| Author | Message | ||
     Qii |
i'd like your perspective... | ||
| Xl1200r |
Quirky, comparitively slow, any linage to mother Harley can leave a bad taste for many, percieved reliability issues because of the HD liniage, pre-historic engine design (1125R aside). | ||
| Josh_ |
1) They are sold at Harley dealers 2) See #1 | ||
| New12r |
most folks are sheep who buy whats popular and makes them "LOOK" cool. | ||
| Gtmg |
1. Lack of enthusiasm from Dealerships. 2. Style of bike. The majority of the line is based around a standard. This actually is very low percentage of sales in the market. Biggest sales cruiser, sportbike, dirtbike, standard, then sport touring. 3. Motor - while with positives of ease of maintenance etc if perceived as a slow dated design. 4. Past reliability issues hurt the brand now. 5. Cost Benefit ratio. The bikes are priced highly for what you get. A great example is the Cityx weighing in close to 9k competing with other 600 class bikes near 6k. I still think Buells are priced about $1000.00 high in my opinion. The dealer usually eats this cost. | ||
| Ratyson |
Probably the main reason: Different folks = different strokes. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Many people buy without actually test riding. Most Americans are obsessed with the spec sheet regardless of the experience actually delivered. Most sport bikes are purchased by young guys who would sooner pierce their nipples than buck their buddies especially if that means being at the back of the ride pack (on the interstate). Many Buell owners have owned and ridden other sport bikes and can tell the difference. | ||
| Barker |
Conformity is a disease.  | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Good point Matt. Ever stopped to look at the "average" Buell owner? We are as different from our "normal" riding buddies as you can get. Some seek to be one of 4,7,22 guys riding matching bikes in matching leathers. Buell riders generally just march to a different drummer and attract the same. | ||
| Ironken |
Many people buy without actually test riding. Most Americans are obsessed with the spec sheet regardless of the experience actually delivered. Most sport bikes are purchased by young guys who would sooner pierce their nipples than buck their buddies especially if that means being at the back of the ride pack (on the interstate). Many Buell owners have owned and ridden other sport bikes and can tell the difference. Ftbastrd: are you suggesting that motorcycling is over-run with magazine mechanics and spec sheet gurus....I sure am. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Aye that, Ken. Which is why, like bumble bees, we don't really care when you tell us our bikes shouldn't be fun to ride. | ||
| Mikej |
It's easier to ask why they bought what they did than it is to ask why they didn't buy what they didn't. But I'd suspect they bought for image and perception and peer pressure. Some people are afraid to make their own choices in life because of what their friends might say. I don't really care, I buy what I buy because that's what I buy. | ||
| Buellfighter |
Evil, wicked, mean and nasty. Oh wait a minute...that's why I bought mine.  | ||
| Glitch |
Some people simply don't know what a Buell is. I'm always meeting people that not only don't know what kind of bike I'm riding, they've never heard of Buell either. | ||
| Brumbear |
I have a feeling this is about to change | ||
| Barker |
I have a feeling this is about to change We will all be unique, just like everybody else. I guess I have to go buy a bimoto. | ||
| Slaughter |
I really agree with others that the biggest impediment to Buell sales is the "Harley culture." I heard about Buell by accident when I was talking with a buddy about my "fantasy" bike being an XR-motored cafe racer. He said "ever hear about Buell?" I started looking and have to admit being a little put-off finding out I had to go to a Harley dealer. Since then, I've gotten over that - but I KNOW FOR A FACT that many of my non-Harley, non-Buell sportbike and racing buddies STILL won't have anything to do with the Harley "lifestyle" crap. There's more to life than chrome, tassels and buttless chaps. | ||
| Supafast |
Ya, I have had so many people come up to me at gas stations and such and ask "what kind of bike is that?" I tell them and give them the rundown like a salesperson almost. By the time Im finished they are fully educated even to the point of where the nearest dealer is to test ride one! lol! | ||
| Josh_ |
I was at Tilley's last week and (with no sales people in sight) fully educated and then tried to sell a guy a XB12R. He and his son had just come from a Yammi dealer looking at an R1. I think I did my job, he was looking for a sales person when I left. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I believe that Buell will continue to push the envelope in design and technology even if it becomes a much higher volume producer. They'll just have more money for R&D. | ||
| Diablobrian |
