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Spatten1
| | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 05:02 pm: | 
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And then they go on to an even better, higher paying job. |
Danger_dave
| | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 05:08 pm: |
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>>Me: 5,200. <<
Man you gotta ride that thing. |
Jammin_joules
| | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 06:05 pm: |
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"Joules, you keep saying Buell was sinking. Where are the numbers you've been looking at?
I can address this several ways but perhaps most obvious would be sales in Colorado. Although we are the lion's share of sales in our district, in the last 2 years we saw four dealers drop Buell. We reveled in our success rationalizing that because we were true enthusiasts and also Buell owners, it was due to competing with us that they got out. And in that same time, our marketing efforts, from racing Buells, to sport bike nites off site and at the dealership, bringing Bubba Blackwell in for a show, advertising, putting 3 or 4 Buells out in the parking lot every weekend with a dedicated person to enable demo rides, putting Ulysses up on a hill by mega highway I-25 to draw attention to the bikes, having our Buells dead center in the dealership and on a display pedestal so that you could not avoid seeing them, sponsoring BWB.com, track days with Buells lapping local metric riders who came to see what it was that passed them, etc. - all this and you would think Buell sales would increase. No, 2008 was a down year, 2009 even further reduction and that is not because we were hurting for sales. July, Aug and Sept of 2009 we are ahead of sales over 2008, Buell and Harley combined.
Perhaps more telling, even with all the attempts to get non-Harley, non-Buell owners in our store and on demo rides, 75% of our Buell sales were to our regular Harley or Buell customers, or Buell customers from cities whose Harley dealers stopped selling Buell. |
Snowscum
| | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 07:37 pm: |
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I seen you riding that yellow Uly out on that hill a few times I used to visit HC back in the day and everytime I passed the dealership on the big highway. I used to think to myself that you alone were the reason Buell was a seller at HC. I thought it was a good plan to market them since before you worked there they had them in the back of the store by the parts counter. Ive been to Sun and they hide them under the stair well. That right there is why I bought from Bones and HC. Well that and the one i demoed from sun was leaking a bit of oil.
Another reason I actually bought a Buell from you guys was the demo ride I took one that had the race kit(Bones old bike) on it and they told us to ride north and have a good time with out having someone leading us. The sun demo was hosed mostly because the being lead and the congested location of their store.
It was my first bike in 20 years and could be the last. So not being in the harley crowd you guys got through to a non harley guy.
Another side note I had to deal with buying a Buell was the static I got at work.
1 in 10 friends(riders) at work basically told me to stay away. Out of 5 demo bikes I rode(mostly jap bikes) That demo ride was
the most fun I had on any of them.That and it was the most comfy.
Demo rides on a bike that runs good I think is mandatory to sales. I did think racing them was a good idea if it didnt cost you guys to much. Now the 1200 class at Pikes peak will be a lonely place without HC! |
Firstbuell
| | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 08:27 pm: |
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jammin,
thanx for telling it like it's been -
folk here know what they know,
but not what a committed H-D salesperson knows!
Buell would've been tought to sell,
year in year out, at any M/C store -
trying to sell Buells to non-H-D owners from an H-D dealer,
apparently, was simply too rough a road for all concerned
my '99 M2 was a conquest sale, by the way - however,
before the 1125r/CR and subsequent AMA success occurred,
I was 1 of the too few 'new' owners who drank Erik's wunnerful KoolAid..... |
F_skinner
| | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 09:16 pm: |
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I never understood why non HD Buell riders had trouble getting into the HD Dealership door and on a bike. But like Firstbuell says. they only know what they know.
Example, when I bought my 2004 Ford F250 someone told me Fords where crap. I asked why he thought that and he said he had a 65 Ford and it was always in the shop. Funny how people use faulty logic all the time.
Dave and Bones have made some great attempts to include getting on web sites that are not friendly to Buell or HD. I truly wish they were closer to me because I would love to attend a Sportbike night and other events they have.
I did notice something in the last two Saturdays I was at HCHD. Some of the same people (Harley riders) seem to show up for their free food and drink. I would say HD customers have stagnated.
HCHD has been very good to me but more importantly they have been honest and Dave knows his stuff as well as Bones. It is always a pleasure to stop in and chat.
The difference between HCHD and PPHD is HCHD has a couple of people that are honest and enthusiast with support from their ownership.
