| Author | Message | ||
     Limitedx1 |
ok i dont have any more information than any of you guys do but i must get something off my chest about the current demise. now lets get this straight im not pro one side or the other. i love my X1 and my next bike will be an HD so..... ok it seems that it is now HD VS BUELL! we all know it was a tricky relationship to begin with, with us being treated like step children. i see it as HD doesnt have to sell their bikes, they sell themselves. if somebody wants an HD they just go buy it. so they dont need any other gimmicks to get people throught the door. my point is for buell to just be cut there is something underlying in the background that i hope we will find out in the future. we see them as doing well selling a good amount of bikes and what not. but the paper numbers or something wasnt adding up. i just dont like the fact that people are smashing whatever company when nobody knows the real scoop behind the curtains.....maybe it was purely economic, maybe it actually was HD corporate screw ups, maybe it was the racing team the sucked them a little dry.....im not making any assumptions until i find out what really happened, then if an a$$ kickign is in order so be it. im waiting for a big juicy press release, not sure if ill ever see it though... | ||
| Johntman |
I think we may have been our own demise. I mean all we ever did was complain about the dealerships. They don't get us... they don't know the product... they can't service the product... Buells need to be moved out into other dealerships... it goes on and on. Maybe they finally listened to us. | ||
| Gunut75 |
Thats why I keep my yap shut. I don't know enough details to make any sort of educated guess. So I sit, and wait,...........and hope! | ||
| Macbuell |
HD deserves to be ridiculed. Deciding to narrow their focus to HD and cruisers is probably a smart decision for them but just shutting Buell down is NOT a smart decision no matter how you look at it. The only thing they get from that decision is costs savings. They don't get an infusion of capital, they don't get any return of the dollars they already invested. It makes zero sense whatsoever. It would make far more sense to spin the company off to operate independently of HD or to sell it, but instead they are shutting it down. HD deserves all the heat they are getting regarding a truly stupid decision. (Message edited by macbuell on October 20, 2009) | ||
| Djcrysler |
I agree 100% with Macbuell. DC. | ||
| Djcrysler |
The next Bike I will probably buy will be a Victory. Maybe they will care more for their customers than HD. How can they just discontinue a great product like Buell. Especially when they were continually getting better. Year after year. Bike after bike. DC | ||
| Blackm2 |
Is this the bargaining or acceptance thread? We've already done anger, denial, depression. | ||
| Limitedx1 |
i can only assume that HD does not have the legal right to sell it, (because maybe erik own the 2% or the part that matters). or else im sure HD would have made something on the deal. this is why it doesnt make sense to me..... | ||
| Tbenson |
If I went back to a cruiser, my money would more than likely be spent on a Triumph Thunderbird, with a Dealer-fit big bore kit. Did the Harley Davidson thing, not for me! I was also an outcast with my HD, "you need some chrome on your bike"! Plus the only thing I ever owned that advertised for Harley Davidson was a pair of gloves my Mom bought me, which was used as a "Jiffy Stand" puck most of the time, how disrespectful HAHA, still use them on the Buell the same way! Not a Harley Davidson Hater, again, not my thing! | ||
| Reepicheep |
HD worked for me (I owned stock) and their communication (at a minimum) and reasoning (more then likely) for their shutdown of Buell was beyond lame. I actually wonder if it was illegal, but don't have the legal resources to pursue that claim. They worked for me, and they failed me badly, and I fired them as a result (sold my stock). | ||
| Alchemy |
The fate of the Buell was cast with the positive reception the XR 1200 received. Even here (in the Buell forums) it was causing plenty of interest. Why would HD need Buell if the XR 1200 can get the same/similar positive buzz and reach into the younger demographic? The dealers like it better and it is intimately HD. HD sells/markets image and dreams phrased as a "Life Style". They must cringe every time the term "mass centralization" is uttered. It pulls the customer away from their dreams into the real practical world. "Mass",,, welcome to that physics class you hated. That's a No-No to dream spinners. The VROD could be killed next or will it? | ||
| Gohot |
The Vrod was the only bike in the Harley line-up that interested me as Harleys go. Having said that, I would find interest in that one model, but thats a pretty narrow line-up. Among other things to consider, what and in which direction will this forum go? There will be members interested for some time to come, but ultimatly, its subject is a dead horse now. Then I guess the MV Agusta thing is long gone too. That was never of much interest to me, but if you could keep another brand alive, it was ok. The world we all knew, is not what the future will hold, things they are'a chang'n. The death blow for Buell, I think had to do with the new model of out-sourced motors and all. The day they decided to go with the new design was the day they began the fall. All of us that had and loved Buell's were riding the underdog anyway, be that good or bad, but we all subscribed to a different music. The King is Dead, Long live the King. | ||
| Sparky |