Too many buyers in the sport market care only about the spec sheet is the #1 problem IMHO Lack of support at the dealership (You came in to look at a Buell? Let me show you the V-rod, or the sportster.... We can't find the adapter to do a Buell clutch, even if we did have the parts in stock...etc, etc) There are some good Buell dealers, but they are the minority. Finally it is an odd cross between "must follow the heard" and a knee-jerk reaction against the whole H-D "lifestyle" crowd when you are dealing with Buell's target audience in many cases. Why have we bought them? We are unashamed of liking what WE like. We are not afraid of turning wrenches, Buells offer a riding experience that you can't quantify on the spec sheet...FUN! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Imagine the change in culture at the HD dealerships when they have a hard time keeping 1125Rs in stock, when people walk in off the street in race leathers with a GSXR600 in trade. When Buell sells more than 12,000/year (I believe that is the production number), when Buell sales outnumber HD sales in a given month, I believe you will have a serious change in attitude. Right now we are barely a pimple on HD's butt. We are only noticeable when someone at the local dealer has a passion for Buells. I hope we become a gigantic goiter/boil that causes HD to walk funny, not be able to sit right, and be dehydrated from all the pus. | ||
| Doerman |
HD dealers can change again. They did before when transitioning from the dusty dirty shop on the corner to the current, glass steel and concrete lifestyle stores. A transition would need to occur in order to sell Buells in appreciable quantities. But it is the tail wagging the dog now and it would require customer demand to make a transition happen at the HD outlets. There's a growing number of HD stores that are moving towards a hybrid store (HD lifestyle store and a prominent Buell lifestyle corner). The Buell customer base won't ever grow to a GIXER crowd (I believe). And a company like Buell can be very successful with an overall market share of 3-5%. Realizing this and a vision for the Buell lifestyle (distinguished from the crotchrocket lifestyle)can propel Buell and the HD dealers that care to augment their line to success. I know I mentioned this probably a bit too often, but Glendale HD&B is setting a direction for what the lifestyle within a lifestyle store might look like. And I am sure there are other HD outlets elsewhere that are on the trajectory. It is my belief that BMC needs to drive what the lifestyle corner is, needs to look like, and directions for how to create one. I for one get a positive impression if it is presented in a way I can visualize it in use beyond just the product itself. It is an important move on behalf of BMC to engage in right now in order to capitalize on the success in the media and the public that the 1125R has engendered. And oh yeah.. The question was again, why not buy a Buell? Well if I were in the market for an inline 4 then Buell is not an option. my .02.... Asbjorn | ||
| Josh_ |
I've recently been to Tilley's, BlueRidge, Brunswick (NY), Reno, and Gateway in St Louis and while Brunswick and Tilley's at least had a little stand with some Buell stuff, the rest had nothing but a couple of bikes tucked back behind the Sportsters. Incidentally, BlueRidge has a holdover '06 XB12SS if anyone is looking  | ||
| Rainman |
Why do people not buy Buells? I didn't buy one because they caught fire, blew up, rattled and shook all of the bolts loose and were destined to leave you crying by the roadside waiting for someone with a trailer to pick you up. At least, that was what I'd heard. I bought a Buell because, at a Riders Edge instructor training course, I was forced to ride an XB9R and loved it. We rode Blasts. When my bike died and I needed another cheap, I bought one of the program Blasts. Since then, the experience with the rock-reliable little bike and its abilities has convinced me that my next toy will be built in East Troy. Luckily for me, motorcycling is not a lifestyle, it's a way of life. | ||
| Court |
>>>>I bought one of the program Blasts. Since then, the experience with the rock-reliable little bike Amazing bike, eh? | ||
| Zenfrogmaster |
The "spec sheet syndrome" is a huge problem, but I won't buy a new Buell because of the dealerships. I love my Cyclone, and would spring for a new TT if I felt that there was ANY value at all added to the sales and warranty / service process by the dealer. Otherwise, I'll buy used where that's not a concern. Yes, some dealers are excellent, but my experiences have all been from the other side of the coin. | ||
| Kvdog |
Regarding the dealer situation, we may be fortunate here in WI to have several Buell-friendly dealerships. Appleton H-D/Buell has had a great reputation for a long time, and the dealership where I got my Uly last January, LaCrosse Area H-D/Buell, clearly has enthusiasm for the line. I stopped in there last week while passing through town on a business trip, and was pleasantly surprised to find a row of used Buells sitting out in front to the store, and a display of various new models just in the door that you practically have to step over to get to all the chrome lying beyond. I have always been able to talk Buell with these guys until I'm damn near cross-eyed, and I know several of the techs drive them to work. Dealerships like this go a long way in dissolving the polarization between brand lifestyle crowds. (Message edited by kvdog on October 29, 2007) | ||
| Rainman |
I recommend it to beginning riders in my MSF and Riders Edge courses. It's got everything you need for a daily ride in town or on the highway. I haven't toured with it ..... yet. | ||
| Rainman |
Just an aside: I recommended it to one newbie who really enjoyed it on the range. When she went to talk with the salesman about the one Blast on the floor, he tried to talk her into an 883. |
