Buell gone....

http://www.examiner.com/x-10846-Baltimore-Motorcycle-Travel-Examiner~y2009m10d15-HarleyDavidson-discontinues-Buell-motorcycles

As of today....Harley Davidson is closing the doors on Buell

They aren't real bright are they?

Message from Eric Buell himself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5i7JDNACtI&feature=player_embedded#at=87

hey guys I know its only a week before Xmas, but youre all fired.

Have a nice day.

HD = dix

Sad, sad day......

and that pretty much cinches my decision to buy a BMW vs Buell

Wait, what?! Buell will be no more? I can't watch the video. Is there hope of somebody else buying them, or is this it?

In a perfect world, the clouds would part, the sun would shine and......

BRP would buy Buell.

Imagine the chassis technology and other innovations of Buell with a decent engine in every model. The 1125R has a BRP Rotax engine in it already. Also, the BMW F650 has a BRP Rotax engine in it.

A Blast that's actually a blast and not a be last? Anybody?

That sucks but I don't think they sold enough of the bikes.

The blast might not be the fastest thing on 2 wheels but they are fun bikes. I found out my bike wasn't fast trying to keep up with an older inline 2 600cc bike last weekend, but the blast is the perfect bike for going through San Fran and cutting lanes. With an aftermarket exhaust you will part the water. If you've never wound a blast out on the freeway to 90mph you have no leg to stand on, with the opened up exhaust it sounds like miniNASCAR from a single. The biggest issue is all the power is above 5000rpm or so you cannot lug the engine or you will be last!

Sucks to hear but HD makes their money selling chrome, t-shirts, beef jerky and financing bikes, the buell division must have been a money loser.

80 production positions, 100 salaried positions. A tad bit top heavy in the Buell line?

Anyway, sad to see it, but I'm not really surprised. I like the things, although I've never ridden one. I guess I like the idea of a crotch rocket that's Sportster based. The MoCo needs to adapt to the changing times. This ain't 2004 anymore. People aren't going to have twenty large burning a hole in their pocket for a long time. 10-20 years, at least. Any company that is based on disposable income had better fall back and rethink how to survive, and I'm glad the MoCo is at least trying here.

First response:

"Man, what a crap day. I own an S3 for chrissakes. I've owned 3 of those things!"

Second response:

"EB is going to be back. That guy ain't going to sit around."

I have to say..in that video EB looks like he's going to drop tears any minute. I feel for him.

Just saw Hess's post:

The MoCo does need to rethink. When I started riding Buell's in 97 they were talking about how Buell's would bring in younger riders. It worked. I knew a lot of guys who didn't want HD products. They wanted more tech and less chrome. I sold all mine because I was tired of HD dealerships. Funny thing is...since buying my last S3 the dealerships have been great!

I stand by my words. EB will do something else great. He ain't dead yet.

Since July of this year, I have put 3,000 miles on my Buell Lightning. Every second of it has been a blast (yeah, that pun was intended). With the exception of the cooling fan failure / gasket leak which was fixed promptly under warranty, the bike has been flawless for all of its 9,850 miles (my brother was the previous owner). I love it and intend to hold onto it for a very long time.

For those of you who have never ridden one, ride one. Sure, it's a Sportster engine, but it makes one HELL of a sport bike engine! I can hold the front wheel off the ground ever-so-slightly in first gear while I'm leaning forward and then pop it off in second and third gear while I'm shifting. I enjoy riding it more than the 600cc Japanese sport bikes I've ridden.

My new mission is to have Erik Buell himself sign the bike somewhere. I'm not convinced that the 25th Anniversary plaque bears his actual signature, but instead, a copy of it.

Xceler8x wrote: I stand by my words. EB will do something else great. He ain't dead yet.

AMEN, brotha!

Something tells me that one of the other manufacturers would be happy to do a production run of some engine as they have excess capacity sitting idle. I'd love to see EB's version of a Bimota using a GSXR750 engine...

What a bummer. It seems like there are so many ideas that would possibly keep the brand alive and profitable, I can't imagine that the most financially beneficial way of dealing with Buell is to axe the brand.

It'll be interesting to see how things shake out going forward...