Those generalizations are BS. I must have the best 5 dealers in the country within 90 miles in the SoCal area that I would rate as first in knowledge and service of Buells. So does that mean that the rest of the dealers in the country are a bunch of drooler's. Heck no. You are taking the complaints of owners with problems as reported here to be representative of all owners. That's BS. Don't include me in your generalizations. The people without problems don't show up here to complain. Maybe I'm the only exception. All my dealer services in maintaining 3 Buells, 96 S1, 98 S3, 09 1125R (OK, first 600 mile service oil change) for the last 13 years were satisfying, no BS, pay-by-the-book transactions. No real problems except for a couple dealer screw-ups that were taken care of immediately. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Working for the dealer for 5 years, I can tell you that there was no local training for the brand, other than they were on the floor and a product to be sold. And at a commission rate lower than a sportster, I wasnt compelled. Then I got to spend 3 days riding them in the desert, bought one the next week. And it was off to the races. I didnt care what I got paid for them, because I was helping someone else get into the fun of it. Everyone at the shop knew if you were talking Buell, you were to go see me. It worked well. I made some great friends, riding partners, and farflung interactions here and across the world because of BUELL. NONE of that translated into Harley. None of that translated to bottom line. It will be the only thing I miss about working at the shop. Pitched right, you could sell them over Amazon as long as the dealer network was there for parts and occasional service. (we all know what we want anyways  ) | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
HD sells/markets image and dreams phrased as a "Life Style". They must cringe every time the term "mass centralization" is uttered. It pulls the customer away from their dreams into the real practical world. "Mass",,, welcome to that physics class you hated. That's a No-No to dream spinners. Spot on and if you noticed, Buell's new marketing campaign was Harleyesque, which provoked some jeers from the Buell faithful. | ||
| Bob_thompson |
Brian(Cityxslicker), you nailed what happened at my local HD/Buell shop and probably at many around the nation. My first Buell,an M2, was sold to me by a guy working at this shop who was a Buell faithful, salesman, parts man, part time mechanic in their service dept. and a racer. He was the only one who actively and aggressively pushed Buells. He left when his wife got transferred to another city for the airlines. He told me her income was way better then his and the reason he left. He did go to another dealer and had to switch away from Buell to pushing HD's as a matter of survival. His backing at my dealer was almost non-existant. Fast forward about 5 years my new sales man, a good guy, actually did the Buell Inside Pass deal here and loved Buells but the HD stigma was even worse. I bought my 1125R only to find out this shop, like so many, treated me, like the old "red headed stepchild" This dealer JUST DID NOT CARE about Buells and did not even care if people knew it. Sad I now wonder if part of Buell's demise was somewhat due to individual dealers acting like mine did. Maybe if all of the dealers actively pushed the Buells, learned how to service them correctly and got many more sales Buell would have been strong enough in sales that HDI would not have shut them down. Those that we all know to be REAL Buell dealers are still around and doing great. My shop will be too but only as long as HD sells its HOG's(no disrespect intended) Our four shops in the area all have the same attitude. Pitiful. Time to ride again, weathers getting better. Bob | ||
| Blake |
"The only thing they get from that decision is costs savings." Nope, not even that. They got more bills, severance/shut-down pay, buyout of Rotax and other contracts, dealership sales incentives for remaining bikes and more. Murdering Buell Motorcycle Company makes ZERO business sense. Selling it does. When ego is allowed to trump good business then it's time to fire. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
When ego is allowed to trump good business then it's time to fire. I agree! first the ceo and then all the bean counters! I still have a problem with them spending 125 million to shut them down instead of just selling them! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
What if they get to spend 125M, deduct it, AND they sell Buell? I keep hoping this is a "negative close" rope-a-dope, Jedi mind trick. "This is not the motor company you are looking for." | ||
| Methed |
>>What if they get to spend 125M, deduct it, AND they sell Buell? Ding ding, we might just have a winner. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
The deduction would come in 2009 when they make money and the gain would come in 2010 they are likely to be able to book a loss. | ||
| Oddball |
hmmm So in like 6 months, say april 15th, a sale is announced after they've filed 09 taxes. 15th dead......15th reborn.  Positively Evil. | ||
| Dbird29 |
I thought this was right hand scoop thread. | ||
| Nevrenuf |
i've already heard that scenario also. i can only hope. | ||
| Mmmi_grad |
Macbuell blake and ftbasd speak the real deal. •••• HD. | ||
| Brumbear |
Do take in to consideration the lending policies harley ahh hell everybody has been using and the average price of the Harley machines and the current state of affairs in our nation and that is what I think the reason behind this is. Scorched earth lending through and through. The problem I see for Harley product wise unless they are gonna do a 6-7 K$ bike there sales will deminish even worse in the next 2 years. The truth is I don't personally like H-D motorcycles thats why I bought a Buell and I am still not going to buy an HD I will eventually have to buy a new machine it will be American if possible but not a Harley. Harley will not draw more customers they will hopefully replace the ones they lose and the guys like me will do what we do. The end effect is our favorite small bike Co. Buell will disappear until the Buell name can break free of H-D by hook or buy crook . | ||
| Jammin_joules |
CItyslckr, you hit that one on the head, me too but on a Uly. " ...[my] next Bike I will probably buy will be a Victory." I've ridden them both, chrome bolt-ons and resale aside, I suggest you ride them before you buy one. | ||
| Jstfrfun |
So why can't the product be labeled something else and marketed on the QT to the demographic who apreciates it? Did HD make Eric some kind of hostage? Why would any company put a product on there sales line-up and keep the sales staff ignorant and hostile toward it, unless there intent was to kill the product and alienate the manufacturer. | ||
| Brumbear |
good question the answer alludes me |
