| Author | Message | ||
     Trojan |
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults /mcn/2008/july/7-13/jul1108-harley-davidson-buys-m v-agusta/ Where does that leave Buell in the pecking order then? | ||
| Glitch |
I guess that leaves Buell where it stands now...in the corner... | ||
| Badlionsfan |
I guess where there's smoke there's fire. | ||
| Zenfrogmaster |
Why does this remind me of Daimler-Benz buying Chrysler? No disrespect meant to any marque, but it does seem like a mismatch. Is HD interested in the "lightweight" (scooter) field to round out their offerings? There's precedent, but it still seems strange. | ||
| Glitch |
At least H-D is expanding their line. | ||
| Tjw5015 |
Sorry (Message edited by tjw5015 on July 11, 2008) | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Buell just opened a plant in Brazil.... Maybe Italy will be next? | ||
| Teddagreek |
 | ||
| Teeps |
This could be good news for Buell, and those of us that dread going into the Chrome Emporium for all things Buell... The existing M/V and Cagiva dealers (is there such a thing?) may become a better outlet for Buell. (Message edited by teeps on July 12, 2008) | ||
| Mikej |
"The existing M/V and Cagiva dealers (is there suck a thing?) may become a better outlet for Buell." My closest MV/Cagiva dealer doesn't really take Buells in on trade. Don't know what the outcome of this will be for them. | ||
| Teddagreek |
4 MV dealers in Florida... My local one also has Ducati, Guzzi, Triumph, & BMW.. Hmmmm | ||
| Jaimec |
My nearest MV Agusta dealer is also my nearest (and newest) BMW dealer. Could I be going there for Buell too, someday? Hmmmmm... | ||
| Kuuud |
Cagiva rose from the ashes of Aermacchi which HD bought in 1961 and HD-AMF sold in 1978 when the dirt bike market crashed. Looks like things have come full circle. The question is indeed where this leaves Buell. My guess is HD will choke off the purse strings even further. Nowhere will you find a bigger cheerleader for Buell than I, but a major mistake was make in killing off the dirt bike. Triumph, Ducati, BMW and KTM keep bringing out new types of bikes, and Buell brings out only one and that was done prematurely. MV has most of there dealers in Europe. That may dovetail nicely with establishing Buell/MV dealers in the US that are independent from HD dealers. Think of it; a dealership with twin cylinder Buells, four cylinder MV's and single cylinder Cagiva dirt bikes!!! One can only hope... | ||
| Trojan |
Design Chief Massimo Tamburini will continue his leadership of MV Agusta Group’s world leading sport-bike design studio. Maybe this means we'll get an 1125R derivitive that doesn't have to hide in the corner with a bag on it's head  | ||
| Mikej |
I wonder how this news is being received by the H-D employees receiving layoff notices. | ||
| Not_purple_s2 |
Come on MV/Buell Dealerships!!! I think that'd be a great store. On the production side maybe Buell and MV Agusta can start collaborating on future projects. It could be brilliant! or it could become a huge mess. | ||
| Spatten1 |
The just spent $100 million for an engine that: 1) Harley and Buell is incapable of engineering in-house. 2) Would cost $200+ million to develop if you had the engineering and background to do it in-house. They get a line of good off-road bikes too, and engineers that can build more of them. Sound cheap to me, if they don't •••• up what is good about the products they just bought. | ||
| Hexangler |
There must be a reason why MV ran out of money in the first place. Maybe HD can see a simple fix. I wonder what Buell could have done with the $100M? | ||
| Spatten1 |
I wonder what Buell could have done with the $100M? Buell could never develop 1 bike of the MV's quality, and certainly not a line of dirt bikes for that money. | ||
| Hexangler |
Cool deal! | ||
| Spatten1 |
If you guys have not checked out an MV F4 in person you cannot concieve of the beauty and hand-crafted appearance of the machine. They are heads-above Ducati, period. Just rolling art that performs well too. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
I think the main reason HD bought MV is to have access to their European dealer network I don't think much if anything will change here. | ||
| Xb9er |
Does this mean MV Agusta powered Vrods?  | ||
| Mikej |
I think I just remembered why I've never really looked too closely at the MV line: " 2008 MV Agusta F4-R 312 MSRP: $24,995 2008 MV Agusta BRUTALE 910S MSRP: $14,495 " | ||
| Danger_dave |
