| Author | Message | ||
     Curtyd |
"i would have bought the hd-xb and so would have all of you (proof is in what you ride right now) (when) you could of had any other faster sportbike..." FALSE, FALSE, FALSE!!! If it had said or ever does say HD I probably won't come anywhere near it. I did drive all manner of faster streetbikes over 20 years and it was my test ride on the M2 in 1999 that made the switch. I came back with a grin from ear to ear because of the torque pull from the RPM range where I live in on the streets, 3K to 6 or 7K. It handled pretty good, looked different than the "cookie cutters" and sounded different too. I loved attending the Superbike races and hearing the race Ducatis, closing in on the corners, no mistaking them from the rest of the field. I also like hearing the 250CC two strokes racing as well. THEN in 2003 Buell had the XB with the same basic dimensions (except for the 100 kg or 220 lb weight limit) as the 250cc Grand Prix road racing bikes and I moved up but stayed with the S platform so I could be in a little more upright riding position. NOW it looks like I might have a passable and reasonably upright riding position, nice aerodynamics with the bat-wing and reverse arrow windstream, plus no rev-limiter at 6.5K to worry about, plus the same hard-pulling torque curve all the way to 10.5K... PLUS, it comes in a bit under 400lbs.... good time to move on again. Put an HD label on it, and I just might pass right by it just out of spite for the black leather crowd that likes posing at the bar more than anything else it seems with their two-wheel "half-tons" . I would consider a HD badged sub-300lb flattracker that was street legal. HD never saw fit to give me that, either. But I am funny that way, and always did sort of march to a different drummer! (Message edited by CurtyD on August 10, 2007) | ||
| Paint_shaker |
Man... this place is like an airport with no air traffic controllers. There are sooo many opinions flying around it is a wonder this site doesn't crash!! **** This message has been brought to you for comic relief. We now we return you to the topic on hand, 1125r effect on XB sales.**** | ||
| Ezblast |
Curtyd so true! | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Affect on XB Sales? I can tell you now that we are not ordering the XB12R this year. I will get one if a customer wants one, but we will not lot & floor that bike this season. It is too close in price to the 1125R that I really feel that people will go with the 1125R instead. Just my .02 worth. (I have a sneaky feeling that is part of the "model complexity" issue that prompted the end of the XB9R) We will see where the numbers lay at the end of the year, but I know where my deposits are stacking up now ;) | ||
| Gregtonn |
Ronlv, I have read your last post half a dozen times. It was painful but I was trying to make some sense of it. The only conclusions I was able to to come to are these: 1. You desperately want to tell people you ride a Harley. 2. Harley doesn't build the kind of bike you really want. 3. Buell does build the kind of bike you want. 4. You buy a Buell and try to strip it of anything that says Buell. 5. You try to convince yourself that you truly are riding a Harley and not a Buell. By now you may have convinced yourself. I doubt if you have convinced the DMV or your insurance agent or most people here. G. | ||
| Not_purple_s2 |
"My Buell is my Harley"??? I could build a bike out of a catalog with out using a single HD part on it that would be more harley-like than a buell. Park a Buell next to a V-star, a Big Dog, and Iron Horse, remove all their badging and ask passer-by's which one is built with Harley parts and I bet you anything that out of a hundred people only a handful would say the buell. I bet more people would say the V-Star than the Buell. Really I think Japanese cruisers have more in common with Harley's. Why? Because they're cruisers! Not everyone will be passing over the XB12R for the 1125R. To some people $2000 is enough to keep them from buying the 1125R. I mean that's a 20% increase in price. Also they've made quite a few improvements on the XB's to lure some buyers that have been tittering on the edge of buying. | ||
| Chadr81 |
I'll stick with my XB12S, because it's my style. Unless they build a version of the 1125r that has the street-fighter appeal, I'm not interested. XB's still got a sale from me! Chad (Message edited by chadr81 on August 13, 2007) | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
