| Author | Message | ||
     Conchop |
I just read in this months Motorcyclist that Bombardier tried to buy Buell from HD. This deal would have kept people employed and the brand running. However, from the way the article read, if there were successful motorcycle sales with the new owners, HD would have been embarrassed. This strikes me as being illogical as the Can Am deal could have put money in the HD bank, provided employment for elves, and perhaps provided a more adequate dealership base. Win WIn WIn. Care to comment??? | ||
| Andymnelson |
Welcome to 2009. | ||
| Buell920 |
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| Vecchio_lupo |
Being an outsider, it looks to me that H-D had too much proprietary technology tied up in Buell and they were unwilling to supply or license the manufacture of said pieces parts. Also the same article mentions a non competition clause so the Boss would be unable to work on street bike design till it ran out. Again I am on the outside looking in so my opinion is zero. I would speculate on a possible Buell-ized Victory or Polaris project, or maybe even a full blown KTM effort. Again this is just one guy doing the "What If" thing out loud. Pay no attention to me, just pretend your my ex wife. | ||
| Conchop |
Apparently I've spent too much time on the farm. I had no idea this was old news, but it seems to be such a shame to let people go unemployed when with the right money, a deal could have been done. I would buy a Victory adventure touring rig in a NY nanosecond. You could bet the power would be there and the suspension and brakes would be top hat. It would be bullet proof and the quality surveys would put it on top of the heap. | ||
| Jaimec |
Proprietary HD technology???? Can you actually say those three words in one sentence without choking or spurting coffee from your nose?? I'm trying to imagine what that might be... some fancy-schmancy way of applying chrome?? A proprietary fastener for installing conchos on leather?? A nifty new way of directing paint from an airbrush? Pray tell?? | ||
| Byooll |
The engine technology very probably already was property of Bombardier Recreational Products - they own Rotax. | ||
| Byooll |
They have since 1970 | ||
| Court |
>>>>The engine technology very probably already was property of Bombardier Recreational Products - they own Rotax. The engine technology is property of Buell Motorcycle Company. Rotax is under a restrictive covenant that they may not use the Buell technology in any other products for a period of time. | ||
| Vecchio_lupo |
I think Victory needs a sport bike, there is a hole in the lineup. Mr. Buell could be like Shelby, Roush, or MOMO. A designer/Engineer that specializes with a singular platform. Or, Mr. Buell could just do whatever he wants to do with his career, and we should just be happy that we had 20 years of innovative engineering. | ||
| Conchop |
Victory / Polaris is a very cautious lot. Their dealership base is in no mood for paying for floor planning a bike that is not understood as was the case of their Sport Cruiser. Lots of dealerships went under and mine was one of them simply because of poor dealership expansion planning and 9/11. It's a cut=throat business world out there and if you are going to be a manufacturer of high performance bikes, you have to realize your dealers HAVE TO MAKE MONEY. They are the manufacturers customer. Essentially, the manufacturer has 2 customers. Nonetheless, Victory has a unique opportunity to develop a dirt oriented adventure touring motorcycle. The performance, engineering, and creative development of the Polaris ATV's are really an American success story in their own right. The application of their engineering across the hallway shouldn't be all that difficult. The involvement of Ness and Buell would be an interesting mix. If their collaboration could build an A/T bike that met my satisfaction [ I don't tolerate BS out of my bikes ] then its a simple matter of following their own lessons in ATV's - when you start dealing them, price it right. Same goes for all out sport bikes. They have to be excellent at all the edges of a very demanding performance envelope. Priced right - supplied and serviced by a dealership network that is making money and really IN - TO the essence of our biker universe. If Buell could collaborate with Victory as Ness has done, the possibilities for the creation of a whole new dimension of the highest performance "fighters" ever manufactured is an interesting possibility. Give something for HD, the Asians, and Europeans to think about. We'd have one hell of a ride! | ||
| Budgolf |
