| Author | Message | ||
     Csg_inc |
It would be nice if we could go on-line and order stuff have it sent to our house or business and still credit our local dealership with the sale. I know it can be done because it works that way with my local BMW dearlership. So it can't be that hard a deal to put together but then look at the size of the HD accesory catalog. Yikes | ||
| Froggy |
Csg, some dealers already do that. Check with your local ones to see if they do it. | ||
| Edgydrifter |
I confess to having had a surprisingly pleasant experience yesterday when I bought my XT, but then again my expectations were very low given the experiences of others I've read about on this and other forums. On the "down" side, the Buells were tucked away in a corner near the service desk, and there was a very pronounced lack of "lifestyle" accessories. Actually, move that second bit into the "up" column, as I don't really need any more shot glasses or a chain wallet. The most positive item of note was the presence of some very knowledgeable and helpful staffers who were themselves Buell riders. One fellow spent a good two hours with me tweaking the suspension and giving me a comprehensive overview of every bolt and button on the entire bike. And they checked that I had the latest maps flashed into my ECM. I wholeheartedly support the boutique-within-a-dealership approach that Buell is experimenting with in a few places, but only if part of the "Buell Experience" is interacting with folks who are competent and enthusiastic about Buell motorcycles. Again, I don't need any more shot glasses. | ||
| Court |
This is great to hear. Please send me the name of the dealer and details. | ||
| Edgydrifter |
Done! | ||
| Miss_doc |
Ok, so now we know that there is no chance of a Buell only store. Well how about a dealer that has mostly Buells and a few, a bare minimum of hds in stock. Primarily Buell merchandise, you see where I'm going with this?? Reverse the Buell/HD dealer emphasis. Would this be possible??? BTW where can I find Buell glasses, ie. shot, beer, etc...??? Something simple like etched, or even painted; etched prefered that is forever, untill it gets broken. Or will I have to "make" them??? | ||
| 2008xb12scg |
I for one would love to be a Buell salesman. And a Buell coffee mug would be cool! | ||
| Crusty |
And a Buell coffee mug would be cool! +1 | ||
| Ratbuell |
I've been getting more and more confused, though, with the release papers surrounding the XR. Why in god's name would HD be promoting the XR as the "much anticipated/requested sporty American V-twin motorcycle", when they sell Buell in the same building? Promote it as the "much anticipated resurrection of the legendary XR racebikes", or something similar that keeps it specific to HD bikes, not American bikes in general (which, by definition, includes the Buell brand). I think that goes to the root of the problem here. HD is shooting itself in the foot by trampling all over the Buell spirit, even in its own press. I wholeheartedly agree that you can't drive the Buell nail with the HD hammer....but the HD hammer is the only tool that lots of dealers are given anymore. I love the Buell concept store idea...but as much as I'm trying to sell my dealer on the idea, it's more-than-difficult to persuade them to spend the money, on the displays, for a brand that carries such a relatively low percentage of the revenue. It's the classic catch-22 - "If I had the display..." vs. "If you'd sell more bikes, we'll get the display". I'd imagine that's more global than specific. I don't know how feasible it is, but I would love to see the concept store / Buell garage setup at least partially "issued" to dealerships with a sales increase expectation (or other requirement) associated with it. Someone could set it up much like the demo bike program - "here's your bike, you have to keep it in-fleet for at least six months, keep X records for demo trips it makes, maintain it as such, etc. etc.". But....I just sell bikes. All this stuff is way above me on the corporate food chain, lol. | ||
| F_skinner |
"HD is shooting itself in the foot by trampling all over the Buell spirit" They are not shooting HD in the foot Joe. Maybe they are shooting Buell, but I do not think so. The new Sporty as a very different bike than a Buell but I do agree that some dealers have trouble promoting that fact. My personal opinion is the new sporty sucks but that is just me. I saw a salesman tell a future HD buyer how well the V-Rod handles. He should have walked 25 feet to show him the Buell if he wanted handling. I feel sorry for dealers that don't get it. The poor salesperson on the floor has to sell a product he or she knows} nothing about and the dealership does not really help them to learn anything about it. I would love to be in Buell sales but doubt I could sell any of the current HD line up very well. As far as the store in a store. We Buell owners will see that as a level of dedication to the brand but here is the deal. If my local dealer had the Buell store in a store display I would still ride by them to go either 100 miles North or 300 miles South to buy my next Buell. Why you ask, because it is the same dealership with the same lack of knowledge and enthusiasm for the brand. BTW: I already know what my next Buell is going to be, I am just waiting for Buell to make it. I'll give you a hint. I really like the KZ Concours... Frank | ||
