| Author | Message | ||
     Court |
Henrik: Good point. The fit and finish on the Buell XB's has placed it, in my opinion, at the top of the class. Every price appears to have been thought out, designed, produced and assembled with painstaking precisiousity.  | ||
| Buckinfubba |
Court yes it is simple to say owned by and staffed by. But what else could we actually call it. I really don't care which management level is at fault. The fact that there is a fault such as this is what irks me , maybe as much as you. They are there to represent the buell line, and therefore should have it together. I don't really care if they thru their name in the travel log to get the job. Like you said they can't wait to get to BB kings. Well screw that there job is in front of them not at the bar. That comes later in the evening. Making excuses for this kind of management, and thats whose fault it is, is just crazy. Very corp. but very crazy and lazy. John Q public walking around looking at bikes, stumbles across the buells and ask questions, first off they can't get answers that aren't easily enuff read in the brochure, but they also get it with out any excitement. then they get asked the dreaded comparo question such as, how's it up against so and so's bike. the great glassy eyed stare is defening in its silence and lack of the right to be there and have whatever title of their job is. its bad enuff that the dealer network is filled up with this, but a freaking show of all things. sorry if I go off on these tangents, but I am sick and tired of Buell motorcycles getting represented by folks, altho they may be nice and inteligent and good people, they don't know The job in front of them and they don't know the product and they don't care about the product. It is a travesty the way the stepchild gets beat in public and everybody just sits back on their collective asses and watch. Sorry if I seem a lilttle worked up. But hey I am and if the truth hurts so be it. I have to deal with it on a daily basis among the public on the dealership level and not in an office away fro what is really happening. well I goota go I have some folks here that are looking and might need a lil enthusiasm in their world. And by god I will give it to them and try to counteract what is happening at the big glitzy show. | ||
| Court |
Bubba: Well, my friend, I think we are totally in agreement. My personal experience with the Javiit's show sours me. Tow of the folks from HD got moved to the front of the list to come to NYC and they spent less than 30 minutes at the show the entire time. I am pleased to read Henrik's comments and it sounds as though things were better last night. Fact is Harley-Davidson does a piss poor job of representing Buell...IN MY PERSONAL OPINION. The only saving grace is that they don't know this...it's the "when you are a hammer, every problem looks like a nail" thinking. They are marketing Buells with the same methods they market Harley-Davidsons and defend themselves with a "can't argue with success" logic. None is so blind as he who refuses to see. Court | ||
| Crusty |
Did you ever hear of Jarrow(or Arrow) helmets? They had a small display at last years New York show. One of the things I do at the show is try on every helmet there to find out which one feels best, they when it's time to buy, I know what make & model & size to buy. My wife, two daughters and I tried on helmets by Shoei, Arai, HJC, Bell, Suomy, etc., and we each picked out the helmet that fit best. When we found the Jarrow display, the rep rushed over, measured my daughter's head, gave her a helmet to try on, checked it for fit, changed the cheekpads so it fit better, then gave us the information so we could order one at our convenience. We bought her one for her birthday. Yesterday, the same thing happened with our younger daughter. It was the same Rep, with the same enthusiasm for his product. Guess what helmet she wants, and which one we'll buy for her. | ||
| Ferris |