Gregtonn, there's some people that believe that if they wanted a Rotax, they'd have bought a SeaDoo or a Bombardier Atv. What's wrong with wanting an Harley sportsbike? That's what a Buell is. When people ask me what kind of bike I have, I say, "its a Buell Lightning". They say,"what's a Buell?" I say, "Its a Harley Davidson sportsbike"..."Ohhhhhh, no wonder it sounds like a Harley." If Harley said, "the hell with Buell, we're selling these bikes as Harley's"..I'd bet there'd be alot of folks around here who wouldn't buy it because of that. While I don't run around telling people that I have a Harley, I'm not ashamed of Buell being a part of the Harley family. I'd like to think that I have the best of both worlds. What's wrong with that? | ||
| Jimidan |
I think that guy filling up his pick'em'up truck at the gas station said it best when I pulled in beside him on my S2. He turned around and said with a smirk, "I thought you were on a Harley there for a second, but it's only a Harley Wannabee!" I came right back though with, "No, this bike has power, brakes, handling and is fast...it ain't no Harley." | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
HAHAHAAA....When people ask, Why didn't you just buy a HD? I say, "come follow me in the curves, when you don't see sparks from chrome and don't see pieces of bags flying, you'll understand why I didn't buy a Harley." | ||
| Bob_thompson |
John (Buellinachinashop), we have two things in common; our Buells and a love of Muskie fishing. I bought a Buell for the exact reasons you stated so well, agree completely and as you can see in my profile I tried to build an HD powered cafe racer in the 70's but like a few other people I also want a state of the art bike also. I am going to try the new 1125R for that reason and will always keep my current M2. Kind of like owning an old 427 Vette and also a new DOHC ZR1 engine C4 Vette, one old school and one new school. Best of both worlds, don't you think? Bob (Message edited by Bob_thompson on August 14, 2007) | ||
| Gregtonn |
What's wrong with wanting an Harley sportsbike?" Nothing wrong with that, except they don't build one. Buell on the other hand does. I have nothing against Harleys. I nearly bought their original attempt at a Cafe Racer. The problem was, it was more show than go. Lousy brakes and really poor handling. If Harley had built a Buell-like sport bike first I would have bought it. Harely Davidson Inc. owns both companies. BMC builds some really nice Buell sport bikes. They don't build cruisers. HDMC builds some really nice Harley Davidson cruisers. They don't build sport bikes. You don't have to accept the facts but that doesn't make them any less true. By the way, there aren't any Rotax sport bikes or SeaDoo sport bikes for that matter. Not exactly sure where that was going. | ||
| Spiderman |
By the way, there aren't any Rotax sport Are you trying to say Rotax doesn't make a sportbike or that there isn't a rotax powered sportbike? 'Cause Aprilia has been using Rotax power for years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotax} | ||
| Gregtonn |
What was unclear about "there aren't any Rotax sport bikes"? Bimota used Suzuki power for years. Did that make them Suzukis? | ||
| Ronlv |
i am curious, does anyone know if buell manufactures 1 single part on any of their bikes? before you start flaming, i own a buell and love my buell, i just want to know the truth on this matter | ||
| Bads1 |
Ron, Sorry to say but..... no. Buell is a assembly plant. | ||
| Ccryder |
Buell is an assembly plant but, H-D does manufacture the engines and some parts on those engines from raw Aluminum on up. Neil S. | ||
| Court |
That's a little bit of a tough question. Buell "makes" nothing any longer. That's a good thing, it reflects Buell "focus". . word for word what their Mission Statement says, on "designing and building". Buell engineers start from scratch. They design, they do analysis and, somewhere around that point, a development buyer is assigned. A population of potential vendors is found and development work continues with vendors who skills and strengths compliment the project. Buell used to build some things and frankly it became more of a distraction. I'd like to take a couple of you on a tour of the "barn" next year at Homecoming. IF I do, you'll see parts, lots of parts, still sitting on lathes and mills being built from scratch. Some parts on Buells, switches and so forth, come from motorcycle vendors. I used to enjoy the fact the Ducati and Buell used the same C.E.V. switches. Many parts are unique to Buell, designed by and for Buell, and built by carefully selected vendors. Buell builds nothing . . . but QUALITY MOTORCYCLES. (Message edited by court on August 14, 2007) | ||
