| Author | Message | ||
     Jim_M |
Why have I not heard this from anywhere else yet? http://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/detail?sectionID=212131&documentID=136344 "Erik Buell, the man behind the Buell range of bikes, has been inducted into the National Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame in America. " "Buell joins names such as Harley’s Willie G Davidson (a former MCN Awards Lifetime Achievement winner), Easy Rider actor Peter Fonda and custom legend Arlen Ness. "He won this year’s " Industrial " award, there are categories for other classes ranging from Promotion to Leadership, too." | ||
| Davegess |
Jim, you heard it there first 'cause you looked there first. It is also on th eRoadracing world website and I am sure it elsewhere. Buell sent out the press release today I think. Prety cool, he deserves it. dave | ||
| Jim_M |
He most definitely deserves it, more so than WIlly G (IMNSHO). I was curious 'cause I know that I hit the 'net around 12:00-1:00 EST, and I figured that everyone else would be all over this one already. I guess I should type in the obligatory "First Post"? (oops, wrong site ;^D) | ||
| Davegess |
Your right probably should post it over on the main board | ||
| Reepicheep |
Nah Jim, that would be "Frist Prost" or "All your boltses are belong to us!" (inside slashdot joke, a shame as slashdot has become so singularly politically bent that I seldom waste time there anymore). But back on topic, congratulations to Eric! Makes me even prouder to have his name painted across my tank! Bill | ||
| Jim_M |
How about "All your corners belong to us!"? | ||
| Spudman |
Hi Guys, I posted on the main board before cheking here, sorry for the cross post Blake (but Erik's worth the bandwidth). Very intresting that Erik's in the Hall of Fame, I think his best work is yet to come. Although his current acomplishments more than make him a worthy candidate. On a personal note, Thank you Erik for making the motorcycle I only dreamed about. Now get working on my next dream, will it be a wet one? | ||
| Rick_A |
Eric Buell...wet dream...*shudders* ...but, really, Eric is my hero. Good on 'im. | ||
| Ferris |
congrats Erik :-) as much as i respect EB for what he's done, what clinches the deal for me is who he is. first time i met him, the day before Blue Groove in '96, he and Deb arrive via jet plane from WI to San Jose, CA. not exactly sure what i expected, but he steps onto the tarmac wearing jeans and a t-shirt and tennies (none of which were exactly designer label). and he didn't know me from Adam, yet treated me like we were old drinkin' buds. later that day, during a pre-arranged group ride with Reg and Court and about two dozen local CA Hooligans, Erik reaches over while we're at speed carving down a particularly aggressive canyon and taps me on my right wrist. freaked me out, it did, as i was busy at the time trying not to make a mistake and look like a FNG. later i cornered Erik and good-naturedly chastised him for goofin' around like that while 20 or so Buells and other assorted sportbikes snapped at our heels. geez, dude, i said, kinda a rush to have you reach over and get my attention like that! Deb smiles that smile that only a good woman can flash, and says, "Ferris, he was reaching for your kill switch." Erik stood there with a huge s**t-eating grin and said nothing. i fell in love with the guy right on the spot  more... | ||
| Oldman |
all the people at the brandon, fl store that went out for the big party last year said that erik was one of those intriverted kind of people until they got hanging around him a bit, then they said they had the time of their lives, just a down to earth person hope to stick around on saturday long enough to see if he'll sign my tank, never enjoyed something so much in my life | ||
| Sybren |
Way to go Eric! But he should get his butt over to Croix and meet some overseas fans! I don't think he knows that he sells bikes outside the USA | ||
| Court |
Sybren: Mucho wrongalotta.......Buell has, since day one, seen overseas sales as it's lifeblood. The early RR-1000's and RR-1200 found their greatest following overseas (I think the first foreign Buell sold was Chile)and Japan plays a huge part in the very fact that Buell is here today. Among my files is a very detailed report from the first time Erik headed to Colonge to the Motorcycle Show. Info regarding the European market was sketchy and he was craving to know all he could. I solicited help from a fellow on the old CompuServe Motorcycle Forum where Erik and I argued nightly, to help out. He was the American Attache' and spent a day, with his son, making notes about the various bikes for sale, general perceptions and prices. The Buell challenge was great, but frankly, exciting. In order to suceed, it can be argued, that