Court, i've been deep enough inside the Mothership's workings over the years to pretty much know The Program, but admittedly it's been awhile since i've seen "that" particular view. at the IMS in Seattle in January 1997 happened the first (possibly only?) formally co-sponsored Buell/private owner's group event, a gig greenlighted by Scott Miller, overseen by Amy Giuffre, organized by me, and attended by some pretty fanatical (and savvy) Buell owners. on Saturday morning we were allowed in the show an hour before the doors opened to the public, giving us first dibs on the new Buell lineup, we went on a spirited little group ride across Lake Washington to Cafe Veloce with Roger Roeszler as honored guest, we rode back to the show and worked the crowds, and then had a group dinner that night with Roger fielding questions from the faithful and speaking rather candidly about the past, present, and future of Buell. it was a great gathering of enthusiasts, and you know for a fact that our passion as Buell owners, combined with crowds of IMS showgoers asking us questions, was a G$$D thing all the way around. so back to my point: i haven't been "professional" Ferris Bueller in years, and i'm wondering if the "mechanism" is still in place at Harley-Davidson to make stuff like what i just described happen again. why couldn't H-D hire you, in advance, to organize an owner's team to staff each round of next year's IMS circuit? yes, i know it's "mechanically" possible; what i'm wondering is whether the corporate environment these days at the Mothership a) would be interested, and b) would allow it to happen. and when i say "hire", i mean just that, for what you (and we) know you're worth. it'd take a ton of work to do it right, and, frankly, i only know one person capable of pulling it off. and, while we're dreaming here, let's pull the necessary strings and do THIS: at each show, at precisely noon on Saturday, Mr. Erik Buell himself pulls up a stool in front of the crowd at the Buell display and for the next hour lights up the room as he shares his dream. afterwards, he signs autographs, poses for pix, and generally Makes The Weekend, not only for the existing owners on hand who've worked so hard to help you organize the event and who have worked the crowds all three days, but also for all the potential NEW owners who just realized they've been touched by a genius and who cannot WAIT to get to their nearest Buell dealer come Tuesday morning and test ride a new XB. what say you, Mr. Canfield, could this happen? edited by ferris on January 03, 2004 | ||
| Dynarider |
Bubba it's the same thing with the auto shows. Last year at the Milwaukee one I was checking out the new for 2004 F150 & being the net junkie I am I was already pretty well versed on the new features. However the wife doenst share my enthusiasm for the net so knew nothing about the truck & I hadnt told her anything. She decides to ask the older gentlemen working the area about them......holy cow was that ever a mistake. he couldnt get the features right, which motors were available, what base price was, etc etc. I climbed in the truck, shut the door & rolled up the window to escape the pitiful words this man was spewing. | ||
| Daves |
May I sign up for this team for the Chicago and Minneapolis shows? Please! Ride to the edge! Dave Iowa HD/Buell (Buell Cycle Center) | ||
| Henrik |
Well Ferris, your 1999 experience is quite similar to mine, when I at the '98 & '99 IMS spent some time at the booth with Mike Paladino (Manhattan Mike  ) S2Carl and a bunch of other Buell fanatics. Can't imagine we didn't enlist a few new Buell buyers that day. On a side note to the show this year; I had the honor of having dinner with Dave Roper - the only american to ever have won an Isle of Man race. Very cool. Henrik | ||
| Lake_bueller |
Sign me up for the Chicago show!! It's the perfect time of year for me to take a few days away from work/home. Let's get this ball rolling!!! We all know that the BWB group can get almost anything done (except for the XB-ROD  ) | ||
| Buckinfubba |
court Yes we are in agreement. I just am not as eloquent as you. yeah sign me up for the team also. pretty please. dyna I know its the same as most other corp. shows. That don't mean its right and should be accepted. maybe I am just hard nosed or something. I don't look for perfection cause god knows I am not. But effort and enthusiasm is what I have. and if I don't know whats right I know who to ask to get it right. It seems to me that sometimes the solution is ...just that simple so on too chicago!!! | ||
| Court |
Ferris: Your ride at the Seattle Show was orchestrated by myself and a fellow named Mike Bledesoe (Uncle of Quarterback Drew Bledsoe) who also put me up at one of Seattle's dandiest hotels. The work was done the prior year in connection with a well-developed program we did called "TEAM BUELL". In the process of doing that I set to prove with my own money (roughly $37,000 of it according to a deposition in a subsequent alter ego law suit brought by Zachary Construction that was dismissed when my records and taxes proved to have been impeccably maintained.) that the Buell line lent itself to a "grass roots driven" marketing program of owner based enthusiasm. To prove my point, I went to all of the IMS Shows. At most of them I sponsored "Buell Fun