| Author | Message | ||
     Hughlysses |
From the Rapid City, South Dakota newspaper: http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_f1d71 054-ca5e-11de-b777-001cc4c002e0.html About what you'd expect I guess. | ||
| Greg_e |
I'd like to hear from one of the dealers that really pushed the Buell brand to see what the impact will be for them. It's one thing to sit back and expect Harley to do all your advertising, and another to go out of your way to promote the line. Maybe the guys at Bumpus or Rossemeyer (sp?) will grab a reporter and tell how this will affect their sales. | ||
| 9ustav0 |
Here in Brazil we have one sales company for HD/Buell + Ducati + Tryumph + MVAg + Benelli + Husq and Malaguti. One company, a lot of dealers-shops in the country. They made an exclusive Buell Shop in Sao Paulo. In 2008 this shop was the one that sold more Buells in the world (since 2006 - the year that HD starts selling Buells in BR - were sold more than 2000 bikes here). Ulysses and XB9X are assemblying in Manaus (in HD Plan - the only one besides USA - I think). All we heard about the closure is focused in US (of course) - But we dont know what they are up to with the facilities here in BR... - they assemblying HDs here also... sorry about my English... | ||
| Firstbuell |
9, no problem - your English is just fine - please continue to keep us updated thanx also for the distribution & sales info - very interesting situation for foreign motos in your huge country  VW bug production [meaning ongoing OEM spare parts!] continued in Mexico [& also Brasil?] long after assembly ceased in Germany - perhaps a parallel situation will develop for us with Brasil continuation parts - 'who knows?'..... | ||
| 9ustav0 |
The VW Bugs in BR comes from Mexico (same as Jetta and Passat). One thing is for sure: HD dont want to stop sales in my country. They are very agressive in sales here and sold about 6000 bikes last year (only HDs). I will keep you informed.  | ||
| Court |
Gustavo: No problem with your English . . . you are doing very good and we are happy to have you here. The Buell arrangement in Brazil was different than many other countries but they sold very well. Please keep up informed. We are happy to have you sharing your thoughts with us. Court | ||
| Greg_e |
I wonder if this will be how they keep parts for the USA and or rest of the world in the supply chain. Maybe we will have to start buying used bikes imported from Brazil. As far as your English, way better than I can speak any other language so you have a big advantage on me of having a second (or more) language to use. Thanks for the update and please let us know what is happening there. | ||
| 2kx1 |
A friend of mine purchased an 1125 about two weeks ago. You would have to meet him to understand that he would never have set foot in ANY HD dealership. He is a longtime BMW rider and wanted a superbike. It took the firesale to lure him in. He almost walked out twice due to the salespeople. His words after riding the 1125 were "Harley paid me $5000 to go to their dealership" He doesn't understand why they would stop making these things,except that they are being sold where no one knows what a motorcycle is about. | ||
| 9ustav0 |
Thanks Greg, About Parts: The assemblying in Manaus is very simple. They just make the amount of parts necessary to make the bike "made in Brasil" (I Think less than 30%). Me and my Buell friends use to say that no one in the world loves the bike/brand more than us; at the same level, for sure, but more... never! I will explain: A XB9X (the cheapest one) costs about R$ 34.000 Reais (more or less US$20.000). Sometimes we wait more than 30 days for a foot rest (believe it or not!). Please, I'm not complain about it, but is our reality here... For now LSHD1.com is giving a lot of support for us here. I love the bike (I have a 09' 1125CR - there are only 10 units of it here in BR - and had a 07' XB12stt, 07' Xb12ss and a 06' XB9X) and i ride bikes for the last 25 years. Believe me, none of the bikes in the market are like Buells. And I think they will never be.... | ||
| M2nc |
He doesn't understand why they would stop making these things,except that they are being sold where no one knows what a motorcycle is about. hum, heard that somewhere else. | ||
| 9ustav0 |
Make no mistake. Bikes made outside BR are expensive. R1 = US$ 35.000 | ||
| Greg_e |
