Buell is done, finished, gone

[derf]

Originally Posted by FT BSTRD

It's a chicken and egg. They make high priced bikes because lower priced bikes don't sell. They have to finance these high priced bikes to people who can't afford them.

In the end, there are simply not enough buyers to keep the balls spinning at HD. It's a house of cards.

Yup.

But give it a year or 2 and HD will be selling the same volume that they sold 2 years ago, I also truly believe that Buell (or an HD badged buellish sportbike) will have another bike out again within a 2 year window, my guess is winter of 2011-2012 you will hear news of it. Thats why Erik Buell is being kept on as a consultant. Just my opinion.

[FT BSTRD]

Originally Posted by derf

Yup.

But give it a year or 2 and HD will be selling the same volume that they sold 2 years ago, I also truly believe that Buell (or an HD badged buellish sportbike) will have another bike out again within a 2 year window, my guess is winter of 2011-2012 you will hear news of it. Thats why Erik Buell is being kept on as a consultant. Just my opinion.

Word from the factory folks is no HD branded sportbike, period. Test markets showed that a HD branded sportbike was a big fail.

Erik started at HD in the engineering area. He is finishing up in the engineering area.

My guess is that we will see some (more) of his design going into the XR1200 and XR1200R programs particularly if DMG creates a XR1200 race series.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by FT BSTRD

It's a chicken and egg. They make high priced bikes because lower priced bikes don't sell. They have to finance these high priced bikes to people who can't afford them.

In the end, there are simply not enough buyers to keep the balls spinning at HD. It's a house of cards.

then when they fall over i better not have to pay to put it back up

[derf]

Originally Posted by derf

An truth to the fact that HD wand Erik Buell to stay on as consultant because they are hoping to move the xr1200 into sportbike teritory?

Yeh I brought that up on page 9.

Again I expect to see an xr with a rim mounted front brake, and an under slung muffler. Possibly some ingenious way of holding fuel too.

(just the front brake in this one)


Anyway we are all arguing and agreeing with eachother

[Dave]

Originally Posted by derf

Yeh I brought that up on page 9.

Again I expect to see an xr with a rim mounted front brake, and an under slung muffler. Possibly some ingenious way of holding fuel too.

Anyway we are all arguing and agreeing with eachother

i bet they put it in the forks next

[derf]

Originally Posted by Dave

i bet they put it in the forks next

Nah they would fill up the triple trees, headlights, and handlebars first

[Phenix_Rider]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

HMMM. I don't remember you saying that to me personally? Or perhaps you should choose your words more carefully? How many actual HD riders do you know? I bet ya you wouldn't say anything close to that in a group of HD riders now would you.

Your entire POV needs some slight adjusting. But hey, what do I know... I have only been on all sides of the box. Where as you have only been on your little 650R side.

mmm- I'm sensing you don't like me much

You are the exception. None of the HD people around here have ever looked at a sportbike, forget riding one. I would and have said it to them- what are they gonna do?

[Trip]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

They dont reve slow nor do they rev high. They dont need to. Keep riding your inline.

You f'in people speak about things you know nothing about. You have not read a contract, do not know the agreements between Erik and HD about Buell. Most of the nay sayers haven't even rode one. And if they did, they didn't understand how to make the bike perform. Bitching about things they know nothing about. Then some come in here with some holly then thou attitude. As if their bikes dont have downfalls, break downs, etc. No bike is perfect. The buells inspired passion and yes some level of cult type following. Why cult like following... cause they were different and had to constantly defend their standing. That type of life brings upon calluses and a ruff exterior towards people that go against their grain (which I admit may be against the normal grain).

I'm simply amazed at the ignorant on goings that some people spew from their mouths.

I for one went to the dealer today. Sat on a 1125. What a nice bike. Its freakin sad. I feel like a family member died. I picked up 2 buell shirts before they are all gone. Told the parts guys I want one of the buell signs for the garage.

At the end of the day. Its simply typicall of a primarly sportbike site. Dis the non-rice bike. What the fuck ever.

Originally Posted by Gas Man

HMMM. I don't remember you saying that to me personally? Or perhaps you should choose your words more carefully? How many actual HD riders do you know? I bet ya you wouldn't say anything close to that in a group of HD riders now would you.

Your entire POV needs some slight adjusting. But hey, what do I know... I have only been on all sides of the box. Where as you have only been on your little 650R side.

I was not going to push your first quote further, but I couldn't stay away with the second comment.

I've ridden a XB across the gap and gotten a knee down on one, I didn't like. I have now owned 2 - 2 cyclinder motorcycles. I have more than shown I am capable of riding these bikes.

We do know what we are talking about as far as the contract. HD has owned a 100% of Buell since 98. That includes name, designs, and pretty much everything that came out of the heads of the engineers in that time frame. That is known fact you can look up anywhere. If you want to talk about death of a family member, it was murder of the redheaded step child by the stepfather. Your own family killed off the family member, so why are you getting mad at us about it. It's in house that should piss you off. Most of the dealers hated having the bikes on their showroom floor and the service guys hated working on them. You can't get good numbers when a brand is treated that way. That's HD's fault. The bike should of never been in the same building as HDs, it needed to be in boutique dealers that sell BMWs, Aprilias, KTMs, and such where they would of been taken care of and presented to the right group of riders. Erik selling out to HD was the biggest mistake he made.

As for the rough biker image, that's shot to hell and been shot to hell for a long time. No one thinks that anymore except HD riders. And going against the grain? Really? HD is the ultimate image bike, that is the grain. You go against the grain by buying a metric and getting shunned... The bikes are owned by doctors/lawyers/engineers now. Most of them are very expensive and the 1%ers are few and far between. Mostly everyone looks at you in the same opinion of what you think of the guys in Wild Hogs. That's what happens when you market to the weekend warriors and price your bikes like they do.

I see HD riders more and more and get to experience them with the crowd of that group rising exponentially at the gap and the decreasing population of sportbikes thanks to the cops. I am more than willing to tell HD riders anything on my mind and have yelled at several in the parking lot of DG for doing something stupid, just the same as I have sportbikers. I will make fun of the Rough Riders just the same as I would whatever Harley club comes through. I am not going to go kick sand in their face at their hang out, but I have no problem making fun of them sitting in front of the store.

[RACER X]

[Rider]

With prices like that I might have to go get a XB12Ss