| Author |
Message |
    
Stirz007
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - 07:58 pm: | 
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Black - well put.
I'll be the first to admit that I don't know crap about the Buell Division business plan as it actually performed. I just enjoy the hell out both of my Buells and am glad I was able to get them at what I considered a reasonable cost for value. So - here goes....
I'm beginning to suspect that the dealer cost (whatever variations thereof) didn't actually cover cost of development and production. Meaning: Buell operated at a loss.
As much as I have a hard time understanding the decision to drop Buell, it would make some sense for Wankdell to drop an unprofitable division if that were in fact the case.
Bring it on! |
Ratbuell
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - 08:22 pm: |
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Black - anytime, dude. Did about three hours' today. 3/9 I'm saddling up the Uly and riding to Daytona.  |
Black
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - 09:06 pm: |
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Rat,
Sorry for the highjack all! Let's try a Saturday/Sunday run some time up to Winchester. Middleburg for lunch. Be safe in Daytona. |
Tom_b
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - 11:56 pm: |
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Stirz.. Buell did NOT operate at a loss. If you read H/D financial statement from 2009 right about the time buell was shut down. It was profitable. That is common internet or people who remember the shutdown knowledge. The shutdown was not due to profitabiltiy. The only people who knew for sure why the shutdown occured aren't talking |
Stirz007
| | Posted on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 01:07 am: |
|
Tom - thanks for that. After following the thread, it almost seemed like the profit on the bikes wasn't much, if any. And then my pea brain started thinking stuff up.
Now I'm really grasping here... That makes no sense at all. Why do you kill a profit making division? - that's nuts!! (But I guess that's already the consensus).
My apologies.... |
Jdugger
| | Posted on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 09:39 am: |
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> Why do you kill a profit making division?
Politics and pride. |
Stirz007
| | Posted on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 10:14 am: |
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Jim - after you go through all the other possible scenarios (and Tom just confirmed the loss leader scenario isn't true) - that seems to be what we're left with. I just keep coming back to: "that CAN'T be the reason". (note to self: just let it go...happy thoughts...hug a rainbow)
Politics and pride = BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE |
Court
| | Posted on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 10:31 am: |
|
>>>The only people who knew for sure why the shutdown occured aren't talking
Actually a few have off the record . . .but they still have "skin in the game" in terms of deferred compensation. In addition one has gotten kicked WAY upstairs and I can only describe him/her as an "Elf Mole".
I suspect someday we'll have a clearer view of how the balance of intellectual and engineering contributions flowed between Buell and Harley-Davidson.
You are aware that HD has had to hire back a significant amount of Elves as certain systems they thought the Elves were "using" were in fact designed and run by the Elves and, absent Elves, no one at HD understood or could make them work.
Kinds speaks volumes.
Not only was Buell a good business it was a storehouse of intellectual and engineering fire power.
EDIT: changed "cleared" to "clearer"
(Message edited by court on February 17, 2011) |
Carbonbigfoot
| | Posted on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 05:09 pm: |
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LOL @ "Elf Mole".
What a visual.... A delicate, fair-skinned subterranian creature that's good with a bow...
R} |
Curve_carver
| | Posted on Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 05:17 pm: |
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Im glad to hear some of the elves will get their jobs back :-)
I bet those elves took great pride in building these bikes. |
