No more Buell??? WTF!

[Buellysses]

Roughrider, Mandan, ND is supposed to be a Buell dealer... when I started looking for a bike this spring they had a used xb9r, a new xb12r, and a new 1125r. Last week I was in there, they had the used 9r left.

Not a single part, t-shirt, jacket, hat, pin, sticker. They couldn't even sell me an upgraded spark plug! I've just come to accept the fact that if I want a part I'm buying it off the internet.

I have to say though, those who live in the Minneapolis/St Paul area have it made. St Paul Harley is amazing. About a dozen Buells on display, and believe it or not, they actually stock parts.

 

[xtremelow]

I just hope HD doesn't eventually put the Buell name and line under.

My local HD mech. Has a Uly and the rest of the mech. Now their shut but the ones you see and talk to (the salesman) are clueless.

It is a damn shame

 

[wokor2wheel]

I'm a salesman at Biker Bob's in Taylor, MI. I have to tell you that as a person in sales I love the the xb12ss, it has one of the best suspensions for a MI road. Is there real support for Buell as a brand? I think if you compare that with H-D I would have to say 'very limited'. But that is looking at the size or volume of the bikes sold. Does that mean that we will stop carrying Buell? NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!!! I think Buell builds some great bikes and I hope they keep making and expanding the lineup they have. Maybe a little injection of MV tech would be nice. But I will say this. It is really going to depend on the customer. If no one buys the bike and never gets parts or service there. The dealer doesn't see the purpose of having trained tech's on hand to work on the bikes, much less sell any Buells', parts, shirts etc.. . Just for reference there are some stand alone Buell Dealers in the world that sell in one year that would take most 5.
Our parts guys, technicians, and sales staff are ready willing and able to get you what you need. The rest is up to the customer.
If you happen to stop our by our dealer ask for John, Chrissy or Neil in sales and tell us that you saw this post on line. John Sales Biker Bob's Harley Davidson Buell Taylor, MI

 

[mrdozer2you]

John Sales Biker Bob's Harley Davidson Buell Taylor, MI

WOW good to know!! I live in White Lake That's closer to me than Ann Arbor [up]

 

[wokor2wheel]

If you read my post earlier here is a small pic of our showroom at Biker Bobs H-D and Buell in Taylor, MI. John Sales

 

[buellxb]

I hear everyone loud and clear. The only way to pump up the dealers and the aftermarket is to spread the word. Pop in other motorcycle forums that are unrelated to Buell and show off your bike. Tell them why the bikes are cool. Let's get a little grass-roots marketing movement going.

 

[Thaloc]

I guess im experiencing the other side of this. The only H-D shop here in my area is actually expanding. This spring they are moving to a bigger premise so, as they say, they can expand their entire store, but mainly so they have more room for more Buells and goods. I still will never get any service done there anymore, not that their techs are bad, they are good. But the attitude of one of their salesmen and his managers non intrest in hearing about it lost them a customer. Ill order all my parts through my old shop(Thanks to you Jeremy) and all my Buell gear off ebay or out of the catalog.

 

[wokor2wheel]

I'm sorry that things have gone south with the dealer experience. I hope they ( the dealer) get's the idea that Sales People are there to serve customers.

 

[1001yos]

I went to the local HD dealer (Sarnia ON Canada) and I asked them if they had any Buells. He said "We only sell HARLEY Harleys."

I guess he doesn't figure that us young folk don't appreciate riding easy chairs.

 

[wokor2wheel]

I hate to say it but the "customer" is what drives this market not the dealer. There is a dealer north of my local that used to carry the Buell line for many years. Now they are all Harley's. It sucks! That is one of the reasons I went to work at Biker Bob's H-D and Buell was because they did carry Buell. Sure it's a longer drive for me but I know the technicians in back and the great work they do. The sales people I work with are passionate about the brand as well. If you happen to come by the store ask Chrissy or me (John) about the '1125R and BOTOX' it's a great story.
I know that some Buell owners want to be self sufficient on their maintenance and they buy their parts on line not going to the dealer to buy. That leaves more space on the shelf at their local dealer for a Harley part not Buell. The guy that buys the bike and never gets the bike worked on at the dealer sends the message to the dealer that the tech. doesn't need to be trained to work on Buells. So we are all apart of this cycle that can make it or break it. It is up to the dealer to make and keep relationships with it's customers. The rest is up to the customer.

 

[meetch]

No offense to our local dealer ThunderRoad H-D/Buell in Windsor Ontario but they are pretty much next to useless when it comes to knowing and selling the Buell line.... either way if you want a new Buell around this area you have no other choice but to deal with them... I guess thats marketing for ya!

I might have to take a trip out to Biker Bobs...

