| Author | Message | ||
     Court |
>>>FUELL Disappeared? Again. No clue. It's been years since I have seen a copy except the ones the factory sends. The last issue I have is Homecoming a year ago. I don't know . . . it is an attention getter. . . but I'm almost willing to go with "practical joke". Moving ahead is one thing, dissing your own heritage is another. | ||
| Xbmacon |
I like the idea of keeping the motor and changing the "look". Saves money, keeps good product. The add reads too harsh and too belittling to be usable in my opinion. Bad form for talking about yourself. I get a little miffed when I hear "no one likes the 9", well I for one really do. To be a successful brand you have to have a range of choices and pricepoints for your customers. You need a small entry bike that works for the new undecided rider or the one that cant or doesnt want to spend 12,000. The blast is that, needs updated styling, but it is that bike. Next is the midrange in comes the 9, it is for the people like me. it is a mid pricepoint and meets all of my power needs at a reasonable price. I cannot convince my wife for me to by a bike that costs what my truck did. Wont happen. Buell got me with the 9. Then you have the 12 and 1125 for most others. Keeping in mind the great idea of the Uly. Its a great bike and eventually I want one. The range set up is a good one. Their market is wider and gets more people. If you kill the entry level and the midrange you are left with a well diminished market to pull in the guys like me, not to mention the guys trying to convince their wives to ride. My wife has considered the Blast and would move to a 9, but wouldnt even sit on a 12. | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
The whole time I've owned a Buell (5 years now) people have talked about an updated Blast. Every other model has received fairly siginificant updates or has been replaced by a better model within, what, 5 years? 3 years? How come Buell haven't updated the Blast? In an opposite case of product focus, Porsche had always been my favourite 4-wheel manufacturer (though I still can't afford one!). All they did was build sportscars and race cars. Quirky ones at that, and they raced them in almost every field they could. Then they built the Cayenne, a four door SUV monstrosity that is definitely not a sportscar no matter how well it's engineered, to "increase market share"... and I am no longer the fan of Porsche I once was. | ||
| Rainman |
I think, ad wise, VW hit it on the head with those old Beetles talking about and introducing the new ones. Use the heritage to introduce the new line. It's better than saying since 2000 "we've got a sporty little bike for you to cut your sportbike chops on" and then saying, "Hah! We fooled you for 10 years. Here's what we think of the puny bike we built." Bizarre. Possibly deadly to business, being as I've sold several to newbies through the RE and MSF classes and I'm a news reporter, not a cycle salesman, Jim. Maybe I'm just acting like a dad whose kid has been nominated for ugliest baby of the year and won. | ||
| Vampress |
It certainly does get your attention! There are a long list of the things about it I don't like, and a much shorter one of the things I do. I do not yet own a Buell, but get to ride one part-time. Looking for my first, I must say, I had my eye on the Blast for quite a while, but we can't get them over here. They are sleek and look like heaps of fun, without giving me too much power to cause catastrophes  . I find it insulting to current Blast owners who were sold a motorcycle as a good choice by Buell, and are now being told that it is not worth more than a footrest. I think the whole 'racing and sportbikes are now officially the only thing that matters' statement is disgusting. I guess it is open to personal interpretation to a degree, but to me, Buell has always been more than that. More about the people, the makers, the riders, the enthusiasts, the customers etc etc. The new slogan seems like it has just gone corporate and old. Refined to appear more polished and expensive. It promotes the process, not the end result. The old logo and slogan were for the rider. The one who wants to get out there and ride to 'own the corners'. Just my two cents on it. | ||
| Crackhead |
maybe they are killing the Blast to make room for the XBlast? | ||
| Elvis |
I can understand that some Blast faithful may be annoyed at the knock against their bike, but I like the direction they're going. I think Ducati should be something of a standard to which Buell aspires and Ducati clearly doesn't have anything like a Blast. . . . now let's just hope their engineers and racers can cash the checks their marketing department is writing. . . | ||
| Elvis |
I see this a little like the opposite of what Porsche did when they introduced the Cayenne. Prior to the Cayenne, Porsche had an extremely strong brand identity. Everybody knew what Porsche stood for: Small, light, very high performance sports cars. When they released the Cayenne, they diluted that image and now, with the Panamera, the brand image continues to drift. Eventually, they will probably become much more like BMW or Mercedes (and what stock-holders would argue with that?), but I think they're losing the thing that made them a great car company to become a larger, good car company. | ||
| Ezblast |
I think Ducati should be something of a standard to which Buell aspires and Ducati clearly doesn't have anything like a Blast. 620 Ducs where lunch in the twisties for my Blast, and Duc 620 hunting used to be a favorite Blast past time for Blastards like myself - lol - now that its a coffee table, I guess I'll just park it in my living room. EZ | ||
| Mortarmanmike120 |
