found an interesting article about a sore subject

[konarider94]

 

[80rs427]

That is an interesting article. I keep hoping HD will see the light and allow the sale and continued development to Bombarier or another company that would do it justice. Such a shame.....

 

[rolltide42]

Interesting, there seems to be little reason for Harley not to sell the 1125's design. I have also seen articles talking about the tax implications of selling versus discontinuing I wonder if that was the motivation.

 

[triple7]

Read the article! Once again Harley shows how inept it really has become at running a business. (Remember the AMF decision!) Wow, what a mistake to turn down the BRP deal. Harley dosent care about you and me as customers, dosent care about jobs. They really have lost touch with grass roots america. What a shame.

 

[bardo688]

yep triple7 is right...big corpration harley needs to wake up. they bring out how many new models for 2010 that not only wernt the success they hoped for just became more chrome sitting on the showroom floor.
They want to tap into younger riders (17 iam a prime example) i wanted a sport bike and i couldnt afford jap RRRRRR insurence so i get a 9S which now i know it is definatly a better bike anyways its their fault it didnt shine they didnt advertise
Coorprate dipshits...i bet they trailer their bikes to rally's ten miles away

 

[rndrkeagle]

Keith Wandell should just fire himself and let Harley find a CEO that cares about bikes and riders and not spreadsheets... run a company by the numbers and the only thing you'll find is the numbers declining.

 

[myronman3]

this will really piss you off.....
i have friend that is bike shopping. i tried to talk her into a buell; no dice. anywhoooo.... harley has a sportster model out that is ripping off the buell xb's something fierce. dont be surprised when that rotax engine shows up in something else with "harley" name on it. if they did it with the street rod, they'll do it with this sooner or later.
i am seriously considering trading the fatboy off for a buell. i am thoroughly disgusted with harley yet again.

 

[konarider94]

Harley Davidson usually comes to my university for the career fair. I should give them a hard time about Buell.

 

[nativeXb12Rbuell]

myroman3 ..and which sportster would that be ??
I wish that HD stockholders DEMAND that CEO keith Wandell be fired or resign.. I think that alot of other companies stockholders want the ceo's to be fired for such bad profit losses in the $100+ millions, while they are being paid almost a million or more yearly, and the companies not putting out what the real public wants, instead of trying to just sell a brand name (thats most of the crap is chinese made) or selling something to follow the hype or fad or some trend.. just look at the video for the so called new sportser 48, what a joke.

HD has not brought out anything in years thats truely new, or even close, the closest to kinda new was the xr1200's tank and tail endthat looked like a chopped up Buell tail end. oh wait i guess the rocker maybe or the trike ,whats next hd 4 wheels and roof on a bike, wait that might sell to people who cant ride anyways. hd just doesnt get any more they have been trying to increase the sells younger under 25 and women for a while, with same bikes for their main buyers just with cooler names , different seats tanks, blackout paint jobs, and such . but hey hd it looks like that isn't working out so well for you, just look at those profit losses.
here's an idea sell sport bikes to those younger crowd & women , bet they would like that , oh wait you DID, then you decided to kill BUELL, so you could concentrate on selling more panties , chrome, & crap made in china.

 

[triple7]

I was HARDCORE Harley fan from the time I got my first sportster. I have owned 2 sportsters, a nightster and a Road king Classic. I bought into the whole thing from leathers to thousands of dollars worth of chrome. (no matter how much I put into the things, over $5000.00 in chrome and paint on one sporster, it was never worth what I owed.[mad] Kinda funny huh. Anyway, now I sit here and wonder why. I traded my sportster in for a new 1125R and the more I read, the more I know, the more I am glad I did it! I cannot believe I supported a company who on one side says "welcome to the family" We are all about you the rider, then with the other hand stabs the rider in the back. What a crock of crap they are pushing. The worst part is the higher ups have no clue what they really have done. What a disappointment, what a heartbreaker. To bad we couldnt all ban together with a petition or something and make them sell to BRP. Maybe a class action lawsuit? Just spitballin guys.

 

[Bolt]

No offense to hd riders, but those company suits are just a bunch of souless corporate f#kin Rats on a sinking ship.
Those at the top are the problem.
This article only ads to the dirty laundry list.

 

[BPlass]

Reading this stuff gives me an ulcer. I have bled Harley Davidson since I could say the words. Why couldn't they just let BRP adopt buell.

 

[yellow50]

I dont know how true it is but the dealer I bought my bike from told me that Wandell dosen't even have a motorcyle licence. WTF.

 

[boreas]

BRP would have come into the sport bike market strong with the 1125 and it also carries some awesome technology from its PWC and snowmobiles and boats (supercharging)- I scratch my head and wonder ,what is Harley's goal? ,is there a plan in place? Did the employees know about a possible buyer? A true American company ,closing a true American sport bike...sad.

 

[aaronbuell]

You all keep wondering why H-D won't sell. They are like a bunch of little kids MINE MINE MINE. They are not going to let anyone have any thing to do with Buell, face it why would they, they know it would be their biggest competitor with the younger buyers. just my 2cents.

 

[GSXdoubleR88ciNINJA]

I think Wandell wants to run H-D in the ground for the last time to correspond with his dirt nap. Wandell has NO MOTORCYCLE license!?! GET OUT! F*** H-D and the demographic they represent. Any of you young guys/gals out there buying new sportsters, WTF is your problem? Every time I visited H-D for BUELL parts support, I felt like I was marching through a picket line to the abortion clinic. eff H-D, eff 'em good.

[mad] Just my 2 cents. Rant over.

 

[myronman3]

i believe it was the xr1200. the tank, tail, and intake were all direct ripoffs of buell xb's. although they did move the intake to the other side of the bike. [mad]

 

[nativeXb12Rbuell]

maybe HD should have never went public and stayed as family style, family run or at least run by a person with a soul and motorcycle rider. because that is what HD was all about before one big HD family of company, employees, and riders.
makes you kinda wonder how he got the job and what other soulless companies that is on his resume.(that he buried in the ground, like he is doing now with HD).
he is not worried about HD or the stockholders ( HD's profit)or the HD customers, only about what he gets paid.
I bet that HD will miss all the perforance perks & tweaks & engineering they recieved when Buell Motorcycle company was around , now in the future I bet there will be more out sourcing from foreign engines makers and designers (to TRY to keep up with all thier competition) like they got for the vrod from porche,(and not to mention it was originally from a Buell project, but it seems that harley didn't want people to know that).

 

[racepro716]

I've said it a bunch of times and I'll keep saying it, What would you expect from a clothing and acessories company? Braaa Braa Braaa.....****. Wayne

 

[rodie81]

Konarider, great article! What publication did you get it from?