I'm just thinking they Harley didn't sell the Buell brand because they were going to move production to somewhere that has more demand and possible cheaper labor costs, just like a lot of other manufacturers do. VW is a classic example, the Beetle stops world wide production in 1979, you could still buy a brand new Beetle in Brazil and Mexico until somewhere in the 1990's because the demand was high enough to keep producing them for those markets. If Buell demand is big anywhere, then they may move all the manufacturing down there and never import them back to the USA. Sad but it might turn out to be true in the end of this whole mess. | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
Looking at H-D's new ad campaign with Marissa and the Crossbones, it would seem H-D are truly looking at their "core brand" - choppers/cruisers/tourers/retro bikes. I don't think they have the dollars to start O.S. production, and don't seem interested in anything other than traditional H-D style bikes. Talking to the salesman at my local dealer here in Brisbane, they're not super happy about what H-D is doing. They have been long time Buell supporters (12 years?), they've owned and raced Buells. They put a fair bit of effort into the brand up, but they now have demos and used bikes they paid more for than what they are selling '09 and '10 bikes for. | ||
| 9ustav0 |
I really dont know... Bikes are not like cars. You can see a lot of recovered machines in the streets looking like new. Cars are a little bit different. I really dont know. As information, in BR I was told that there are 60 new Buells for sale (and not yet in the dealer - up to come). Dont know model or year. Some friends of mine here are buying Ulys in couples (is that correct?? - once more sorry about my english...) so they can use each one at a time. | ||
| Bigblockbruce |
9ustav0, Your English is great! Stop apologizing. Thanks for letting us know what's going on in your country regarding Buell.  | ||
| Slojon |
Hmmm, Brazilian BUELLS; maybe H-Ds' made in INDIA? Gustavo has a good point about motorcycles and the enthusiasts who keep and maintain classic machines. BUELL shall continue as the cult vehicle and now shall be considered a CLASSIC.......good thing I didn't let go of that BLAST!!!!! | ||
| Oddball |
Look at those cuban riders still maintaining harleys. It should be do-able just may require more and more creativity as time goes by. | ||
| Buell2001b |
I contacted Rotax and I was informed that they will ont sell an Buell engine directly, but thru a dealer. He sadi the engine was sold to Buell not Harley Davidson!!!! I think the way HD has done business for Buell might not be too hard to break off from HD. I still think BUell will be back | ||
| 2kx1 |
I think Buell will be back with or without HD. Perhaps because they may now have "core" dealers that (hopefully) will stand behind the brand, and have the knowledge that is required to sell a product without the wannabe weekendoutlaw biker apparel. Adding dealers outside of HD also. That would be the with HD scenario. The other way is Erik lets loose ,and does what is on his mind NOW and not 20 years ago. This ,however, will more than likely make for an expensive bike due to much hand assembly. | ||
| Saxon59 |
You can buy brand new Royal Enfields with disc brakes,electronic ign.and turn signals built in India even though the British factory closed over 50 yrs.ago. Maybe Brazilian made BUELLs are a possability if their factory were to start building all the parts necessary? | ||
| 9ustav0 |
I really dont know about the parts made in BR. as far as I know The Frames are made in Italy, The plastics are made in Thailand, and so on... maybe only small pieces and some of electrical are made in BR to put the bike together in our country. If I have any other information, I will let you know. | ||
| Gohot |