| Ratbuell |
"HD is shooting itself in the foot by trampling all over the Buell spirit" By this, I meant that HD owns Buell, therefore it's technically their foot. By not properly promoting Buell for what it is and what the bikes can do, they are sending buyers who want sportbikes to UJM stores instead of selling them *any*thing from under the HD umbrella. Trying to call the XR a "performance" bike is a bit of a stretch in my mind - it's still a backbone frame, and it's still gonna flex and wallow a ton when it's pushed through turns. And I agree on the store display - perhaps BMC could be "selective" on who gets the displays, like a more tangible Pegasus award or something.... | ||
| F_skinner |
Got it Joe. Imagine if Buell tried to make a touring bike. Not a sport touring or adventure bike but a touring bike that had HP and could get around the curves without the frame flexing. HD would never go for that since it would cut into their market. The XR reminds me of the V-Rod. Fast down the drag strip and that is it. I love Sporties and like the V-Rod but not the XR. Seems to me they are trying to market a younger crowd when they don't need to with Buells in the same show room. I bet they sell good in EU. Frank | ||
| Ratbuell |
Seems to me they are trying to market a younger crowd when they don't need to with Buells in the same show room. Yep! Just competing with themselves...and from what I can tell, using a lot of Buell parts on the XR, to try and cut into Buell sales. <sigh> | ||
| Miss_doc |
I take it there are others who like the idea of a primarily Buell dealer, with a few( read very few) H-Ds tossed in to reverse the emphasis between the two?? Not to mention the Buell "trinkets" ie. coffee mugs, shot glasses, beer mugs, etc... Well Court, would this be possible?? Maybe a couple of test dealers, preferably run by those who know and understand Buells. Maybe IF it were to happen and succeed, maybe put a short twisty track on the same ground for test rides/ local riding school??? Just an idea.... Would definatly be a different type of dealer. A dealer who sells and works on Buells, because the dealership is RUN by BUELL ENTHUSIASTS. If not, then what about the mugs, and glasses?? I can name three people easy, who would like them; and I'm pretty sure more would follow. If that is no good, then would Erik allow me to use the Buell insignia to "make" mugs, and glasses?? I already have a couple of ideas for the glasses. | ||
| Bombardier |
Would the volume (profit margin) of Buell sales be able to set up Buell only/majority stores? As sad as it is these things are a business. I also would like to be treated as a first class citizen when I go to have my bike serviced and if the money was there I would give it a go myself - however the 'numbers' suggest that it is not a viable option. | ||
| Petebueller |
A big advantage of having H-D dealers as Buell dealers is the distribution network. When I rode Laverdas it was a problem to get parts. There was one importer and one other dealer in the country. I didn't live in either city so I couldn't walk into a shop and buy what I needed or look at what was available. Now I have the luxury of a bike that is unusual (almost boutique) that had dealers all over the country. | ||
| Buellistic |
Here is an example of "9 WAYS TO SELL A BUELL" !!! EXAMPLE: only BUELL Club in area ... 23 members that have signed membership form ... Live in the city where BUELL Club is: 2 BUELLers ... Live in the county where the BUELL Club is: 3 BUELLers ... Line in the county's around the county where the BUELL Club is: 11 BUELLers ... metric(sportbikes)riders which are referred to as "BRITs"(BUELL Riders in TRAINING): 7 BRITs ... BRITs: 2 live in the city and 5 live in the county where the Club is ... | ||
| Davegess |
Buell sales are no where near the point where a primarily Buell dealer could survive. Total USA sales are about 6-7000 with an equal amount outside the US. H-D moves 20 times that, Honda likely moves 200 times that. The Buell H-D relationship is a two edged sword. With out H-D Buell does not exist. With H-D sometimes the H-D stuff gets in the way. I predict that in 5 more years we will see Buell stores with no Harleys in them. By the time the 30th anniversay rolls around Buell sales will be at the 50,000 per year level worldwide and that will support seperate shops. Of course by the time sales reach that level Buell we be importatn to the H-D dealers and they will want to sell them and will sell them well so the need for a lot of stand alone stores will be small. | ||
| Buelltours |
I would seriously consider investing in a dealership which could sell Buell, Triumph, MV, Ducati, Cagiva, Morini, Guzzi, KTM... located in the mountains of North Carolina. While I am very much able to easily connect to any Buell enthusiast, I continue to be amazed about the reasoning around a H-D sale/purchase. I just couldn't do it. Let's hope Buells can be sold apart from HD soon! Check out http://www.gerhardmoerk.de/. Last I heard, these guys cannot hold Buells on the floor. | ||