Buell must command a presence in the European and other overseas markets. As good fortune would have it, the Buell possesses tremendous appeal in a number of such markets. Austalia and the New Zealandese continue to impress me with their enthusiasm. Introducing the S1WL there in 1998 was, to this date, one of the better marketing decisions. Erik always looks forward to seeing, talking with and riding with Buell customers anywhere. His enthusiasm, interest and friendship is as sincere as it seems and he's always fun to watch as he bites his tounge to behave and toe the company line sometimes. You won't have to ask many owners to find one that's seen Erik set down his helmet and dig into adjusting someone's suspension or fiddling with their bike. Erik, while raising a family of teenagers, struggles with the trave:family:factory equation and I can assure you all decisions, even the best, always hurt him. If anybody I know deserves 20 extra hours to tack onto their 112 hour work week, it's Erik Buell. After something on the order of 15 years of Buellin', I continue to be amazed. The genius part is easy to see and I assure you that you have yet to see it fully shine. The more amazing part is the man's keen focus in pursuit of a dream. I know Erik fairly well and can say what the Harley-Davidson Corporate Communications folks can't....he's a genuinely good person. I am thrilled, on behalf of Buell owners worldwide, to see him get this recognition. I have communicated, on our communal behalf, that to him this morning. And....be aware that dangling a challenge like "get your butt over" to Erik is likely to get you a house guest and a riding lesson. Show me one other company in the world about which that can be said. I am very proud of Erik and we all stand a bit taller in the boots today. Ride safe, lean much and smile more, Courtney Canfield New York City (with 44 states aboard Buell in the last 5 years) | ||
| Jim_M |
These stories make me more excited about the "Slay the Dragon" contest going on....not for the free Firebolt, but for the chance to meet and ride with the man. | ||
| Court |
My dear Ferris...... In the event your memory of that day, and the Silver 1996 S-2 that Erik and Deb were riding, has faded, let me share a picture shot by one Ferris Bueller the day that Erik and I first crossed paths with you! Court  } Left to Right Erik and Deb - Silver 1996 S-2T Court - Barney (U.S.A.) Britta Rottsky & Rich Ray - Ducati 900S Unk Jeremy Ricker - Red 1995 S-2 This was the intersection BEFORE I was able (rare) to reach over, snag Erik's keys from the side of the S-2 and toss them in the bushes as the light changed. At that time, we'd intended to grow up by the time we reached 50. That warrants revising now. Court | ||
| Blake |
Thanks for sharing that Court! You really tossed his keys into the bushes? LOL. Fess up now, what was Erik's reprisal? | ||
| Ferris |
Barney was/is a raucous bastard--you could hear the damn thing coming from a mile away, and still it'd scare the crap outta you everytime. so we're at the aforementiond traffic light, minding our biz waiting for the color "go", and out of nowhere Court and Barn come blastin' up on our left, all smoke, fire 'n brimstone and half crossed-up. before we could say, "What the fu......." Rev. Canfield yanks the keys from EB's S2, does INDEED give them a toss into the bushes (over his shoulder, as i recall), and rockets away in a blaze of purple and sound. i was, as the song says, stunned and amazed. Erik couldn't have been any cooler. he very deliberately and nonchalantly walked over to the bushes, rummaged around for a bit, found the keys, stuck 'em back in his bike (by the way, how cool is it to fire up a machine that has YOUR name on the tank, anyway? :-), and off we went. i suspect that this was NOT the first time such an incident had befallen our young Mr. Buell. and i suspect the food-fight that happened later that night at dinner may have been in direct retaliation.... more... | ||
| Sybren |
Hey Court, Don't get me wrong: I know Erik deserves a to be in that Hall of Fame. He is a very talented man and worked hard to achieve his dream and I enjoy his creations every day! I'm just jealous that all ya Americans get to meet this legendary man. About the 'get your butt over': I haven't visited Easy Troy yet, but some day I will get my butt over and visit my Mecca. So Mr. Buell is raising teenagers? I think they would love a short stay in wild Amsterdam while the big man rides with us eurobuellers to Croix! | ||
| Ferris |
