| Author | Message | ||
     Conchop |
IMHO HD has made 2 huge mistakes. MV Augusta should have never been purchased. HD had Buell and the Porsche motor. There was no need to spend that money so recklessly. It could have been better spent on some good homegrown engineering at Buell. But no. They had to go off thinking they were going to be some exotic Italian manufacturer. How much money and time has been wasted with this foolish effort? Time will tell, but it is obvious it was a blunder. I understand that the genius behind this is no longer there. I think the entire management team needs to be examined for this. HD is a business. If there is good, then there is a payoff. Otherwise, heads will roll. Apparently there is not enough heads on the floor. Sell MV. The next huge mistake is the complete closure of Buell. I know the dealers were not fond of them. They didn't come back for chrome and hop-ups. They didn't have the gross margin. The Buells did not need to be in HD shops that didn't want them. The Buells needed to be in the smaller shops with easy dealership development policies, proudly backed by Harley Davidson. Now the management team have exposed themselves as weak. Superior engineering has been hindered by accountants instead of being furthered by quality management engineers. It is now better to cut the future engineering excellence and to deny a new market and dealership segment so the HD brass can embrace a business model which relies on branding and cheap Chinese labor and relics of the past. While there is certainly a success story in HD and the heritage and the resurrection of the their brand in the 80's, they have just blundered their future by completely stopping production of Buells. This will cost the company dearly. This is a mistake of epic proportions. Future buyers will be aware of this foolish business move. They cannot be trusted to make the right business decisions ; ie purchasing MV, closing Buell, not to mention denying Buell the use of the Porsche motor. Why in the hell would I want to invest in the HD company much less buy a bike from them when they cannot handle their success much less handle hard times. They have left us Buell owners in a ditch. Their corporate words and explanations are bullshit. Their numbers suck. THEY ARE FAILING! IMHO, the entire HD management team and board of directors need to be replaced. Their lack of decision making abilities, lack of future vision, and recent financial and overall business performance are more than ample proof of their overall incompetence. With their credibility ruined by these two unwise decisions, it is now time to demand accountability. I can only hope that somehow, the Buell brand can come out of this, much the same as HD came out of its mess in the 80's. | ||
| Jammin_joules |
Some dealers loved Buells, we race them, own them, and work aggressively at selling them. It is true, many owners would rather send away on the internet for a $5 savings on a part than buy from our parts department though. And a good portion of the owners would only come to our service department for warranty work or when they screwed things up from trying mods or repairs based on bad advice. This too challenges a dealership to maintain the Buell brand. But we figured it out and we have buyers ride past two or three other Buell shops to buy from us or get service, many at least 100 miles or more. So please don't assume that when you generalize that you are straight on. This is a complex issue and one that few people have all the information to draw over reaching conclusions. Regardless, it is a sad episode for sure. The prospect of not having the Buells in our store to sell is a bummer. We will have the owners still coming around, and of course our own Buells to ride, race and enjoy. | ||
| Mark61 |
I remember the stated reason for buying MV was for the dealerships already in place so HD could get a better foot hold in Europe. I think where HD got greedy and then bit in the butt is the financing people bought bikes "just because everyone has one". Now that side of the business is dragging everything else down the toilet with it. Damn Wall Street again! mark61 | ||
| Brokeneck |
Jammin -- what dealership are you referring to -- High Country -- If so you are right it's great -- |
