| Author | Message | ||
     Noone1569 |
Just received this via e-mail from LAP: Kickstand Up, Ready to Roll... EAST TROY, WI – EBR Motorcycles has recently completed the protracted Wisconsin Chapter 128 business restructuring that began last April. The EBR 2012 – 2015 model parts inventory, brand name, trademarks, patents, operating licenses, testing equipment, assembly lines and all the future models under development are now owned by Liquid Asset Partners of Grand Rapids Michigan. Liquid Asset Partners is actively reviewing options for a qualified individual or company to acquire or finance the motorcycle business and take it to the next level. Erik Buell, founder of EBR, said, “This is indeed an incredible opportunity for a huge head start on getting an American sport motorcycle business going. I have to thank Bill Melvin Jr., Bill Sr., and the team at Liquid Asset Partners for seeing this and working toward activating the assets and building motorcycles again. It is also great that they have stepped up to immediately address parts availability for EBR owners. The old company had many of the pieces in place for success, and I am very energized by the opportunity to re-engage under a new corporation with the right ownership and focus.” Kim Tordik, key management member, has worked side-by-side with Erik for over 30 years. Kim started with Erik in the early years of the fledgling Buell Motor Company, continued through the Harley years and on to the start-up of Erik Buell Racing. “I have seen and been a part of all the challenges and successes over the years. Working with Erik, we have always focused on keeping the customer first and top-of-mind. The amount of energy and enthusiasm for Erik Buell and his legacy brand is as prevalent now as ever. Knowing personally the extraordinary assets that are available and the creative talent we have, the best years are still ahead.” The first step, beginning next week, will be to make service and repair parts available directly from Liquid Asset to the owners of the EBR RS, RX and SX models, as well as performance parts for previous Buell models that had been available from EBR. Since the motorcycle selling season is approaching quickly, management is making significant progress towards plans for the production of new RX and SX models. The goal is to have 2016 model EBRs rolling by mid-March. Steve Smith, key management member, says “the ‘muzzle is off’ and that it is time to reach out to EBR suppliers, dealers, customers and fans around the world. During the restructuring process it was inappropriate for the staff to talk about the specifics. Not being able to speak up was very frustrating, as there was no shortage of false information and speculation being spread. The “Buell Nation” and EBR enthusiasts were inundated with all sorts of opinions and misleading stories over the last 9-10 months. With Liquid Asset now in control of the motorcycle assets and intellectual property, we are in a position to begin the process of restarting. We love and appreciate the continued enthusiasm of the EBR riders groups; to help with the future success of EBR, we encourage riders and enthusiasts to talk to their closest dealer and prepare their personal finances for hopefully buying a 2016 model EBR.” Once the plans are implemented, the path is open for the next step of growth. The American innovation, speed and persistence of Buell and EBR that have been demonstrated and appreciated by hundreds of thousands the world over will still require significant resources to move to the next chapter. Liquid Asset has taken on the mantle of “brand steward” and is committed to preserving the true American Sportbike company with its lineage going back to 1983. Along with production initiating on RX and SX, new segment busting models that deliver Erik’s unique vision are on the drawing board. The new company has many assets and is ready to expand rapidly. Anyone interested in more information about the EBR opportunity should contact Liquid Asset Partners at www.LiquidAP.com. Anyone interested in EBR parts should visit www.LiquidAP.com/EBRparts/ Thank you, Team EBR | ||
| Hughlysses |
Wow.
That line is VERY interesting. Maybe they have a new buyer lined up, or maybe they're going to start production while LAP is still the owner? It'll be interesting to see what their dealer network looks like if/when that happens. | ||
| Blackm2 |
That is extremely hopeful. Keep moving Erik! | ||
| Reepicheep |
All very encouraging. Hugh, that is progress towards plans. Which is more than we had a right to hope for at this point. But it isn't a firm commitment for restarting production. (And any commitment to restart production would have been a fairly worthless one, as until there is a plan to get there, it's just a good intention, so kudos to them for only claiming what they can really claim at this point). Nice to see them quoting Kim too. | ||
| Buelliedan |
Call me a skeptic but to me it just sounds like an ad trying to sell the assets. I hope I am wrong and they have a buyer lined up but that release does not say that to my way of thinking. PLEASE LET ME BE WRONG! | ||
| Hootowl |
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| Court |
How cool is that ...... In production in 6 weeks! That's about as big of an FU as you could toss at Hero. I've marked it on my countdown calendar today ..... 1,000 hours until 2016 Buells. Now all of you who have been clamoring can be "getting your personal finances in order". Very cool ! | ||
| Ace117 |
That would be awesome! If I had not bought my RX last March I would buy a 2016 for sure. Its all good though, if EBR indeed survives and makes a comeback I see a 2018 in my future! That would put me at 2 Buells 2 EBRs and one Yamaha. I bought my first bike ever March of 08 (20th birthday present to myself) an 09 Arctic white 12R, I became a Buell guy for life that day and haven't looked back since! | ||
| Hughlysses |
Hey- Who knows? While Erik had a lot of free time on his hands for the last few months, maybe he finished the designs for the AX and whatever else they had on the drawing boards, and THOSE bikes will be ready to enter production shortly.  | ||
| Mr_keys |
NO WORDS!  | ||
| Mr_keys |
WONDERFUL DAY! | ||
| Court |
"Erik's had a lot of free time" I know several folks who will derive great entertainment from that comment. I've a sense that very, very few have the slightest ...... Even Itsy bitsy sense of what all this has taken. | ||
| Stevel |
Well, I made my parts order following the directions on the LAP web site......Now I wait! | ||
