| Author | Message | ||
     Paw |
Erik and a few of his elves have been retained by H-D, Right? Now H-D is stopping production on the sporty for the rest of the year. Could it be possible that Erik and the elves who went with him to H-D are to help redesign that line? Makes me think seeing how they stopped production on the sportster till the end of the year and maybe hand the reigns to Erik. It would be nice to think that is the reason and not because they have built to many and the dealers can't sell them. (Message edited by paw on October 28, 2009) | ||
| Paw |
Cityxslicker also wrote in the other thread>>> "400 lb sporty with inverted forks, ZTL2, Black engine, black wheels, orange body.... damnit I would have to add that to the list of sportster lust." I believe deep down that H-D wants a sportbike of some type and 400lbs sound hard to believe for a sporty maybe 450 with inverted forks blacked out wheels and engine with 100+ h.p. and have mass centralization...Erik could take that tractor of a bike and make it 100% better...I could see it happening. (Message edited by paw on October 28, 2009) | ||
| Paw |
...and the tank logo would read Sportster by Erik Buell LOL | ||
| Court |
Erik and a few of his elves have been retained by H-D, Right? Inaccurate | ||
| Ezblast |
Correct - he just still has time on his old contract. EZ | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
They also closed the V Rod line, maybe EB can re-do the Street Rod. Maybe shave off 200lbs?? Nobody I spoke with at the Buell factory has been signed on by Harley. Current HD employees are competing with fellow HD employees for the jobs that are remaining there. | ||
| Chadhargis |
Court, it's a damn shame I don't support our New Jersey office any longer or next time I was up that way I'd buy you enough beers to get you to tell me what you know.  | ||
| Court |
Street Rod is dead. VROD soon will be. | ||
| Whatever |
Good to have you back Court! This is the closest we could get to a photo with your mouth closed!!!  | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
"Street Rod is dead. VROD soon will be." It has at least 3 years of life yet. If soon is past that, then yes. | ||
| Pammy |
I'm thinking that they will drop the V-rod MUCH sooner than that. Unless something crazy happens, I'm guessing it won't last through 2010. Good going Char. That is a rare photo-op indeed.  | ||
| Rainman |
They're killing all the H-Ds I'd buy. I don't know if it says something about them or something about me. | ||
| Rainman |
They're killing all the H-Ds I'd buy. I don't know if it says something about them or something about me. | ||
| Jaimec |
Rainman: You and me both. Of course, if we were typical Harley buyers, we wouldn't own Buells in the first place, right? | ||
| Crusty |
None of the Corporate Heads ride. They don't know why people buy their products, or how to make the experience better. They only know how to flummox the stock holders. The house of cards is getting very wobbly, and there's a wind coming up... | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
"I'm thinking that they will drop the V-rod MUCH sooner than that." The V Rod is not the Rocker. | ||
| Pammy |
"The V Rod is not the Rocker." What it truly is not,(and what matters most to the company), is the cash cow that it was intended to be... | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
Tell me Pammy, which bike is the cash cow right now for Harley? With saled down 86%, which bike is their savior? The VR line is down to three bikes, the Muscle, the DX and the AW. The Muscle is new, the DX sells out and the AW is the classic. Harley has way too much invested in not only the Muscle, but in the VR program, to let it slide completely off the map. When (not if) HD launches a new design, it will be liquid cooled. Harley will not let the V Rod die before that happens. If they did that, they'd be telling customers what? "yeah, we failed at the VR, but here's a new liquid cooled for you to try". Ain't gonna happen Pammy, by saying the VR failed, they'll doom anything new, liquid cooled, that comes down the line after it. You'll start seeing HD bikes go bye-bye, but they're gonna be air-cooled bikes first. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
They really need to stop screwing around and put the vrod into a sportster frame. Enough of this fake drag bike crap. In my opinion, the XLH died when they rubber mounted them and made them weigh as much as a goldwing. | ||
| Squidbuzz |
Crusty, one thing I did find out this past weekend while sitting at the Suburban Harley Davidson while Oz was picking out a Fast Black Uly.... The new CEO of HD bought a bike there this summer and did his Rider's Edge classes there. So, the new guy at HD, the one that came from Johnson Controls, is now a rider. He even went to Sturgis on his with Willy G. So I guess that's something, not sure what, but you never know. | ||
| Pammy |
"by saying the VR failed," just because they don't say it doesn't mean it didn't happen. And it doesn't mean that people don't know that it happened.It shouldn't have happened. The V-Rod is, technologically, the best of the bunch. But it was a failure in the larger scheme of things. It is another bike that is "different" than the typical Harley stable and therefore not readily accepted among the loyal Harley followers. If they don't drop it, I will be pleasantly surprised. But, I think, my thought is, I am of the opinion that, Harley will drop the V-Rod. I hope it doesn't. I think the V-Rod is a step in the right direction. I think they should have put the motor in a Dyna or some other more main stream line to ease folks into the idea of having a radiator. Unfortunately, what I think sells these ground pounders is nostalgia, not technology. All conjecture on my part. My opinion. My observation. My interpretation. | ||