Bryce

It's hard to believe, but as others have said: Erik's down, but not out. Once he gets over the shock, I hope he realizes that this is an opportunity, not a crisis. A crisitunity!

And at least now MV Agusta gets to go back to Italian ownership,as it should be.

Very sad indeed, the only H-D product that I've ever had any interest in. If E B is able to go into buisness with out H-D at some future point it might actualy be better for him and his product, when I was in the market for a new bike back in the late ninties Buell was on my short list, but none of the local H-D dealers had any on the floor, and thier attitudes put me off completly, I wouldn't have bought a new Buell no matter how good it was because of the H-D dealership experience.

He should team up with KTM and make a big bore street bike line with their engines

Buell was in business without HD at the start. He took Sportster engine/transmission units and put them in his own frames. Then HD bought him out, sort of, or merged him into HD directly. Changes were done to the Buell engines so that they were a little different than the regular Sportster motors. I don't know all the changes, but you can look at one and see it's got different castings. The early ones were the same. So, I'd say that it would be possible, again, for Buell to take 1200 CC Sportster motors and build a bike around them. Or someone else could.

Buell needs to start up an American Ducati type company. You know, nice fast boutique bikes with a deep racing heritage.

Screw H-D

You know, I was this close to pulling the trigger on a vrod. Gonna get that guzzi after all i think...

John Brown wrote: Buell needs to start up an American Ducati type company. You know, nice fast boutique bikes with a deep racing heritage. Screw H-D

Yeah..that was the goal.

Buell motors started out using stock sportster mills like in the S2 and early S1 series. After that they parted ways. I think by the end of the tuber run (2001) they were only using cases and rods. The XB series of bikes, I think, use the cases and rods as well but that's about it.

They did some great design work on that motor. Just the intake changes alone were something. I'm not even talking about the use of NASCAR style valve springs to get more revs out a pushrod motor. Dry sump oil tanks. Etc, etc.

I ride mopeds sometimes with Erik's daughter. I'll try to get some inside info from her; I'm SURE he's not down and out.

Harley's have all had dry sump oil systems since the first one. I dunno about the cases being the same. I've looked at some 08, 09 Buells at the stealership and the cases don't look like the rest of the XL line.

But, if Buells weren't selling enough to justify their existance, well, they either needed to sell more (and I've heard a bunch of you jap bike riders do nothing but biatch about how you don't like Buells, wouldn't buy one, your mamaduh is faster, etc.), or cut costs or close the whole line from a business standpoint. I'd like to have one but I'd probably kill myself on it, so, guess I'll have to pass.

Eric is dying filming that, tough for me to watch.

I worked for Kieth Bontrager, a very innovative mountain bike designer and manufacture, and more-so a very intelligent and stand up guy. I'll skip the gruesome details, but after a spell of having "Bontrager Cycles" owned by Trec, Kieth said to me with absolute seriousness "never sell a business with your name on it". The honeymoon can end pretty quick in brand acquisition land, all those promises of R&D $, freedom, integrity, "we really believe in you", are almost always non binding.

Dr. Hess wrote: But, if Buells weren't selling enough to justify their existance, well, they either needed to sell more (and I've heard a bunch of you jap bike riders do nothing but biatch about how you don't like Buells, wouldn't buy one, your mamaduh is faster, etc.), or cut costs or close the whole line from a business standpoint. I'd like to have one but I'd probably kill myself on it, so, guess I'll have to pass.

Oh yeah. Exactly right. If they were selling like VFR's did back in the day this wouldn't even be an option.

But we also know HD is a company that is facing some serious issues. Have been for quite awhile. I can't see them going out of business if they survived AMF ownership. But times will get tougher for them if they don't do something.

I do see some hard, lean times coming for them if they aren't here already. The guys who bought Buell's absolutely hated the stealerships. Then I read Iron Horse and realized that HD riders hated the dealerships too! If your riders don't like the dealership experience..how can you survive?

HD has thus far been unsuccessful in appealing to younger riders. I think that's because they took way too long (1125R) to offer a bike that was equal in performance to japanese bikes. Also, like you mentioned before Hess...price. Not many people are able to drop 20k on any toy right now.

I think HD could've been the Starbucks of motorcycles if they're dealerships had been up to the task. But hey..I'm just some internet expert. What do I know?