Rides". That is where I met the likes of Denise, Russ Madsen, Josef Boyd and a host of others who are still close friends. I also, realizing that it can't be a "person centered" effort designed a national network of Buell fanatics, some of whom did not even own Buells but understood and embraced the "vision". I traveled (aboard a Buell) to these four corners of the USA and solicited these folks participation. I included letters of intent in the program submitted to Buell. One of these folks, by the way a fairly well known writer, has just released a novel in which the hero rides a Buell, roughly based on a trip I made to the Ventana Wilderness Area, Madonna Inn and Sears Point in search of Thai food. The plan was something like this......Each of my 4 Lieutenants would receive the standard factory discount on a current model Buell they would buy themselves. Each would be sent, expense paid, to the factory for a 2 day orientation, tour and 1 day riding school during which they would ride Buells AND competitive bikes (Buell owns and uses them all just like all manufacturers). Each of these human Buell satellites would be given a full complement of Buell clothing and 250 Buell t-shirts (remember the 500 I gave away circling the USA in 1995?..Still the coolest factory shirt ever made and the rarest). The TEAM BUELL regional captains would be charged with enlisting "area commanders", for instance the West Captain might have folks in Las Vegas, LA, San Fran, etc. Each would be responsible for conducting 2 Buell events in cooperation with their dealer each year (I was going to model this after the Topeka MDA event which was the 3rd largest in the USA behind LA's Love Ride and Denver). In addition, the local folks would be on call to spend a certain amount of time at the local dealers to greet Buell prospects and provide answers and information about things like...well, Badweb. It goes on and gets quite detailed. The book included the classic "9 ways to sell a Buell" (Hint: One of the lines was "a Buell must be sold as a "ticket" to the wonder, joy and enthusiasm shared among Buell owners. Allow yourself to be drug onto the playing field of bright colors; ultimate top speed or peak horsepower and you have invited yourself to your own ass kicking. Buell must define its battlefield, not aspire to be like others)". Also included were the first years budget, "deliverables" and metrics for measuring performance against a set of goals and timetables. Long and short of it is that I, in response to saying the current dealer system was lacking and needed to be infused with enthusiasm, was dubbed by Mike Hilman (President of Buell Distribution Corp.) as an "Anecdotal Alarmist". So be it, Hilman's out and the dealer system is currently...well, you answer that for me? Would it work NOW? Answer: Yes and marvelously. One of the things TEAM ELVES proved (Hilman is the one who also e-mailed me through his henchman and told me that I was never to use the term "Elves" in referring to Buell employees again) was the power of collaboration now that intellectual boundries are no longer defined by the geographic meeting of land and sea. The impediment: NIH Would I do it? My answer is the same. There are two people I answer to, Erik Buell and Rich Teerlink. I know and trust these two as custodians of what the Buell Dream REALLY is, not how they think it can best be configured to HD's interest. Frankly, I've got back to my "real" job and they can't afford me. I also enjoy having my independence (witness this diatribe) back and the ability to enjoy motorcycles as fun. Many folks (witness Andy Spiegel, Cap and a host of folks have charged headline into the field and been sent home with their tales twinxt their legs in a matter of weeks.) Look for two more of the "I want to be part of the Buell Sales Dream" stories to implode in coming months) That kinda clear things up? I can show someone how to do it and would under the right conditions. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
has just released a novel in which the hero rides a Buell Title of said novel and Author for those of us wishing to read such a tale? | ||
| Ferris |
That kinda clear things up? yes and no. sigh. | ||
| Buckinfubba |
court now my heads hurts but in the midst of all this another 9r will be leaving for greener pastures this next week. I.E. the twistys of ol NC..... yeah whats this book? | ||
| M1combat |
Good job Brian . | ||
| Blublak |
Hey.. I would be happy to add my knowledge and what not to such a TEAM BUELL attack... Never know when .. But I'd be happy to hear about a chance.. just gimmie some notice so I can take the time off from work.. and I'm there.. Later. | ||
