and ugly to boot, BUT thats only because the general public hasn't seen or heard enough about them yet. Think of how long Kawasaki has been running the frickin Ninja-its no wonder they sell so many. You pull up to a parking lot and there could be 5 ninjas there spanning the course of what 24 (GPZ900R 1984) years of age. Seriously this is a bike that has been marketed for 24 some years now obviously changing designs and improving along the way, but its still referred to as a Ninja. I remember being a kid maybe all of 4 or 5 years old and thats the only bike I knew. Moral of the story here is Buell will get there. It may be hard to push them now but in a couple years down the road Buell will be synonymous with Ducati for sure and a few more years down the road they will be with Yamaha and the others. Buell still has an extremely new fleet of motorcycles in the business sense. Obviously Harley didnt start selling millions of bikes their first 25 years in service, so why do people expect Buell to? Yes there are some improvements Buell can make along the way, but you know for the price of the bike and the overall quality of the components you cant really complain a whole heck of a lot if they have some quality issues here and there. I have owned 5 Buells (2 XB12R 1 XB9s 1XB12X and a P3) and I can count on one hand the amount of issues I have had that have required warranty work (that 3 to be exact). Niche bikes or not you have to start somewhere and I feel they are doing a great job. Their production numbers keep increasing and their sales do as well so obviously they are doing something right. | ||
| Eboos |
My dealership has sold more XB models this year then probably the past two years combined. This sounds great, but I am worried about how the management will look at it's profitibility. The sales staff has gotten much more enthusiastic about the bikes and the public seems very excited about the Buell brand. I hope the company will do something to make the brand more attractive from a business stand point. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
"BUT thats only because the general public hasn't seen or heard enough about them yet." The public better hurry up and hear about them, I don't think the XB platform as we know it is going to be around too much longer. Its actually been out since late 02, making this the 7th season of availability. Ask yourself this question...WHY HASN'T THE PUBLIC HEARD ABOUT THEM? Answer, they aren't publisized by Harley. Thus you answered why the dealership network sucks. Its kinda like Harley is patting its little boy on the head for making $1.00 at the lemonade stand. Sad. | ||
| Court |
>>>>Answer, they aren't publicized by Harley. Thus you answered why the dealership network sucks. Its kinda like Harley is patting its little boy on the head for making $1.00 at the lemonade stand. Sad. Someday, hopefully not an epiphany borne of disaster, HD will wake up and understand that the Buell is quite different, is not a "performance Sportster" and requires a completely different marketing approach. HD keeps assigning folks, and they are competent, good, well meaning folks, from HD to market Buells. They arrive thoroughly trained and indoctrinated into marketing techniques that are proven to work, and do, with HD. Thinking "outside the box" presumes one actually, at some point, leaves the box. At this point the overriding concern to most folks in "Buell" marketing is returning to their HD career path unscathed after their 18-36 month stint at Buell. Recent events have elevated this propensity. There is a way to overcome this. In fact there are a couple things Buell could do NOW to change this trend and still allow folks to be "creative and innovative" without sending their HD career careening off track. I'm eager to see how things pan out. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Maybe to get somebody to think outside the box, you need somebody that was NEVER inside the box to begin with. I know H-D has the ownership reigns, but I cant imagine that they have all the HR say on who does what in the company. There must be a career track through Buell that doesnt include the H-D internmentship. | ||
| Slaughter |
HIGHLY OPINIONATED RANT ALERT :(random though generator dump quickly here at lunch) The dominant HD culture and Buell culture are INCOMPATIBLE. There are exceptions, but they're rare. Sure there are some folks that own/ride both but just try asking your typical HD sales putz if you really should get your forks re-valved and re-sprung... ask if you should spend the money on a different rear shock... hell, just ask him if the shock is compression/rebound damping adjustable. Ask about organized events for Buells (and NOT the usual HOG - "ride to eat, eat to ride" events) See what the aftermarket parts are that they have hanging on the walls. See what clothing they have for sale - balance their clothing IMAGE against clothing FUNCTION. I am sick and tired of the HD "Culture" dominating Buell. Admittedly, it's an addiction. The "Harley Lifestyle" has sold itself for so long that I'm seeing too many sales folks who are sucking hard but not yet realizing that the teat is going dry. Many people (myself included) just don't care for any aspect of the HD "culture." I've seen all the flames, skulls, chrome that I can stand. Buttless chaps, tassels and other non-functional gay-bar wardrobe accessories are just not compatible with what I think the typical Buell customer wants/needs. I don't want dealers selling Buells because they "have to" or selling them when they don't have a staff who is passionate about them. This is a source of frustration for me in that I see NO change in Buell sales tactics at the dealer level. Sure I see some really great racing support and cool Buell-inspired events but actually seeing something Buell-ish happening IN the dealerships? With a few notable dealer exceptions (and a VERY FEW) Nope... nuttin' - and it seems we're seeing less and less. OK - rant over - but it's an old rant. | ||
| Court |
>>>>but Ducatti is a niche bike also... No doubt about it. Pal just bought one of those $75,000 units and I keep daring him to park it on the streets of Manhattan.  | ||
| Chrisrogers3 |
"There must be a career track through Buell that doesnt include the H-D internmentship." If there is sign me up. This is just my opinion here, but I am afraid H-D is calling more shots than Erik and the public would like to see and I feel if Erik had the money and lawyers he would try to get out from under the thumb of H-D. On the other hand we can't completely badmouth H-D because they have played a key role in at least buying part of Buell twice now if I remember right. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
"No doubt about it. Pal just bought one of those $75,000 units and I keep daring him to park it on the streets of Manhattan." Tell Tom Cruise I said "what up TC" | ||
| Court |
Hehehehehe. . .not Tom. This guy is an event planner I've worked with. The three pals with the MV Agusta F1's are an attorney and two entertainers. The good news is only one of the four bikes really gets flogged. |
