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Whosyodaddy
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 11:38 pm: | 
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Kevin,
I actually bought my first Buell (12R) from American Eagle after taking a test ride during the Buell factory demo days event back in April. I've got a sales guy there checking on pricing/availability but I've not heard anything back from him yet. (I was not especially happy with the way they handled the delivery of my 12R but that's another story and I'm willing to overlook it if they can get an '05 12S or 12R to me.)
I'll check with Longhorn and the dealer in Garland tomorrow but my patience is starting to wear thin. Buell customers shouldn't have to jump through so many hoops just to find someone in their area to sell them a bike.  |
Junkdad
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 12:05 am: |
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Wheres the really cool apparel???? I wanted the jacket shown in a lot of the brochures with the big ••• BUELL on the front and the star in the back...a freeking cool jacket... but since I was told it wasnt available I went with sump'n else. AND... where is all the cool shirts? Do I have to make them up and sell them? (which I can do)And how about ..........
ok, THIS is what a Buell is all about boyz! ya, its my bike ! http://www.broncofix.com/gallery/max_crap/bs_1?full=1 |
Budo
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 12:16 am: |
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That's the best looking Buell accessorie that I have ever seen! Look folks, when Modesto throws in the towel on Buell it is a forbidding thing. Modesto has been the Buell dealership for many years. I dunno what is going on inside the frahchises but Modesto dropping Buell and implying that they are a bad thing to get into is a strong indicator that someting grim indeed. |
Doughnut
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 12:18 am: |
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To many people equate Buell =H-D. |
Tommy_2stroke
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 01:21 am: |
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I just searched the "find a dealer" page on the H-D website. Searched only my home state (California). It lists 73 H-D dealers in the state. 44 of the listings showed the Buell logo next to the listing.
Searching the "find a dealer" page on the Buell website results in 46 dealers found in California.
Searching the Ducati North America website results in a list of 19 dealers in California. Yet no one seems to be concerned about Ducati being under-represented in this market.
I don't wish to dispel the fog of gloom that seems to be settling over this thread, but it seems to me that Buell could lose half the Harley dealers in the state and still be in relatively good shape.
I agree, however, that any loss of dealers is to be avoided if at all possible. And I'd love to see Buells being sold in smaller shops alongside the other "semi-exotic" brands like Ducati, away from the insular Harley culture.
So which of the 40-plus dealers in California will sell me that '05 12s this year? I can't believe that anyone will tell me to take my $10K and 'buzz off"... |
Court
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 06:11 am: |
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There is much to be said on this.
The "problem" is pefectly solvable, but not until someone realizes that which dial to turn.
The HD Dealer contract governs. Without going into detail you may NOT have a "stand alone" Buell dealership. The HD Dealer contract was modified (I can find the copy, but think it was 1997) to allow a bona fide dealer to open a remote location. These are the t-shirt shops and stuff you see in the malls.
Of note is that the "Lengenday" Buell dealers of years gone by have tossed in the towel. Topeka, KS (the WORLD'S most awarded HD dealer) was THE Buell dealer for years. They have gone the way of Modesto.
A Dave Steuve alone won't do it, but *IS* a key element.
I am very sorry to read this. Lee, where is your dealer in the Westchester area?
Court |
Buckinfubba
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 08:22 am: |
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I've spoke way too much on this problem so I can't say anymore. I wish and hope and pray, but by then I may be old and gray.
it does take someone inside the dealership to make it happen. from what I hear from where I used to be, the buells no longer are up front and they been pushed a side.
its just a damn shame that it is the way it is.
great bikes stuck in a clothing store |
Buelluk
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 08:39 am: |
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It's a shame when the dealers have to bail, however Stamford HD were upfront with me about dropping Buell last September and I still bought the bike ,I still have faith in the brand .
Luckily for me I have found a dealer , where Buell is well supported:
The Buell parts manager rides an XB and also previously owned an X1 and a Blast.
The Buell techs have done a good job ob both the services I have had.
They have at least two Buells up on plinths.
They have at least half a dozen others on the floor.
They have a separate well stocked Buell clothes and chrome section
The current BRAG chair used to be the HOG chair
So I have to give props to Woodstock HD / Buell near Kingston NY. They are sticking with it. Somebody there seems to trying to make it happen ,it's very low key but it seems to be working.
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Glitch
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 08:54 am: |
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It's a shame when the dealers have to bail
No one has to bail, it's a choice to give up, or step up to the plate. Nothing worth while is easy.
When someone gives up because it's too much work, or they've run out of ideas, or whatever the excuse, HD shouldn't just let them off the hook.
More should go into asking the dealership on why they want out, and what have they done to try.
If you can't have a stand alone or mix 'em up with others like Ducati, dealers shouldn't be able to bail. My .02 |
Brucelee
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 09:18 am: |
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Maybe I am naive here but if the HD Dealerships are so lucrative and HD mothership decides who gets and loses their dealerships, this issue would be moot.