| Court |
I argee with Dave Gess 100%. My wife has been talking about getting a dealership . . . I think the next 5 years will be fascinating. | ||
| Sethbuchbinder |
Court, that would be terrific. The day you and the boss sign the papers for your dealership, Ill be at the front door ready to work. You have my number. Seth | ||
| Skntpig |
I sold bikes in a dealer that sold HDs, Buells, Triumphs, Kawi, Seadoo + used under the same small roof. You can imagine the rift between the HD and Kawi/seadoo side of the service department. Holy tension. Forget about borrowing a tool. While selling in this environment you had to really pay attention to what the customer really wanted and certainly never prejudged. It was really entertaining and fun. I bought a Buell in late 96 and could ride with everyone. | ||
| 12x9sl |
Court, you are absolutely right (what you said in your first post) and that is the reason why I drove over 2 1/2 hours past the closest dealership to buy my bike from DaveS. I used to stop in there any time I was in town, just to talk to Dave and later Andy because they were Buell fanatics. | ||
| Crackhead |
When will buell changing over to metric? When i bought the blast i couldn't believe anything was still made on std. My Ford Taurus is metric. The last car i worked on that used std was my 86 F150. Haveing a sports bike in std can be hold up for new customers that have a tool box full of metric and find out that i have to go buy all of the tools again in std. You are talking 1K worth of tools! Crows feet, larger size sockets, larger combo wrenches, I have to convert every measurement over from N-M to in-lbs because my torque wrench is metric. It is alomst impossable to do the converson in my head. How can harley and buell still find the taps and dies in std? The local hardware store has more metric bolts then std bolts. Is the new 1125 metric? Since the engine is made from a non USA company? I think USA is the only country were you can find std still. I bet MV Agusta is metric. | ||
| Court |
The Standard v. Metric discussion started when I was in 3rd grade at McCarter Elementary School. We were "going metric" in the next year. It continued during the years I did major highway work for the Federal Highway folks . . . they figured that Intelligent Transportation Systems were a good place. In fact they mandated that any work with federal $$ was to be metric. We spent years using plans featuring 44 mm conduit and the standard measurements in parentheses. For the elusive "change over" to work there has to be a concerted effort. Putting .76 mm IRC on the plans is of no value if all the supplier sells is 3.0". Taps and dies are easy to find and will be for a long time . . . the benefit of a couple hundred years worth of crud running about the world. The 1125R MOTOR is metric. I'd GUESS the bike is the "most metric" Buell yet. I have no knowledge of the MV Agusta but can assure it that it, being an "assembled" bike is the product of sourcing and no based on a "if it's not metric, we won't use it". Hopefully there will be some standardization but I'd look for someone producing much more than 10,000/yr to lead the way. Buell will never enjoy such a monopsony to command their suppliers means and methods. | ||
| Crackhead |
i just had to vent a little. Having to buy a bunch of tools has just blown my 4k budget (4K) for bike (3k) + gear out the window. I guess i was expecting that after the tube models the bikes would be metric, except for the harley engines. | ||
| Court |
Let not your heart be troubled . . . you can buy ALL the tools you need to work on your Buell for less than $100. . . with the possible exception of torque wrenches. I just bought a complete set of Craftsman Torx T-handle stuff (I really only needed two sizes for the Buell) and it set me back something like a whopping $15. I have, from a long love affair with a 1967 Volkswagen, a pretty integrates metric/standard tool box. What do you need, as a result of the Buell, that you don't have? | ||
| Jaimec |
I'm not 100% sure, but I believe there are far more metric fasteners on my 2009 1125R than there were on the 2008 model. They're getting there! | ||
| Dave_02_1200 |
I think too many buyers make their decision based on magazine test statistics and "motojournalist" opinions, much to the disadvantage of Buell. The key is to get people to actually ride one. The folks who can tell the difference will buy the Buell, the Ducati, or one of several other great motorcycles. Those who can't tell the difference will buy whatever the magazines tell them to buy. Motorcycling is all about the experience. Sell the experience. My 2 cents. Dave | ||
| Cityxslicker |
I am off to a new business venture. Looking for used, low mileage Buells purchased from private parties, trade ins, estate sales, dealer stock (when dealers leave the fold) and rental returns. Selling the bikes at below NADA used retail rates. Light, lean, mean and seasonal, our doors close Nov 1 Just because I left Harley-Davidson, doesnt mean I lost my passion for BUELL. |
