Report: Harley could have, should have sold Buell

[Jabaniz]

One of the biggest problems I had with the Buell/HD was the fact that the asses working at the Harley shop laughed at me when asking for parts or anything else buell related, about 120 and 180 miles from where i lived was buell dealerships, well guess what, I got the same treatment from those rednecks, if it isnt black chrome or have a number 3 on it these pricks wouldnt give me the time of day,

I have had to buy every thing i needed from people and merchants that I learned about right from this site.

I am glad buell is done with Harley, I am hoping that some deal will be made with Eric Buell making some kind of production bike again

I recently checked in Roehr American Sport bikes, but it looks like they are running well over 20g, into the 30's I would just like to see another well priced american built sport bike

 

[nativeXb12Rbuell]

thaloc , i agree karma has hers ways .. and will always find you.

Thorivola; kinda my piont , as meant biker wannbes as in HD conformity typical style biker , not biker as ride any motorcycles, they want to be like all of what you see on tv ridin choper bobber customs vtwin bikes style, seems to me but that only my opinion...

and the 48 is more a 60s era american chopper ,bobber style than cafe racer type ,( not much different from any other sportser th HD has made)... I really dont see much that could classify in the true Cafe racer bikes. meaning a cafe racer is
a motorcycle that has been modified for speed and good handling rather than comfort. Cafe racers' bodywork and control layout typically mimicked the style of contemporary Grand Prix roadracers, featuring an elongated fuel tank and small, rearward seat. A signature trait were low, narrow handlebars that provided more precise control at high speeds and allowed the rider to "tuck in" to lessen wind resistance..and foot controls, usually more rearward.
stripped-down appearance while the engines were tuned for maximum speed.. I dont see much of that on the 48 , it HD trying to give thier version of a cafe racer maybe or them trying to make people think that it it is what a new cafe racer is in their mind, but it is not a true cafe racer or even close in my opinon . but your opinion your intitled to one too...

 

[nativeXb12Rbuell]

in my opinion thes are TRUE CAFE RACERS bikes. i dont see this style anything like the hd 48.

like to see some try to tuck in like that on the hd 48 , ha ha ....

 

[Thaloc]

Honestly, if HD would have marketed, advertised, and placed their bikes in the right dealers, Buell would still be here. But instead they pushed all their effort into the Nightster and Iron over the last 5 trying to get young guys to ride their bikes.

This is all just a ploy to try and save face. If they were concerned only with company secrets they would have taken the original offer to just continue the 1125 series. But they knew that a company dedicated toward selling these bikes the right way would have made the top brass look completely foolish.

Whatever. Ill ride my Buell 'till the wheels fall off, and mebbe by then an EBR bike for the street wont be so far off, If not Speeeeeeeeeed Triple!

Tho, the hooligan in me is CRYING out for SuperMoto(WR250X me thinks)

 

[racepro716]

Company secrets, new tech, prototype heads....Bullshit. NOTHING is new!!! The "new" Hemi heads from Chrysler? Been done about 80 years ago. Turbocharging ,supercharging? same thing. Everything major that needs to be known about engine design has already been thought of. H-D does not have the secret formula. Nobody does. It's all refinement from here on and has been for the last 40-50 years. Believe me, I know perfectly well that as soon as I've said this the next big thing will come along and prove me wrong. Oh well, LOL Wayne

 

[CBi]

One of the biggest problems I had with the Buell/HD was the fact that the asses working at the Harley shop laughed at me when asking for parts or anything else buell related, about 120 and 180 miles from where i lived was buell dealerships, well guess what, I got the same treatment from those rednecks, if it isnt black chrome or have a number 3 on it these pricks wouldnt give me the time of day

I firmly believe this is an individual dealership issue. My local HD dealer was/is very Buell friendly, and I've been treated with the same respect as any other customer every time I've walked into the shop or talked to the employees on the phone.

I personally like HDs, and I will probably own one when I'm older. I don't get all wrapped up in the "biker" image; I just don't worry about it.

FWIW, I am a BMW tech, so I'm fully aware of stereotypes. I love BMWs...they're incredible cars, but honestly, a lot of people that own them are exactly what you'd expect - stereotypical image-conscious folks that don't care about anything except the blue and white badge on the hood. All they are interested in is OWNING, and being seen in, their BMW. These kind of people exist in all walks of society, whether it's cars, clothes, or hanging out in a "cool" bar. Although RUB/Wannabe biker HD owners exist in a different part of society, they're EXACTLY the same type of people that would buy a BMW to bolster their image.

I've heard/read countless stories of how badly Buell owners were treated at HD dealerships. I believe in some cases, I've only heard one side of the story. If you walk into a business with a chip on your shoulder, ("man, I hate these dirtballs with the chaps and do-rags" ) don't expect to be treated with kindness or respect.

Some Buell owners are/were incredibly put off by the HD relationship. Perhaps they themselves were worrying a bit too much about being seen in an HD dealership or associating with "biker" types.

I was attracted to my Buell BECAUSE of the HD relationship. I loved the concept of an HD-based product that actually handled. I think HD make a HUGE mistake by discontinuing Buell, especially the air-cooled bikes.

I worked at the parts department of a Honda dealership when I was young. I used to stare at the showroom of bikes all day long. CR and XR dirt bikes, Hurricanes, Interceptors (I'm dating myself here), and Magnas and Shadows, Nighthawks, etc. Whatever kind of riding interested you, there was something there for you. I always thought that HD should have persued that path, and I felt they were starting to head in that direction with Buell. It's ashame they pulled the plug. Maybe things might change in the future, who knows...

I'm stepping off the soap box now.

 

[Red93stang]

The "48" is actually named that because of the fuel tank. 1948 is the first year year they put a peanut tank on a bike.

 

[hula Buell]

What the hell is going on here???

 

[Baal]

Good post, CBi. The dealer problem may have been individual, but it was widespread.

Um, hula Buell---he'p us out here. [confused]

 

[Alfatango1]

CBI: I agree with you that it boils down to the owner of the dealership. I bought my bike at Chandler HD in Phoenix and was never treated like a second class citizen. Even my local dealer now in San Diego has always been cool to me. I do not doubt that there are many dealers that are nothing like the ones I've dealt with and the company as a whole never backed Buell like it should have.

 

[atir]

I would not had problem with Canadian Buell.
I would had problem with Chinese Buell.
I do have problem with no Buell
(as a company, I love the one in my garage).

 

[Red93stang]

And Red93stang, how can you even think they meant to recruit Buell owners to H-D when they didn't advertise them together; didn't attempt to sell them similarly; and generally kept Buell as performance twin sport-bikes in every sense while keeping H-D as the definitive cruiser?

Hey Thorivola read the new Cycle World, ur going to have to eat these words! Would u like some ketchup with those! Enjoy

 

[Alfatango1]

Hey Thorivola read the new Cycle World, ur going to have to eat these words! Would u like some ketchup with those! Enjoy

As much as that may have been the initial intention, Harley never got it right. I for one would buy a cruiser but probably not an air cooled one. I'd buy a Vrod because of the engine and I guess that's why I bought my XB. I wanted some American innovation in a sport bike and just when Buell got a good engine HD pulls the plug. The 1125 was starting to get some props and I would have loved to have seen a 3 cyl water cooled motor around 600cc in an XB frame.