| Pammy |
Oh, and do you think for one split millisecond, that HD DIDN'T think the V-Rod was going to be a cash cow? They are trimming the fat my friend not trying to nick an artery. Staying with tried and true is what they do. | ||
| Rocketman |
They are trimming the fat my friend not trying to nick an artery. Staying with tried and true is what they do. That is exactly how it's been portrayed in MCN UK today. They are in deep shit and need to reign it in. Another problem highlighted is the power of the brand name and how it's found its way onto most everything you can think of from perfume to pick-up trucks. Only now it might be that it's over sold and worn down the exclusivity, and thus lost interest from many who want exclusivity. Often I've been asked when wearing my Harley jackets, if I've got one (Harley). When asked by a Harley owner, and I reply no, I enjoy to watch the pantomime their face usually goes through in disgust that someone dare to wear a jacket that doesn't own the bike. Of course, I revel in telling them sometime later that I'm a Buell owner. Funny thing is, many Harley owners I've spun this crap to don't even know what a Buell is. Such tells me I'm more worthy of a Harley than they are, never mind just a effing jacket. But the point is, even those not so Harley history aware, ie not as faithful to the brand much beyond the fashion they've bought into with Harley ownership, the've not so much bought a bike, rather they've done it for ego kudos keeping up with the Jones' and to say 'hey look at me I've got money'. And they don't like their money ego watered down by some non biker peasant buying HD perfume over the chemist counter, or wearing a fake T printed in Thailand. But let's face it. Harley have been selling to the wrong crowd for at least 25 years, yet it's without that crowd that Harley might not be here today. Chromosexual many might be, and perhaps not even worthy, but this is no different from Buells own transition from barn to bloody big building. You go where the money. Right now the money is not easy to go to. Yes indeed. The fat needs trimming. And the exclusivity needs to return. Rocket | ||
| 1313 |
This is the closest we could get to a photo with your mouth closed!!! You did better than I was able to at the Dry Dock Saloon:  I call it "Court - Wide Open" - with all due respect of course, 1313 | ||
| Court |
Too funny!. . . . that's my "I just saw Brankin" look. | ||
| Court |
>>>>maybe EB can re-do the Street Rod That won't happen. The Street Rod was the single largest mistake ever made by HD, followed closely by the XR1200. Harley looses more on the VROD than Buell has ever cost them. Think "hope and change". | ||
| Elsinore74 |
I'm on board with the "Hope and Change." Hoping the good Mr. Buell is producing his kind of motorcycles again, very soon. Change as it applies to H-D someday building bikes that can be admired for their performance as well as their looks. | ||
| Trojan |
That won't happen. The Street Rod was the single largest mistake ever made by HD, followed closely by the XR1200. How do you figure that? I seem to remember you denying that the XR1200 would ever be made, right up until the official launch date The reason the Street Rod failed was that they had no idea how to market the bike or who to market it to. There was nothing wrong with it technically and it was probably the best of the V-Rod models to date (certainly a much better bike than the Mr Muscle 'thing' that they have now released). Is the XR1200 a mistake? Sales figures in Europe don't say so, and that is the ONLY model that can connect younger riders to the H-D name in any sense whatsoever. I don't know about the US sales, but in my opinion Harley need to expand the XR1200 range not kill it off. Now that Buell are no longer here the XR1200 is the closest thing they have to a sports oriented bike and I really can't see them getting rid of it. Mind you, they haven't exactly shown any sensible thinking so far so who knows what's next! | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
"Oh, and do you think for one split millisecond, that HD DIDN'T think the V-Rod was going to be a cash cow? They are trimming the fat my friend not trying to nick an artery. Staying with tried and true is what they do." I have yet to talk with an engineer, a designer or a manager from HD that said, "yes, we built the XXX to lose money." If an entrire bike line goes, it will not be the Vrod. If the VR was on the slate to be wiped out, I'd know it that day. So far nobody that I know at HD, and I know alot of people, have said world one about wiping out the VR. Its safe, for three years at least. That's not based on opinion or conjecture, its based on actually speaking with people. (Message edited by Buellinachinashop on October 29, 2009) | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
"The Street Rod was the single largest mistake ever made by HD," Marketing-wise yes, performance-wise, no. |