| 86bgn |
Everyone with a Buell needs to ride by the factory, throw up the rocker sign, and do a big ass burn out in front, one at a time... of course, that song Anthem X should be playing in the background, just saying. | ||
| Hughlysses |
"Erik's had a lot of free time" I know several folks who will derive great entertainment from that comment. It was said mostly in jest. I was sure he was doing SOMETHING positive in the background. | ||
| Steveford |
Good deal! He should change that Pegasus to a Phoenix. | ||
| Ponti1 |
I don't care who is involved, but wish success for Erik in the motorcycle business. I would so much love to see the business back in production, name be damned. Call it NoLongerEBR, or whatever you want, and it would still be a very important moment. I believe that Mr. Buell has individually worked harder in this motorcycle business (design/engineering/management/etc.) than probably everyone (or nearly so) else in the world. He should win. He deserves to win because, in my belief, he is not doing it for any reason other than to push industry and the tech forward. And, in doing so, he is producing things that the world needs and is not yet being offered. | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
Well said Ponti, well said. | ||
| Terrible |
I hope this all works for everyone involed. | ||
| Greg_e |
I still like the "Villain Motorcycles" name. | ||
| Swampy |
"...push industry and the tech forward. And, in doing so, he is producing things that the world needs and is not yet being offered." And the industry comes along kicking and screaming because change is not in their plans... | ||
| Fmaxwell |
"And the industry comes along kicking and screaming because change is not in their plans..." The industry is just responding to motorcycle consumers, many of whom are extremely conservative and resistant to change. Many motorcyclists resisted each new innovation, initially swearing that dual rear shocks were better than single rear shocks, drum brakes were better than disc brakes, carbs were better than fuel injection, and that ABS and traction control were for unskilled riders. They saw no purpose to mass centralization (with many preferring large, upwards pointing canisters as a means to make up for their 'personal shortcomings'). Most don't even understand the tech that they are rejecting; Buell's ZTL brakes are believed by most of the ignoramuses to be intended as better brakes rather than for their actual purpose of reducing unsprung weight. Even the big players get shafted by motorcycle consumers when they dare cross a line by introducing something too radical. How many hub center steering Yamaha GTS1000 bikes have you seen running around? How many Suzuki RE5 Wankel engine bikes were sold? How many 2WD Yamaha WR450F 2-Trac off-road bikes were sold? | ||
| Hootowl |
"with many preferring large, upwards pointing canisters as a means to make up for their 'personal shortcomings'" Exhaust in Japan has to exit at a very specific place. The canisters are where they are because of it. | ||
| Hughlysses |
New article at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/business/erik-buell-racing -hopes-to-restart-motorcycle-production-in-march-b 99662505z1-367281991.html?ipad=y This says they expect to restart production on a small scale in March before they find a buyer for the company. | ||
| Ciemny02 |
Thank you for the news Hughlysses!!! I am so glad, this link have made my year! Go! Go! Go! Mr. Buell!!! | ||
| Tpoppa |
Who will be assembling these 2016 models? Is there still a core group of employees who will be building them? | ||
| Court |
I'd GUESS that this March mini-production would be essentially moving some of the several hundred bikes from the hospital" (almost ready to go, awaiting a part of a piece) to fully completed units. The bigger question, and it sounds like someone has already dealt with this, is the VIN and WHAT COMPANY will make these bikes. Unless the process has been wildly misrepresented . . . EBR is no longer. The Courts sold bits and pieces. There may be a chance that someone has successfully petitioned the feds that the resurrected entity has the proper assets to assume the licenses of the predecessor If this is the case, a group of 4 or 5 people could crank out a ton of production. My perception is that many of the bikes are 100% ready to ship. Representing those bikes as 2016 may be a stretch. I've got a couple ideas of how this might go . and a couple I think could catapult the campy back to full scale production and entice an investor. Let's see. It's damned excited . . that's for sure. | ||
| Ace117 |
Heres another article and the first I have seen about EBR from another source other than jsonline. http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2016/02/ebr-changes -hands-yet-again-but-what-does-it-mean-opinion/ | ||
| Hughlysses |
Definitely good news so far. I can imagine it may be relatively easy to add ABS to these bikes which would be one way to justify calling them 2016 models. Or of course they could always get a new run of body parts and go with "bold new colors for 2016".  | ||
| 86bgn |
"VIN and WHAT COMPANY will make these bikes" I guess I am confused... I thought that Liquid Assets bought the brand name, trademarks, patents, operating licenses? | ||
| Ebrfan |
Most of the State's have DMV rules and regs that allow for inspection and titling assembled bikes with Manufacturers Statement of Origin as they sit, even with defunct companies. I had no problem titleing mine, and neither has anyone else having bought an EBR post-shutdown. | ||
| 86bgn |
Right on, thats the way I would have thought it would work for anyone that bought a left over from a dealer.... I was referring to Courts post a few up from mine, he was questioning what the new company name would be, because he thought that "EBR" was no more. I was under the impression that Liquid Asset Partners now owns the rights to the name and everything associated with. So I am sure they will continue on with new bikes being 2016 EBR's. | ||
| Mog |
Quarter to 12 february 2nd. Have had a real tall glass of wine (I am skinny and a cheap high results) and am tipsy enough to be having a fun time reading all this. So, what ever I said in the past... screw it. Go for it Erik!!! And I hope that virus that you got "take it easy at first" gets a nice fat pill (20 million dollar investor) to get rid of the disease. Show no mercy sir.  | ||
| Cravacor |
Great news for EBR and owners of EBR bikes! |