Well... yea its probably true that 2% was most dealers benchmark. Sometimes you just get screwed out in left field, I think this is one of those cases. HD will feel our wrath for a very many years to come, that is if they have a very many years left. Come on, they are indicating they want to lean down and concentrate on the Barkalounger Bikes.....all well and good for them.....dumb move, dumb.... How many of these decked out cruisers/dressers do they sell a year, and once locked in to a buy, how long before the buyer can afford to buy new again? with finance charges and depreciation as all vehicles do? What I'm saying is that typically if you by hook or crook do get into a Dresser, your going to have to stay in it for 3-5 years or face a huge depreciation, and at 18-25 or 22K, its not chump change. So the point is, how many buyers per year? and how many years between buys?, You get my drift? And now they are saying that Sportsters have been discontinued in the builds from HD for this years model. Heak they were the in-between bike, the 10-12K bike that brought in the buyer who could only afford half the dresser cost. Stupid move # two, after stupid move # one of the Buell fiasco. I really seem to be seing mistake after mistake at the HD boardrooms. HD says a leaner Co. ..........what, imaceated? I think alot of us are thinking that the fall/end of HD might just not be too far off. bummer..... | ||
| Fast2win |
Your point about H.D may be true but time will tell. The fact is they make a living off cruiser's and that is the largest segment in this country. And other than the glory years of H.D's peak were you ever able to buy a new bike and not loose money lot's of it. Even now H.D's still have good resale, just not what it used to be. I might be wrong but I thought Harley stopped sportster V-rod production for 6 wks,not permanantly discontinued. But thats how it started w Buell. But I do get your drift 20k is unfortuanatly the going rate for many top of the line bike's. Goldwing's 24k Lt BMW 24-5 k. H.D is moving way too slow, no watercooled bagger 8 years after the revolution eng. come on.What Buell needed was to do was build a model line up more like BMW. Over time they could have been so much more in the market place. The more I look at that pic of what is speculated to be a new Buell, it does look like a single. As far as H.D boardrooms they don't look real good, wallsreet greed at H.D financial may just be the culprit on sinking their ship. | ||
| Court |
>>>as far as I know The Frames are made in Italy, The plastics are made in Thailand, and so on Before you go get any other information . . . . I think you should revisit the above. The Buell 1125R and CR frames are 100% designed and MADE IN U.S.A. If I am not mistaken I **think** the plastics and all bodywork are made less than 25 miles from East Troy, WI. I do know that one of our fellow BadWeBers makes a good bit of the tooling for Buells in WI. I am aware of no parts made in Brasil. I'd be eager to see if there are some. That would be kind of neat. My roomie, years ago in college, was the Brazian Ambassdors son . . . . I've never been to Brasil but . . . based simply on watching Mario party . . . I'd love to go! Perhaps we could hold Homecoming in Rio one of these years?? | ||
| Buellerxt |
I hear you, Gohot, and I share a number of your thoughts/concerns. I'm hoping, as I'm sure you are, that Harley gets their act together and does well. That's best for their employees, for America, and for us as Buell owners. A healthy Harley Davidson can only be good for us. | ||
| Wilcom |
In Rapid City 2% was probably pretty good. I bet he had the Buells back in a corner and still sold some in spite of himself. The owner didn't sound like he cared one way or the other, just business. I wonder if he ever rode one............? | ||
| Keef |
after riding the slug hogs it would probably scare the dodo out of him if he wicked it hard or find himself on his back  | ||
| Ekunyvan |
I can't imagine any place harder to sell a Buell than 30mi from Sturgis, except maybe Sturgis & Deadwood dealers. I'm actually very surprised that the HD website indicates all three were Buell dealers. Based on the location of that dealership & the attitude of that owner, I'd be willing to bet that's easily one of the lowest percentages of Buell sales anywhere that the bikes could be found. | ||
| Rdkingryder |
Has anyone seen this? Read down a few posts and check out the picture. From Advrider http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52 5646 | ||
| Reepicheep |
Been beat to death here... summary of speculation... 1) It's probably an old picture, from before the "close" announcement. 2) They were likely test mules that cannot be resold due to liability concerns and various legal entanglements. 3) They are in a dumpster, but probably not going to the trash, they were probably going someplace to be taken apart. 4) You can get a picture like it behind every major automotive manufacturing development facility. | ||
| Court |
Happens at Buell, Harley, Honda and Porsche every year . . . |