>>Just rolling art that performs well too.<< Personally - I think H-D could teach them a little bit about finish lately. The styling exercises that they have been through in the last few years haven't been that flash. The stock F4 remains stunning but the up-marketing jobs look like it's all been done with stickers. | ||
| Buellerthanyou |
From H-DNet, the "official" company line: ------------------------------------------- Q1: Who is MV Agusta and what type of motorcycles do they produce? MV Agusta Group is an Italian-based motorcycle manufacturer comprised of the MV Agusta and Cagiva brands. MV Agusta Group has two families of motorcycles: a line of exclusive, premium, high-performance sport motorcycles sold under the MV Agusta brand; and a line of lightweight motorcycles sold under the Cagiva brand. Q2: Are there plans to expand MV Agusta distribution in the U.S.? The primary focus of this transaction is to expand Harley-Davidson Inc’s presence and footprint in Europe. Q3: Are we going to start seeing MV products in H-D dealerships? We do not expect multi-line MV Agusta and Harley-Davidson dealerships to be the norm although there may be some locations where it makes sense for some combination of Harley-Davidson, Buell, MV Agusta and Cagiva products to be offered by the same dealerships. Q4: What do I do if I want to become an MV Agusta or Cagiva dealer? At this time Harley-Davidson’s focus is on the existing MV Agusta/Cagiva network. In the future, we will determine the appropriate longer-term sales and distribution strategy. Q5: Is this the beginning of a much bigger presence for HDI globally in the performance and entry level sectors? Our acquisition of the MV Agusta Group is incremental in nature. Over time, we believe there is the potential to expand Harley-Davidson Inc’s presence into new segments but it’s not possible to quantify the opportunity or timing. Q6: What impact does this acquisition have on Buell? Do MV Agusta and Buell compete for the same market space and the same customers? We believe Buell and MV Agusta can be complementary. MV Agusta is positioned well above other European premium brands on the basis of price and product offering, while Buell is more at parity with brands like Triumph, Aprilia and BMW. In motorcycling, there are many subtle distinctions from one style of motorcycle and one brand to another. Q7: Will Buell and MV Agusta share engine technology or product development? The MV Agusta Group has world class product development capability, focused on its unique family of products, as does Harley-Davidson and Buell for their product families. While we plan to continue to operate the MV Agusta Group in Italy, including product development, there may be opportunities for cross-pollination and cooperative efforts on certain product development initiatives, as well as the opportunity to draw on one-another’s capabilities and resources. We believe Harley-Davidson, Inc. is fortunate to broaden its product development leadership capability though the additional resources at the MV Agusta Group. Q8: Do you anticipate manufacturing HD branded or Buell branded motorcycles in Europe? Does this acquisition give you the capability to do so? As we have said, the acquisition of the MV Agusta Group is primarily intended to expand our footprint in Europe with MV Agusta products. Our focus is on re-starting MV Agusta’s operations and pursuing growth in Europe. We have also said that if we ever were to consider producing Harley-Davidson motorcycles in any market outside of the U.S., it would be for that market. Q9: When will you go racing with MV? MV Agusta has a proud racing heritage and is very successful today in the Italian Superbike series. And as you know, Harley-Davidson also has a rich racing heritage. Racing also provides a great testing platform. So bottom line, we believe racing is important and we never comment on specific future racing plans. Q10: Where can I learn more information about MV Agusta product offerings? To learn more visit http://www.mvagustausa.com. HellBuelly J "Buellism is a religion. The twentieth century will be known in history as the century of Buellism." --Buellnito Mussolini | ||
| Spatten1 |
Yep, they want to push more chrome pigs to the Europeans. So much for the MV brand, I can see the slide coming already. Too much like Ford/Jaguar. | ||
| No_rice |
i cant wait to see the first F41000 with tassels on the ape hangers and fringe hanging from the floorboards | ||
| Lake_bueller |
My nearest MV dealer is also a Harley/Buell dealership  | ||
| Spatten1 |
Can I please buy one of those MVOG jackets, and some fingerless gloves? Oh my, I NEED one of those leather vests with fringes. My Daytona button will look killer on the front. |