I don't particularly like the direction they are going. I'm not a racer, I have no desire to have a race bike even if its disguised as a street bike. I understand that others feel differently. I'm not the demographic. I get it. I'm 37 and prefer standards. I like bikes like the XB, and triumphs, and older KZ's, and the blast. I honestly do get it, the advertisement is not for me. It's for the ricky-racers out there. I find it odd that the advertisers can't appeal to one demographic without belittling another one. As soon as I get back from my paid vacation, I plan on buying a blast and possibly even an XT. It would be great if they'd update the blast, then the price of an oldskool blast would be even cheaper. Keep the shiny side up. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I would like to see a BETTER Blast. If you look at the ad not as a total package encompassing ALL Buell but rather a prong in the marketing effort, it makes sense. For someone looking at a 600/1000 bike, the Blast wasn't even in contention. They would have more respect for the old Ninja 250. These are folks who, before this year, would never have given Buell a shot. Now they are seeing a Buell number two in the Sportbike standings. Even with the controversies, there are people looking at Buells for the first time. I just sold a Buell to a guy who previously had ridden IL4s and had just left the import dealer looking at a 'Busa. Right now, the marketing iron that is hot is racing. I'm sure that there was an advertising calculus factored into the add. How many new sportbike riders would be gained vs. how many traditional "non-racer" riders would be put off by the add. I doubt that anyone "offended" by the add would be willing to sell their Uly and walk away from Buell. There MUST be more people entering the Buell system for Buell to succeed. This means that Buell must tap into a market that heretofore has NEVER given Buell a shot. Unfortunately, boys and girls, this means we will have more younger riders (and more squids) entering the system. Now a 690cc single similar to the KTM Duke or RC4 would be just about perfect. | ||
| Ezblast |
Hogwash - unless Buell pulls out some kind of awesome single to replace the Blast with, then he has just shot himself in the foot! EZ | ||
| Mortarmanmike120 |
I doubt that anyone "offended" by the add would be willing to sell their Uly and walk away from Buell. No, but I'd be less likely to play up Buell's non-racer bikes to my riding buddies. I can't think of any other company that has used that strategy. You don't see Jeep advertising a wadded up wrangler and effectively calling them a POS so they can sell more Liberties. You don't see suzuki dissing the Vstrom or GS or bandit or SV so they can sell more Busa's. I'm sure some calculus was used. Still a stupid fkin ad. (Message edited by mortarmanmike120 on July 23, 2009) | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Given Erik's tendency to walk away from the past, the ad doesn't seem that far off. I remember feeling whiplash at Erik's comments about the air-cooled engine in the XB being pretty much pieces of crap and a mere stop over on the way to the 1125 platform. I would say that a NEW single is on it's way. | ||
| Ezblast |
My new screen saver for work and home - ha ha - not joking though - am totally offended however, and as I said - Honda's looking good - you know what they say - you meet the nicest people on a Honda - keep ruthless - I've trashed the ruthless. EZ | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Honestly, I would NEVER buy or be interested in a Blast. Many share my feelings. Different strokes. | ||
| Ezblast |
Who asked you - what are you riding now? EZ | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Don't have to get snippy. Enjoy your Honda. | ||
| Not_purple_s2 |
That ad especially without mention or hint of a replacement?!?! WTF!? It seems like they're catering to the Buell Bashing crowd. You could say that the Blast was underpowered and not a true sportbike, but it was an excellent beginner's bike. But you don't have to degrade it and literally call it junk. And if they had simply added a new blast replacement bike next in the photo it would have been much more effective. "out with the old, in with the new" That way it's more like saying "this new bike is so good it makes the old blast look like junk." But this ad just says "Blasts are junk" and in a way that's not too far from saying "Buells are junk" If they're catering to the people who don't like Buell or think they're underpowered fake sportbikes.... then theis will fail. It'll only be laughed at and used as an example; "See! Even Buell knows that their bikes are junk!" | ||
| Ezblast |
I own 2 1/2 coffee tables, I have friends who race these coffee tables, I have introduced a world of folks to these coffee tables, and they bought them as well. I'm glad I could help Buell move furniture. An add like this will help him move his furniture as well -..........to the poor house. EZ | ||
| Hootowl |
A Buell-badgeless-Blast sits in the show room. An ad says Buell is dropping the Blast because it isn't a sportbike. 2+2= Blast will be an HD product, Buell is going racing. Is my math wrong? | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
What if the ad is simply a precursor for the new "coffee table" to be released soon? | ||
| Hootowl |
A decade ago, Phillips stopped making VCRs because they didn't want their name associated with anything that wasn't digital. They still manufactured one though. They simply stuck an Panasonic label on it. | ||
| Not_purple_s2 |
Why would they slam the Blast if Harley is going to take over the model? That doesn't make any sense. But then the ad doesn't make much sense anyway. | ||
| Greenlantern |
I have no choice but to call SHENANIGANS ! | ||
| Indybuell |
I love my Blast. It does its job of commuting my fat ass to work and back daily very well. It performs well enough in the corners that I can keep up with most. Would I like a little more straight away speed, probably. | ||
| White |
Ft-bstrd said "I remember feeling whiplash at Erik's comments about the air-cooled engine in the XB being pretty much pieces of crap and a mere stop over on the way to the 1125 platform." When did Erik say this? Any links? | ||
| Nik |
I wonder what this means for the british Mac motorcycles that were to use the blast single... | ||
| Indybuell |
Just saw the ad. I puked a little into my mouth. How could they print something like that. I'm hoping someone gets fired, and it was just a mistake. | ||
| Crackhead |
some how i am picturing a super short stroke with ultra high revs 500cc based on the 1125. as part of next months media blitz |