Is Harley clueless? I think the term I would use to describe this HD fiasco is "lazy". It is pretty much academic now. |
Snowscum
| | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 09:41 pm: |
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""I never understood why non HD Buell riders had trouble getting into the HD Dealership door and on a bike. But like Firstbuell says. they only know what they know. ""
HD stores make me feel unconformable. I dont know if its the setting or the fact it has bikes and culture that I dont fit into.(even though I rented a ? from HC one time and liked it)
I walk into CPS in boulder and feel like I fit in. If its due to the younger crowd or the snowmobiles and dirt bikes lol. Im 45.
Out of about 40 riders at work I have the only XB Buell.
If they want to get more people to come out to the stores then I think they need to offer more than just baggers. But if thats the core biz then I guess thats what their going to stick with. |
Xl1200r
| | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 10:08 pm: |
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Man you gotta ride that thing.
Yeah, yeah, trust me I don't put on nearly as many miles as I wish I could (though this was probably over 6,000 miles between the three bikes I own/have access to).
We all can't ride for a living, ya know? And sometimes I wish my work commute wasn't a three minute drive - seems lots of guys pile the miles from just the commute. |
Danger_dave
| | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 10:51 pm: |
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Yeah - my bike's mileage is quite low too.
Burnouts are always more rewarding on other people's tyres. :-) |
Jammin_joules
| | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 11:00 pm: |
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"Where I live, the vast majority of Harleys are ridden club-to-club on Friday and Saturday nights and in parades on Sundays.
Met a guy once who bragged about how often he rode and was proud of the fact his five year old Harley had 3,000 miles on the odometer."
Could it be possible that a good number of Harley owners are out on the road in other states instead of hanging out where ever it is you meet these trailer queens and low mileage paussers?
I have dozens of traded in FLH models with 50k on the odometer.
Why are we letting a board room decision by a senior executive from Johnson Ctrls drive a wall between riders of Harley and Buells. 60-70% of my Buell buyers own or have owned a Harley. The riders of any particular brand are not the problem. Grow up, shut up & ride. |
Xl1200r
| | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 11:20 pm: |
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>>>Burnouts are always more rewarding on other people's tyres. :-)
AMEN. |
Jammin_joules
| | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 11:23 pm: |
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For what its worth, I work way too many hours trying to sell Buells to a crazed bunch of fanatics and baggers to old guys who love to ride cross country but I still managed to ride 20,000 miles on a Uly, Joules, in two years. Since I feared I would wear out my beloved Joules prematurely doing boring road riding, this July I picked up a 2009 FLHT, Abe (it's as freakin' comfortable as the Lincoln Town Coupe' I once owned) and in two months I rode it 4,000 miles including taking the National Commander of the Disabled American Vets to his first Sturgis for an industry party show. He was special forces and rides a FLHX Street Glide back and forth from Maryland. Pretty good for a guy who'd be crippled if it weren't for an appliance buried beneath his skin.
I didn't see any of you on most of those miles so I must be the only true biker on a Buell or on a Harley! Most of those miles I was side by either a 1974 BMW with 96k on it, or any of two old Nortons or two old Triumphs. How is that for exhibiting a whacked perspective?
FWIW HC Buell/H-D will still be campaigning two, maybe three Buells in the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb in 2010. Since Erik may finally have some free time, maybe four Buells will be in our stable. |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 11:24 pm: |
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I've got nothing against people riding Harleys. But if you think, after they give lame excuses for killing the American dream, that I'm ever going to consider giving Harley Davidson one dime of my money if I can avoid it, you are nuts.
There are some lines you just don't cross. Harley crossed one, and there is going to be a price to pay for it.
(And for the record, I see enthusiastic Buell dealers and supporters such as your selves as the second biggest victims of the current bunch of HD executive idiots... you are right behind the Buell employees... and certainly more wronged then I have been). |
Snowscum
| | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 11:37 pm: |
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Buell!! Pikes Peak!!! Helmet cam!  |
Danger_dave
| | Posted on Friday, October 30, 2009 - 12:56 am: |
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>>AMEN.<<
There is a corner of my office for glamor gigs
http://homepage.mac.com/david_cohen_design/.Pictur es/misc4/gigs.jpg
but more important is the finkage corner!
http://homepage.mac.com/david_cohen_design/.Pictur es/misc4/finkage.jpg |
Rfischer
| | Posted on Friday, October 30, 2009 - 08:54 am: |
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"Jammin',
I'm also one of your invisible-to-BadWeB-HD-bashers who happened to buy both a Harley and a Buell. From the same dealer. Within the same year. And have parked both side-by-sde in my garage to choose between as the whim strikes. Never saw incongruity in it then, nor now.
Next up: a Duc Streetfighter. And, no, I will not be selling my H-D. It's too good at its intended purpose. |
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