Which dealer would best to help EBR?

[henri66]

Hi,

Just visited the Harley dealership which sold me my beloved Buell XB.

Chatted with the sales guy about my modifications. And the new EBR site and bikes.

Which brought to my mind the following question;

Wouldn´t it be great to see EBR bikes in the Harley shops?
I know it is far off. EBR using their own engine. But it would definitly make a great impact.
Realising that production capacity will be needed,which means investment.

So question is, which partner could help Erik to get back on the market?

 

[misternikko]

ouch. get ready for the wrath of the harley haters. there are MILLIONS around here even though there are only maybe a thousand users.

 

[kman2061]

I honestly dont think that Erik will ever get in bed with Harley again. The way that HD basically blindsided him with the shutdown of Buell, probably makes him leery of doing business with them again. I wouldn't give them a single bike to sell if I was him. Ever.

 

[uly luigi]

I think, and this is purely my opinion, Erik would rather have a barbed wire D!LDO shoved up his arse, than to even see one of his new babies at a HD clothing/chrome outlet, maybe Victory, or I think it will be at upper end independent dealers

 

[henri66]

Right, I was prepared to get some HD-rubbish.

But which bike company would be best to get EBR bikes on the road as a great and reliable bike. With good maintenance service.

I just can not find the ideal match.

 

[myronman3]

anywhere except harley dealers.

what dealers typically carry can am?

 

[jmill25]

Can ams are a victory/Polaris group, all owned by the same company.

 

[jmill25]

Oh and the company also recently bought the rights to Indian if I remember correctly

 

[uly luigi]

I think they would make a good partnership, Victory/EBR, don't a lot of the CanAm and Polaris offerings use Rotax motors, the Victory motors are there own design, I think

 

[jmill25]

Yes they do use rotax, if I'm alps remembering correctly at the announcement of the shut down canam-victory-Polaris made an offer to buy Buell from harley, even offering to only buy the rights to the new bikes with rotax engines and to make new ones with rotax engines that way harley wouldn't feel weird about another company making bikes with their engines still.

 

[Baal]

Anywhere but HD dealers. If Harley dealers had been supportive of Buell in the first place, there is a much greater chance that Buell would not have been shut down. I know that there were good dealers out there (although I never experienced one myself), but overall the situation wasn't good. And saying so isn't hating or rubbish, it's just the way it was.

The prospective dealers for EBR bikes are going to HAVE to be sport-oriented. They're going to HAVE to be able to court and coddle and accommodate the clientele williing and ready to plop down $20K plus (assuming later models are down that far) for a sportbike. The owners by and large won't want to go in and wade around fifty lead sleds to get to bikes like EBRs. They're not going to want to explain their parts needs to the counter guy. They're not going to want to sift through a hundred chrome geegaws to find a set of Pazzo levers or some billet or carbon fiber accessory.

Polaris/Victory may understand the difference on a corporate level, but we're talking cruiser dealers again. Not the same attitude at all at the dealer level.

Independent shops will be a tough fit because of the cost of floor-planning. It might work if the bikes are special order only, but that has drawbacks in terms of volume. Bimota was never successful doing that. (I know Bimota had bigger problems than their dealer network...)

We're probably talking high end Ducati/Aprilia/MV type dealers with extra space on the floor for something different. And those dealers are few and far between. But, it's early days. Here's hoping they find the right formula.

 

[jmill25]

I myself am also in the thinking that Harley did it all wrong, I dont think Buell will go back to Harley, however though guys, without Harley you wouldn't have a bike the company would have shut down atleast 10 years before it did, back then mr Buell didn't have the money he has today or as much support. I could see some select Harley shops selling the new ebr bikes at some point, these would be the ones that have been behind Buell the whole way, which are the privately owned ones many with racing backgrounds and ties to racing. I do believe the prices will go back down as long as EBR is successful, it was the same scenario with the way Buell started out, the first few years bikes were $16k++ which at that time was inordinate, over tome though and success, they were able to improve production methods and get more employees and push out more product which lowered the cost.

 

[christianmb]

I have sent a message to EBR about the possibility of coming to the Indy Moto GP to showcase their new 1190, and they told me they are currently in talks with an Indianapolis dealr to carry their products, but they offered no allusion to whom it might be. I'm thinking, along with the Rotax idea, what about a Triumph dealer? They might attract teh same type of rider since neither are mainstream.

 

[2004xb12s]

neither are mainstream.

Along those lines. Ducati.

 

[ct1200]

How about Aprilia...

 

[xl_cheese]

Well, Pink Gorilla Cycles had been pulling tooth and Nail to become a dealer for EBR...

However, they have consistantly blown me off.

 

[konarider94]

xlcheese
dont take it personal, its a business and has to be treated as such. im not trying to insult one way or another but they need to do what they think is necessary.

i find this thread amusing, lets back seat drive ebr with no real reason. you wont see them in HD though thats for sure.

 

[ct1200]

I wouldn't say never or ever...
There are a few HDs around the country that are open to carrying other name brands on their floor.

Erik might not make a deal with Harley as a whole but there were some dealers that did support buell pretty well.

So who knows, and when your doing everything you can to get started, you do everything you can

 

[BikerTrash]

NO! If I had to guess the number 1 complaint among Buell owners, it would be that they were sold in HD dealerships, and that was their ultimate downfall. EBR bikes NEED to be sold along side other sport bikes, not gynocology chairs.

 

[twp081321]

bombardier