| Author |
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Ft_bstrd
| | Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 01:08 am: | 
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I wonder how many MV folks would like a larger distribution system.
(Currently MV dealers in GA, FL, SC, NC, VA, NJ, MA, NY, PA, OH, MI, IL, WI, MN, TX, OK, KS, CO, AZ, UT, ID, OR, WA, CA, NV)
I wonder how many Buell folks would like to have a more sport bike friendly sales environment.
I wonder how many MV dealers might be able to handle Buell sales as well. |
Vagabond
| | Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 01:27 am: |
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Hmm, Fast by Ferracci parts for Buell. Could be promising........... |
Tipsymcstagger
| | Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 06:03 am: |
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Remember, 8 hours from bottle to throttle.
I got my VFR license back in the late 80's but decided that I felt safer on terra firma. It is exhilarating though but expensive.
I thought it was eight bottles to throttle? 
Funny...I feel safer in the air than on my bike.
Flying is definitely expensive...especially with crude at $130+ per barrel. I haven't done any GA flying in 10+ years because of the costs...but I do miss tooling around at 1500 feet and eighty knots!
Tipsy |
Prowler
| | Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2008 - 01:02 pm: |
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It's interesting how guys that have their pilots license (me included), usually have an interest in fast cars, motorcycles and boats and other stuff with motors..........hmmmmmm |
Johnboy777
| | Posted on Sunday, June 08, 2008 - 02:10 pm: |
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"It's interesting how guys that have their pilots license (me included), usually have an interest in fast cars, motorcycles and boats and other stuff with motors..........hmmmmmm"
I flew ultralights back in the 80's ... what a blast!
. |
Vagabond
| | Posted on Sunday, June 08, 2008 - 09:52 pm: |
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I fly on a 737 to work. Does that count? |
Hooper
| | Posted on Monday, June 09, 2008 - 12:01 am: |
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This has been one of the most clever strings on the site.
In addition to my '06 Uly (recently back from the shop after a full frame replacement, thanks to a run-in with Bambi), I have a Harley-Davidson (that's how I refer to it when people ask what it is...I don't say "Harley"). I LOVE to tell people that I ride a Buell (but I usually have to go deeper by saying that H-D owns most of the company). Then there are my two first Japanese bikes that I don't ride anymore.
I let my complimentary first-year H.O.G. membership lapse, though I think the free towing benefit is too tempting to avoid next year. I appreciate the love H-D riders have for their bikes, but I really appreciate the uniqueness of the Buell. One of my friends who went from a Wee-Strom to a V-Star 1300 told me - that after watching a middle-aged guy roll up on a Hog covered in skulls - "I don't need to buy my identity". I got his point, but you can't help but buy an identity when you buy a bike. You might as well strip off all the Suzuki markings, all the paint, all the silver, etc. But then what you have is a "stripped down, old school, raw ride", which is a style in and of itself (I have a flat black Harley Street Bob...black is the new chrome).
Yeah, I bought a H-D - never thought I would, but I wanted a cruiser that looked classic and simple (man, I would love an Exile Cycle), and H-D finally made one that I could see myself on. But it isn't a "skully" one. It's a straight black, single-seat cruiser ("one engine, one seat, and two fists in the wind..."). I have to say, I really agree with the folks that say it's slightly intimidating to investigate Buell when there's a wall of Harley in front of them. It makes sense that they're not given the same real estate, but the H-D brand is so overwhelming that the other brands almost feel like an afterthought (don't get me started on trying to find Buell t-shirts). Battley Cycles in Gaithersburg, MD also sells Yamaha, Ducati, and BMW...they have a ton of space for BMW, but the others are thrown into the overall mix - only enough room for one representative of each model, so seeing what the various paint jobs or options look like are lost.
That said, I think Old Glory H-D/Buell in Laurel, MD does a good job giving Buell its area, and even put an 1125R in the store's entryway.
Buells are rare in the DC area. This weekend I saw an 1125R (in northern MD) and a Lightning in Glyndon, MD. All the other bikes were H-D and a smattering of Japanese sportbikes. I gave a BIG thumbs-up to the Buell guys - not just a wave.
H-D owning MV Augusta? I would imagine it could be like how Volkswagen owns Lamborghini. A Lamborghini is still a Lamborghini. And the technology in them is better. I know, there are so many holes in that argument...I do not expect there to be MV-A's in H-D dealers. I expect it would be a basic business decision.
I rode in Rolling Thunder this year and got my fill of H-D culture, but it is exactly that - a huge nation of culture. Everyone has their take on what being a H-D rider means. You can be a leather assless chaps skull rider, or a nerd like me who is ATGATT on an Electra Glide because it's ALL ABOUT THE RIDE.
Even my girlfriend is ATGATT...
And then I take the Hog in for its 5,000 mile checkup, and pick up the Uly after it's frame transplant...
Pick up one, drop off the other - never without a sled. Even on a 95-degree day... |
Electraglider_1997
| | Posted on Monday, June 09, 2008 - 11:12 am: |
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Right before I went into the USMC back in 75' this guy lent me and my buddies an unpowerd Ultralight. He wasn't even there when we took it to this big hill. Long story short, the wind was going over the hill instead of into the hill. Lucky for me otherwise I'm sure I would have been killed. |
Electraglider_1997
| | Posted on Monday, June 09, 2008 - 11:17 am: |
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As for Harley riders having a bias for wierd clothing, this is true but they are just having a good time with it. Many Buell riders have their own style of clothing. Different strokes for different folks. I'm somewhere in between. I'm not a ATGATT and I'm certainly not an assless chaps type either. I dress depending on the destination. Always wear something on my feet though. Nobody'd want to look at my feet anyways.
(Message edited by electraglider_1997 on June 09, 2008) |
Chadhargis
| | Posted on Monday, June 09, 2008 - 12:02 pm: |
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If I were Harley Davidson, I'd be looking to diversify. I'm sure they have been looking at their demographics and have come to the conclusion that their primary buyers aren't getting any younger. Buell doesn't really appeal to most younger people because they can buy a Hondakawayammasuzki that they see winning races for a fraction of the cost.
So...how you gonna fill the hole? I don't think MV is the right way to go, as the bikes are WAY too expensive, but heck, Ducati and BMW have made a good living off selling WAY too expensive bikes, and the MV may fit into the the boutique style of sales HD enjoys.
If I were a big American company, I'd be looking to foster a Chinese or Korean manufacturer. They have plenty of work force, cheap labor, and if you put in good Demming style quality control just like the Japanese did back in the 50's, then you'll end up with an excellent product for a very low cost.
Like the old saying goes, "Sell to the classes, live with the masses. Sell to the masses, live with the classes". Anyone ever heard of Bill Gates or Sam Walton?? Those two people understood the value of selling to the masses, same as the Japanese.
Funny how the tide is turning though. Used to, you could get a Japanese car for less than an American car and it was better quality. Now they cost more, and the quality is not exponentially better like it used to be. Japanese is now a "premium" where it was once something you settled for. Watch for Korea and China to make similar moves. |
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