| Kpg2713 |
Thats funny. Is a lamborghini not a lamborghini, because they are an assembly plant. They don't make their own parts. When you tour the factory it is VW and Audi crates everywhere. That doesn't make something less good because they assemble it. Buell specs out their stuff and other people build it. No way you can start a company now without doing things like this. However, you can get a good product by using good manufacturers for your parts. I don't think there is anything wrong with the way buell builds their bikes. It isn't like they are using major parts designed by other companies. Anyway, I personally think buell is doing the right thing with the 1125r, however, I would be seriously surprised if it made a real difference in sales for any buells. I don't think the public will accept the 1125r as they did with such bikes as the triumph daytona 675. I can't see public perception changing much with this model. | ||
| Spatten1 |
Court: Would you put Buell and ATK in the same category? | ||
| Crusty |
I'd like to take a couple of you on a tour of the "barn" next year at Homecoming. I'm in! Just let me know where to be at what time! | ||
| Mikej |
The barn is neat. Been there once, with about 50-100+ other Buell riders. Probably couldn't find it again without a guide. | ||
| Crusty |
Yeah; I was there during the 20th, then the Quonset Hut after, but there are always more stories to be shared and insights to be had. If Court wants to lead a Tour, I'd be happy to go! | ||
| Spiderman |
I'm down for another barn Trip! I remember how to get there  hold on there's the door bell...... | ||
| Anonymous |
Buell made a lot of XBRR parts in the East Troy prototype machine shop (Thank you Tims!) The XBRR had the largest number of East Troy produced parts since the S3, and many of the race accessory parts are produced in East Troy. The ET shop can handle quantity 50; it can't currently keep up in the 1000s. In general, you can't believe how intimate the relationship is with some of Buell's suppliers. It's not as if you can go and buy everything or even many of the things you want off the shelf. There's a lot of process expertise in house in the heads of Buell's purchasing engineers. | ||
| Court |
>>>>There's a lot of process expertise in house in the heads of Buell's purchasing engineers. Not only that but The Thunderbolts got a great bass player out of the deal. You guys should hear the story of folks like Ed (Thunderbolt guitar player) and Lars Levine if you REALLY want to understand how good Buell is at this. Buell just doesn't "go buy something", the Buyers are intimately involved from the moment an idea passes someone's forehead on the way from their brain. To end up with a quality motorcycle you must have a quality process. Court | ||
| Elvis |
Does anyone really "make" anything? I'm not sure why casting or machining metal is such a magical thing. The machine shop doesn't "make" the metal. They just buy it from a foundry and cut it. The foundry didn't "make" the metal, they bought it from a mine melted it down. The mine didn't "make" the metal. They dug it up and processed the ore. Geologic events didn't "make" the ore, they just combined atoms that had been fused through cosmic events . . . The big bang didn't make the atoms . . . True Buell may buy the turn-signal . . . but have you ever tried riding a turn-signal on a sunny day? | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
"By the way, there aren't any Rotax sport bikes or SeaDoo sport bikes for that matter. Not exactly sure where that was going." Just like Harley supplies us with our, "Non-HD Buell", motor. Rotax supplies motors for SeaDoo pwc and Bombardier Atvs. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
"Kind of like owning an old 427 Vette and also a new DOHC ZR1 engine C4 Vette, one old school and one new school. Best of both worlds, don't you think? Bob" Agree 100% | ||
| Court |
I went through 3 Ford SHO's and never once had any of them referred to as a Yamaha. . . no one ever called my Lotus an Isuzu either . . . |