| Sgtbuell |
What about the book?  | ||
| Ezblast |
The book's name is? GT-JBOTDS! EZ  | ||
| Court |
 | ||
| Motoboy |
I went to the NYC moto show today. First time I got to sit across an XB. Nice bikes. I'm in the market for a new bike this year, as my 99 S3T has bummed me out. Seriously considered hanging up the helmet because of all the hassle, and cost of repair or a new bike. Anyway, no one really there at the Buell booth at 9:45 or so. Neat advertising video on the tv though. Buells are in the running as my next bike but this year they face competition. I like the bike but if I'm faced with thousands of $ in repair the month after I pay it off, forget it. I'm looking into the Honda 599 and Ducati ST3 as well. I'll take it slow and get some test rides in before I make my decision. But I hate to just give up on Buell; I'm not a rich man and I can't just get a new bike or pump cash into them with no results. | ||
| Court |
Motoboy: Drop me a note...you'd be remiss if you failed to seriously consider the Buell XB9. If you haven't ridden one, I can arrange that. It would be good for you to take all 3 our for 20 or 30 miles and see what suits your taste and riding style. Court | ||
| José_quiñones |
Buell has a resource that they could use but choose not to at the moment, their Brag members.  They could give Brag members free tickets to the show if they commit to helping out at the booths for half a day each or so. They could bring some pictures of their local BRAG rides and events, hand out copies of their local newsletters and just "spread the word" that they are a fun group to hang around and go riding with, and answer bike questions if need be. Cycle World IMS show, Washington DC, Jan 9-11....... edited by josé_quiñones on January 04, 2004 | ||
| Bads1 |
That kinda sounds cool.That should go over in the For the factory board. | ||
| Court |
>>>They could give Brag members free tickets to the show if they commit to helping out at the booths for half a day each or so. Actually, that was done for a 2 year period. A combination of local owners brought along by some dealer folks. Powerful stuff! Hey...if they do that, call me. I'd be all over that deal and I'll bet you I could teach that old DaveS and Bubba a ting of twee about selling Buells.....ya hook's em, den ya reeeeels 'em in! edited by court on January 04, 2004 | ||
| Bads1 |
GO GET EM COURT!!!! | ||
| Sgtbuell |
Court Whats the name of that book. Your killing me over here. | ||
| Dynarider |
TAOAT all the way!!! | ||
| Blackbelt |
Hay if that BRAG deal happens i am all for it... i doubt it will happen. Hay Court, man it seems as if someone hit a nerve and got you on a tangent. Does Erik ever frequent this site? He might be interested in this reading. Hay man i know Many people on this board all agree and are with you on your feelings towards the way the Buell line is brought to the public. I myself know it is not givin its just reward through Harley, They seem to just look at it with a dishearting glare, and fling the bike line off as a bike that doesnt' help the company cash flow. To me that is sad, due to the fact that if they advertise it the correct way, and take it to the public the way you were stating previously. The Buell markey would EXPLODE! i know many people that know of the Buell line, but not what it is about or what type of bike it is, they think it is just a Harley try at a sport bike. And then here I go spending time correcting that statement and how much of a great bike Line the Buell motorcycle really is. just my humble ramblings. adam | ||
| Bomber |
after attending IMS shows damn near from the beginning, and lurking around Buell displays damn near since they arrived, all I can say is that it's proof of HD's lack of commitment to the Buell brand -- enough folks have outlined their experiences here, I won't repeat them, but, as has been pointed out, from the customer's point of view (a POV that systems guys like Court sometimes overlook in their interest in the overall machine), HD don't wanna sell no Buells . . . telling folks that the people who man the booths are locals, or volunteers from the factory, or aliens visiting form Mars make s noe difference to the person wandering into the booth . . . . this won't change until things get tight enough for HD sales to remember what selling is (and it is NOT opening the doors in the morning and taking orders, contrary to what many may think) . .. it just makes folks like Bubba and Daves look even better, I'm thinkin | ||
| Daves |
When it comes to looking good, I need all the help i can get! Ride to the edge! Dave Iowa HD/Buell (Buell Cycle Center) |