The HD guys would simply design the way they wanted Buell to be sold/serviced and dealers would do that or risk losing their big money makers!
Do you think Lexus dealers get to decide if they will sell/support new product?? I don't think so Tim!
I lay it at the feet of HD. To me, it is clear they speak with forked tongue! |
Mikej
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 10:06 am: |
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"Nobody can open a standalone Buell dealership. "
Franchise contracts have much small print, and some room for negotiation, and some flexibility to allow for creative dealership management.
One shop offhandedly mentioned in this thread set up a location that was supposed to become the Buell store, that store is now mostly used for selling dirtbikes - something that Harley does not sell a product for, while their new main store focuses on Harley's main product profile along with some support for Buells. The shop has clearly indicated a desire to expand beyond the Harley main product offering for whatever reason (potential market viability), and has done so.
Brucelee,
Lexus dealerships have a lot of room to do as they please, and apart from one local dealership doing stuff that has displeased many customers mostly they do what they can to offer their Lexus customer what those Lexus customers expect to find at a Lexus dealership. If you want to stay successfull you have to have customers.
Sadly sometimes there aren't enough customers.
Sidenote: look at trials bike dealers. There was one out in California who ran his business out of his garage in a residential neighborhood. Not enough business to support a standalone storefront, but plenty of business to make it worth doing out of his garage once he got the word out that he was in (somewhat quiet) business.
In some markets, I'm sad to say, Buell may become the backdoor office after hours serviced product. In other markets it will remain front and center.
Only time will tell how it all turns out.
For me, for now, I think I'll turn left and leave this thread.
bye. |
Brucelee
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 10:15 am: |
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"Brucelee,
Lexus dealerships have a lot of room to do as they please, and apart from one local dealership "doing stuff that has displeased many customers mostly they do what they can to offer their Lexus customer what those Lexus customers expect to find at a Lexus dealership. If you want to stay successfull you have to have customers."
You are DEAD wrong on this statement. Imagine if the local Lexus dealer "decided not to stock or service an IS300 because they weren't selling (which they are not). Simply decided that they were not making enough dough on them!
I don't think so Tim.
Say they local Lexus dealer decided to let the service on the IS300 got to ••••. Tell folks they don't really service them because well, we know they will be pulling that product soon!
I don't think so. Lexus corp surveys its customers to hell and is all over dealers who dont perform.
My point is that when you are a Lexus dealer, you sell and service the whole line or you don't get to sell those RX330s and ES300s that pay the bills (see a similarity to say, Sportsters here?).
HD corporate is where the action is. "The fish stinks from the head down!"
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Mikej
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 10:26 am: |
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If a seafood restaurant smells like fish it usually isn't a good place to eat fish.
YMMV. 
Argument accepted, will let it stand as is.
Just a note in passing, if you're ever in this area stop in at the Brookfield Lexus dealership.
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Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 02:37 pm: |
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I need to correct the theme of my prior post. I for one don't feel Buell is going away. I was just relaying what I was told by Modesto. I am not shallow enough to take what one dealer says as the gospel... Just wanted to relay some of the sentiment out there.
I have to agree with many here that by losing some dealers, yea it sucks for the people in that area, but maybe it is for the better. Maybe the dealers that can financially justify staying in the Buell business have a customer base in the area, and go getters on the sales floor. Maybe a survival of the fittest among dealers comes into play here, for either reason.
I still go to my local dealer, who dropped Buell, and still get great service from them. They're glad to accept my green. When I need warranty service, because I love my bike and have accepted this, I'm willing to trailer it to Phoenix. No biggie. Maybe we need to decide how dedicated we as consumers would like to be to the brand?
edited by charlieboy6649 on July 22, 2004 |
Curtyd
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 05:59 pm: |
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Looking at the numbers, total bikes and market share, etc. we HAVE to hope the mother ship is just satisfied to have some bike available for the sport bike market. They could cut us off very abruptly and close down the whole line. I think we had better stop campaigning for a V-Rod or V1000 based sportbike, it will come out with the H/D marque and Buell could end up tanked very soon afterwards. No parts availability in that scenario. The closing of dealerships is an ominous trend, I hope I am wrong. I've found a manufacturer that I am a bit loyal to, right now, it will be different if they go 'south.' |
Sshbsn
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 08:54 pm: |
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Well I've wondered for a while if dealerships could have their Buell privileges revoked by HD. That is to say, can a dealer be so horrid that HD says "ENOUGH" and takes away the Buell brand? Are there any consequences for, well, sucking? I don't think it's at all bad that some dealerships are dropping the line!
The nearest Triumph dealer is, I think, on the other coast of Florida. But the reason I'm not on a Daytona 955 is the insurance rate, not the number or proximity of dealers.
I think it should be the same way with Buells. I mean, if you want one you'll get one. What else is there to compare? I think it's good for the brand to get rid of the dealers that trash-talk the bikes, the salesmen who know nothing about them, and the "techs" who don't want to service them properly.