here's another glimpse of Erik from mine eyes: the occasion was the first American Sportbike Festival ('97, right???) in sunny SoCal, and i was pretty high on myself. too high, in retrospect, altho it was my enthusiasm for EB and his motorcycles that was the main culprit. anyway, Buell Motor Co. had flown me to L.A., set me up with an S2 to call my own from Bartels' fleet, and was picking up my motel tab in Lancaster while i covered the ASF in my then-new role as "Ferris Bueller, Man-about-Buell". like i said, i thought i was pretty darned important :-( so MUCH so that i was a complete ass to Erik during the running of the Pro Thunder race at Willow Springs. as memory serves it was the inaugural running of PT, and Erik, as you might imagine, was pretty stoked to see his motorcycles in the mix out on the track. being me (alas), i decided that the absolute BEST possible time to interview him for the PACBOG mag was just as Pro Thunder was getting under way, and i proceeded to pepper him with all manner of dumb-ass questions, all the while as he tried, nearly in vain, to concentrate on the race. i was just to freakin' dense to pick up on it, dammit. it wasn't 'til later that night, when one of Scott Miller's henchmen came up to me on the side and told me what a royal pain-in-the-ass i'd been, that i realized the error of my ways. at this point, Erik could've easily been forgiven for telling me to pound sand the rest of my life, yet--true to who he is--he just laughed it off and saw my enthusiasm for what it was. have you ever encountered someone famous in your travels, and, in spite of your best efforts to express your genuine fondness for, and appreciation of, the individual, felt like you've gotten little or no respect in return ("Go away, kid, you bother me!")? i can tell you for a fact: that is NOT Erik Buell more... | ||
| FB |
Court, i keep logging on over and over tonite and looking yet again at the pic you posted. man, that was a grand time :-) (i think it's cool that me 'n Ricker are still riding buds, too--thanks for hooking us up. did he tell you we rode together a bit thru the Sierras last year during the Porterville Rally?) many of my pix from BG are either in your possession or EB's (the negatives are floating around here somewhere...), and it's been awhile since i've made the trip down that particular memory lane. thanks!!! :-) Ferris | ||
| S320002 |
And then there was Blue Groove II the Sequel. Ferris, Fearless, Jack, Heidi, Tony, Dave, Gumby and whole bunch of really fun people from the Norhtwest. It was my first Buell gathering. It was the also first time I met Erik. It was also when asked if I was having fun, I said, "Having fun?!! I didn't know you could have this much fun with your clothes on!!!". Words cannot describe what a great guy Erik is and he certainly deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Maybe we should also set up a Buell Hall of Fame for some of the great people who help to promote the Buell Experience. I can think of several people who would be on my list of nominees. Greg | ||
| Oldman |
court you said a mouthfull. i got to meet him on friday. got a picture of him and aaron while battletrax was going on. got to thank him for what his bike has done for me and my attitude toward life. got to sit between him at hop's for lunch and to listen to this guy talk and to just watch him do a little soft shoe with his forks while he's waiting for his food, you couldn't think that this man is who he is. he doesn't talk like he's the one that has to be the center of attention, he likes to talk because he has something interesting to say. when he came over to sign bikes the next day the first guy tryed to clearcoat it with somestuff i got so i wouldn't lose it and it pulled up the marker, so he cleaned it off real quick and erik resigned it. you can see that he goes out of his way to please people. today i consider myself the luckiest son of a "b" there ever was. my opinion is that after you meet this guy you just want to tell him that any time you need the shirt off my back just let me know. he is well deserving of everything he gets. | ||
| Davegess |
Oldman, you have got that right. One thing that has made this work is that people will do amazing things for Erik, and not cause he asked just cause they think it wlll help. He can be a real POA to work for at times but is one real nice guy, shy and unassuming. Dave | ||
| Blake |
POA = ? | ||
| Mikej |
Poignent Opinionated Antagonist? | ||
| Rocketman |
Price On Application | ||
| FB |
Piece Of Art Ferris | ||
| Oldman |
 Picture Of AuthenticityPOAthe man is just a real person is my opinion. \image | ||
| Oldman |
 | ||
| Blake |
You don't look so damn old to me. | ||
| FB |
nice pic, Oldman ya gotta love Erik--i mean, he's probably worth a few bucks by now, but look at the jeans he's wearing (also note the genuine smile--EB, you da man!) Ferris | ||
| Oldman |
hey blake it's something that my wife and son consider me, they want to know if i'm in denile. i'll find a picture before i cut the beard, that also might give you a better story. |
