BrutalBuell
Active member
Hi All,
So this might be overdone, and something I've been curious on for a hell of a long time so I thought I'd put it to you to get some ideas as to why you think Buell's endeavours kept failing.
Bit of a disclaimer/preface:
1) My job was/is in the realm of "turnaround consulting" in which I usually work with places like Buell to get them more profitable or turn them around, so this has particular interest to me.
2) I'm aware of the build up, amalgamation with HD, the work with Hero, the creation and downward spiral of EBR as far as the news articles went.
Here's where I'm a little stuck, and stuck is more because I've never been involved with Buell directly so I had no idea as to their inner problems. I knew that Buell had a lot of involvement in most areas of the business which is usually a pretty big red flag and I can't find any information on advisors or close contacts that tried to talk him out of it. What's baffling is that on the surface his ventures were doing a lot of things right for a fledgling company:
- They weren't trying to be an "everyman's motorcycle", just too much in R&D and too much risk without the capital to back it up should they fail.
- They were allied with a recognisable brand at one stage (HD) though I'm not sure what the details of that arrangement were, or how Buell managed it specifically from start to finish.
- They were going about enhancing the brand with things like media, racing involvement etc. which was a good move or at least is a solid strategy to start with
- They had a unique selling point that justified the price tag, though my thoughts are that HD probably dictated a bit too much in that regard, I think had Buell come to some arrangement with somewhere like SE Asia (not India) for things like frames, they could have dropped the price a bit.
For reference, price isn't normally a dealbreaker - but it does dictate how the company operates if they wish to maintain that standard. Swatch Group, as an example, have a number of luxury brands in their portfolio (like Omega), and while they are expensive, it's rare to see them offered on a "discount" basis, the brand is done a disservice by doing so.
Probably one of the things I could see as being a problem (but curious as to your thoughts) is if Buell was "too exclusive" as far as aftermarket support? It struck me that if 1% of mechanics in the US (or even less) are proficient in Buell, and parts availability isn't an "off the shelf" affair - could that have affected the overall sales? It also struck me that Buell could have (I say could, as loosely as possible) have focused efforts on the aftermarket support and a slightly cheaper bike to get some form of a daily commuter/regular rider appeal or a maintenance rebate/commission (if he had investors it would have been able to be made as a solid pitch) to lure in mechanics as well as free training and specific tools for the first two years.
But I'm spitballing and really want to hear your thoughts, @cooter I saw you were active on the EBR failure thread and believe you would have a heap of knowledge about it.
So this might be overdone, and something I've been curious on for a hell of a long time so I thought I'd put it to you to get some ideas as to why you think Buell's endeavours kept failing.
Bit of a disclaimer/preface:
1) My job was/is in the realm of "turnaround consulting" in which I usually work with places like Buell to get them more profitable or turn them around, so this has particular interest to me.
2) I'm aware of the build up, amalgamation with HD, the work with Hero, the creation and downward spiral of EBR as far as the news articles went.
Here's where I'm a little stuck, and stuck is more because I've never been involved with Buell directly so I had no idea as to their inner problems. I knew that Buell had a lot of involvement in most areas of the business which is usually a pretty big red flag and I can't find any information on advisors or close contacts that tried to talk him out of it. What's baffling is that on the surface his ventures were doing a lot of things right for a fledgling company:
- They weren't trying to be an "everyman's motorcycle", just too much in R&D and too much risk without the capital to back it up should they fail.
- They were allied with a recognisable brand at one stage (HD) though I'm not sure what the details of that arrangement were, or how Buell managed it specifically from start to finish.
- They were going about enhancing the brand with things like media, racing involvement etc. which was a good move or at least is a solid strategy to start with
- They had a unique selling point that justified the price tag, though my thoughts are that HD probably dictated a bit too much in that regard, I think had Buell come to some arrangement with somewhere like SE Asia (not India) for things like frames, they could have dropped the price a bit.
For reference, price isn't normally a dealbreaker - but it does dictate how the company operates if they wish to maintain that standard. Swatch Group, as an example, have a number of luxury brands in their portfolio (like Omega), and while they are expensive, it's rare to see them offered on a "discount" basis, the brand is done a disservice by doing so.
Probably one of the things I could see as being a problem (but curious as to your thoughts) is if Buell was "too exclusive" as far as aftermarket support? It struck me that if 1% of mechanics in the US (or even less) are proficient in Buell, and parts availability isn't an "off the shelf" affair - could that have affected the overall sales? It also struck me that Buell could have (I say could, as loosely as possible) have focused efforts on the aftermarket support and a slightly cheaper bike to get some form of a daily commuter/regular rider appeal or a maintenance rebate/commission (if he had investors it would have been able to be made as a solid pitch) to lure in mechanics as well as free training and specific tools for the first two years.
But I'm spitballing and really want to hear your thoughts, @cooter I saw you were active on the EBR failure thread and believe you would have a heap of knowledge about it.