I don't know man, I imagine Erik is tired of big corporations and their wise input into his projects and designs and perfectly happy doing his own thing again. I don't know him, but seems to me that being under the giant HD thumb was torture for him. I can't see him going back to something like that. Not unless he just had too to put food on the table. My crystal ball shows me Erik staying right where he is and maybe, if we're lucky, some forward thinking investors invest in his new company and give him the ability to introduce street versions of what he's working on right now. And probably, a little section in the shop where those of us that have bikes with his name on them can bring them in for work. I just don't see Erik running off to sign anymore corporate contracts with big companies. They're all cutthroat. Every one of them. It would be an act of God for a big companies thought processes and Eriks way of thinking to line up right. Then again, I'm full of crap most of the time. | ||
| Court |
>>>>Then again, I'm full of crap most of the time. I think you are right on target. | ||
| Budgolf |
I got into Buells because they were different. I wanted American, but I didn't want a boat. And once I found Buell, I was finally happy. And I won't deny that the bikes have had some issues (tho I think a lot of the issues are overblown), but that's one of the things you accept when you buy a first year, or buy something a little different. And I personally would be perfectly happy if Erik gets no bigger that producing a few hundred bikes a year. The guy has fought most of his life, and isn't old, but he isn't getting any younger. As hard as he's worked, he deserves to build exactly what he wants to. And if this means that he never again is any bigger than a boutique bike maker producing a few bikes a year and I have to save for 10 years to afford another one, then so be it. I'll be buying. And if he never gets any bigger than what Erik Buell Racing is now, cool with me. I thank God he didn't just throw up his hands and retire, instead he gave me a place to buy parts. | ||
| Court |
I can't say which direction Erik is headed . . . I can assure you that "throwing his hands up and retiring" is unlikely. I'm excited. | ||
| Snub13 |
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| Ljm |
I'm not privy to the next steps if there are any but like a lot of folks here am interested in what the future may bring. In the meantime, just saving money,shrinking the fleet. And waiting. | ||
| Coolice |
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| Missin44 |
I see a few issues with Erik Buell Racing as it stands now. Sooner or later, the supply of frames, motors, etc. is going to dry up. The other issue is sooner or later the motors, frames, etc. will be taken as far as they can go. The current engineering will become obsolete. Notice I didn't say the engineers would be obsolete, only the hardware. What happens when a new "from the ground up" motor or frame is needed? Of course it's my educated guess that Erik Buell Racing is aware of this too. | ||
| Froggy |
It already is. Erik built the 1125R prototype in the 80's. Erik has much more up his sleeve  | ||
| Jaimec |
Yeah, it was SUPPOSED to be the VR1000, but Harley decided to ignore all of Erik's "radical" ideas and built that unreliable, unridable POS they did instead. More "What could have been" from those geniuses in Milwaukee. | ||
| Court |
The VR was Harley-Davidson's way of showing the world that a committee, armed with $50,000,000, can't begin to compete with a highly motivated and enthusiastic talented mechanic who became an engineer. Stack the 2010 ERIK BUELL RACING season, so far, against the cumulative accomplishments of the VR. It was a rolling joke. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Epic and ironic tragedy. Circa 1980: * Harley chooses to enter the high end sport bike racing field. * Skeptical masses unfairly assume that because they are a big cruiser maker, they are a joke. * But they actually have, in their back pocket, someone with radical and effective innovations that could revolutionize both race and street sport bikes. * Harley crushes that voice, and fulfills the "you are too stupid" prophecy of the skeptical masses. Circa 2010: * Harley chooses to enter the younger market demographic to try and find their cheese again. * Skeptical masses unfairly believe that a fat, lazy, and technologically backwards company will fail to capture that market. * They actually have, in their back pocket, a team building innovative world class bikes using innovative and global world class methods that are about to break through with a younger demographic, have innovative technology *freaking* *locked* *down* *by* *defendable* *patents* (an unheard of advantage in this business), that went out and changed "Buell" from "is that German?" to "Thats the bike whooping that Kawasaki's ass" in one racing season. * Harley crushes that voice, and and fulfills the "you are too stupid" prophecy of the skeptical masses. Epic, tragic, and ironic. Pegasus racing... where the hammer hangs. | ||
| Court |
That'd print on a shirt . . . no problem.
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| Bluzm2 |
I'd buy one and wear it! | ||
| Budgolf |
I'm going to steal that and put it on my facebook. | ||
| Davegess |
Bill, that is spot on | ||
| Conchop |
Hmmm. I reckon you nailed it. Oh, the divine corporate hand. It giveth, it taketh away. However, this is America, Start a new corp. | ||
| Jsg4dfan |
Love it. Posted it to my page! |