 

[wokor2wheel]

I'm sorry to hear about the bad service meetch we would be very happy to have you stop in. Please check our web site for store hours http://www.bikerbobshd.com/

 

[Audioi]

Lets face it... its a money thing. They can make triple the money on a HD customer as a Buell customer so they obviously are all about the money. I would look for a real shop and support them.

 

[wokor2wheel]

That's right Audioi it is a money thing. If a dealer doesn't make any money you can't expect them to keep carrying a product or sell a service if "NO ONE BUYS". That is just bad business sense. I'm in sales I should know. If a dealer has H-D and Buell and decides to put all their time in to H-D that's silly. Look if a father comes in with his son to buy parts for his Hog and the son comes over looking at Buells that's great. It would be stupid to tell the kid he would be better of buying an H-D not a Buell. If I can sell his son a Buell then I have created a link between the father and son. A sharing of the unique experience of ridding.
It still boils down to the question of the customer spending money. If no one buys the bike. Gets it serviced or buys a tee shirt once and a while then why should they, the dealership, carry the product.

 

[wokor2wheel]

I just got threw reading a post from blackxb12r in General motorcycle chat on "Dealerships".
black is talking about the same things that we have already. A shrinking base. We all need to support each other if we don't we may end up buying or parts from Europe as that seems to be where the largest portion of the bikes and parts are going.

 

[Thaloc]

You make some good point wokor2wheel, but I believe part of the problem is that its a harley shop in general. Harley techs charge more. I can go to my dealership and pay $80 and hour for labor, or I can go to my old Yamaha techs who have a real genuin instrest in the entire Buell line and feel confident in their work AND most importantly their honesty for $50 and hour... That crazy..Harley certified techs aren't worth the extra $30 and hour. Also It kind of comes down to the average H-D runs 17-20k+ where as my '08 Firebolt is 10k msrp, so your sales people and down the line would rather push the more expensive one for commission reasons. And there its tru there is a bigger base for H-D but thats only cuzz thats mainly(and no offence to anyone here)older guys with more dough than us younger guys like the big cruisers. In 10-15 years it'll be our turn to run the market, untill then ill ride my Buell, be unique, and take it to the place that saves me money and I can count on.

 

[wokor2wheel]

Thaloc you make some good points that H-D dealers charge more money but they also have more certifications their technicians have to go through. BMW is no slouch in that department. If you found a Mechanic that will work on your wheel that you trust. That's great. I'm not going to argue that.
But I will say this. If someone comes in looking for a bike that they can tour on and that touring includes some sport I'm going to show them the XB12XT not the Street Glide. Sure I would get less commission but I would have happy customer. If he wants a Street Glide or some other model I'm more than willing to get him or her on that bike they want.

 

[xtremelow]

I sort of understand the fact that Buell riders are they ones that need to carry the bike name, but that could not be farther from the truth looked at fromanother view.

BMW would only expect their dealers to promote and advertise their cars so I guess I don't understand why it is ok for HD to just drop Buell. Most dealers either limit what they carry or don't carry anything only adding to the helplessness Buellers or Future Buellers to finding the product unless done over the net.

In my opinion the dealers are where the name should be promoted and advertised the most but it seems your typical HD guy is somewhat stuck in the past.

Also I agree Biker Bobs is a great HD shop, in fact got my Buell patches and riding jacket there, but it is a shame to see such a great product be swept under the rug.

Brandon

 

[dave_xb12r]

I think Buell NEVER belonged in a HD dealership from the start. We're sport riders, and we ride with sport bikes, not cruisers.

Obviously removing the line from the dealership doesn't make the situation any better, but that's not the end of the line.

I think we as faithful Buellers owe it to eachother to take the matter in to our own hands. If you are unhappy about dealership service in your area, TELL BUELL! Tell them that their current arrangements with dealerships aren't working and they need to figure out a resolution. They'll never know unless they hear from us customers.

 

[wokor2wheel]

xtremelow if you look at stand alone BMW dealers they have only one product or brand to sell. So reason would tell me that if they that dealer wanted to make money they better push BMW motorcycles.
Being a H-D and Buell dealer you have two products you have to push. There is also your customer base. How many people come in and buy each product. A dealer is not owned by H-D. So it is up to the owner or owners of that dealer to make the decision as to what models to sell.
I think a lot of it has to do with product awareness. Ever hear of the MOTO- ST series? Not many people have. Speed channel has AMA inline 4's no Buell's. So when people start to see Buell's racing that would change their minds about the product. Just like the 1125R has changed some minds about Buell. It will come down to may things, but one thing is for sure. If no one buys the bike there is no reason to carry it. So if a dealer drops Buell they may not have been selling them.