I LOVE my bike, despite my local dealer. That is not a sentence you want your customers to write. Let's get them sold out of the dealers who will treat them right. |
Mr_cuell
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 09:38 pm: |
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I have to second (third, 5th , 100th) the opinion that the dealer is just a vending machine for me to get a bike. I have never needed a dealer for work that couldn't be performed by the local speed shop. The TPS re-set ticks me off because that is the first EFI I have had, and it will be the first time I have had to bring a bike in. It seems like that could be put on a laptop for harry homeowner use but what do I know. It's not the number of dealers, its the quality of the bike that counts. |
Tommy_2stroke
| | Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 11:45 pm: |
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OK, I've been thinking some more about this, and I've got another of my crackpot theories: the problem is, there are not too few Buell dealers, but too many!
What I mean is, too many dealers for a brand that sells bikes in the numbers that Buell does, (about 10,000 per year). Thus, the bikes are spread too thinly among the many H-D dealers, resulting in what many dealers perceive as poor sales, since most dealers see only a few units go through their hands each year. The solution is to reduce the number of dealers, thereby concentrating the sales among those that remain. The shops that stick with it will have a greater density of sales and thus more success with the brand. And far from sales declining, I would be willing to wager that 2005 will prove to be Buell's best year ever. Any takers? |
Court
| | Posted on Friday, July 23, 2004 - 05:33 am: |
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>>>Franchise contracts have much small print, and some room for negotiation, and some flexibility to allow for creative dealership management.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Nobody can open a standalone Buell dealership. "
Taco's Bells franchise group in Dallas looks like kiddie camp compared to the staff in Michigan and MKE who monitor and enforce HD dealer contract prividges and responsibilities. Ever wander why groups of dealers, say the NY area metro or LA, band together into associations to deal with the mothership?
Mike Kennedy's marching orders at Buell, in 1998, were to add 350 dealerships his first year there. I walked out of the conference room and about spewed milk.
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Court
| | Posted on Friday, July 23, 2004 - 05:37 am: |
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>>>>however Stamford HD were upfront with me about dropping Buell last September
The damage done by Stamford, unfortunatley, was not to current Buell owners but to one of the most viable crowds of potential XB'ers.
Sometime look up the Grenwich Riding Club and the Guggenheim Riding Club. I, to this day, get lectured about the Buells based on Stamford's decision to drop them.
The solution will require action by Buell, HD and the dealer network. I'm not sure they need to take a big step, but they must all be IN STEP!
Just my opinion. |
Buelluk
| | Posted on Friday, July 23, 2004 - 08:36 am: |
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Court,
Is that the club out of Banksville ?
Adrian. |
Mikej
| | Posted on Friday, July 23, 2004 - 09:05 am: |
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There's much that goes on behind the scenes.
When is a standalone not a standalone, and at what exact point is a separation considered separated?
Is it separate if it is in a different part of the same building but utilizing a totally separate staffing structure?
Is it separate if it is in a different physical building but under the same management and sharing an asphalt parking lot?
Is it separate if it is in a different building on a different property but shares some business title infrastructure?
At what precise point is a standalone considered a standalone?
There are currently 24 dealerships located in Wisconsin according to the Buell page. I know of two that located their Buell line in a separate building, one has re-integrated the lines and brought in dirt bikes, the other doesn't seem to be listed any longer as a Buell dealership.
I think I'll go back to watching the bicycle races today, much less frustrating, much more exciting.
bye.
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Cro13
| | Posted on Friday, July 23, 2004 - 09:33 am: |
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Both of the bellow are copied from SacBORG.
Why H-D will not allow stand alone shops?
Reg Kittrelle
“Given that the Harleys are the core product… and that Buells are meant to feed that segment, I can understand them leaving the status as quo.”
From another post on the same topic:
“As far as I know, HDI has not changed the strategic positioning of Buell. That is, it is a "feeder" to the mother brand, a way to attract a younger audience. Were Harley (I guessing here) to apply a full-court press to making Buell what we want it to be it would violate that positioning. As it now sits, there is a strong family tie with the motor; If a motor were developed aping the current vogue (It's shifting back to IL4s from twins), that connection would be lost.”
Modesto’s future with Buell?
Danny
Deanna asked me to post this for her:
quote:
________________________________________
well.....what a long strange trip it has been. first of all i would like to thank you for all of your support, business and friendship. today was our last day of being a buell dealer. it has been increasingly hard to do business with buell and we do not see any light at the end of the tunnel. we have had so many disappointments and the same is true for our customers and we can not say we are sorry any more times. We will be happy to assist with any service you need but unfortunately we are not able to do any warranty work. we are having a huge closeout sale on all buell parts. any buell specific parts that are in stock are 10% below our cost. i also have 1 xb12s in stock (red) with 500 mi that is marked at $8100.00. the bike is new with a full factory warranty
Thanks again from all of us at the old Modesto buell & ducati. now only Modesto ducati.
Deanna, Don, Heather, Amanda, Derrick, Brandon, Matt, Danny & Paige....
________________________________________
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