Buell to be Discontinued

[Scooterfish]

[/quote]

I don't know the history but remember an old time Harley rider saying AMF was responsible for the York Pa plant as well as the EVO engine, he further claimed it was the EVO engine that saved Harley because it was dependable.
[/quote]

The AMF days were both good & bad. There were union/ management problems which resulted in quality problems. AMF did fund the development of the EVO engine which did bring Harley back when management did the private buy out which come down to the wire on financing. I had a 1974 Sportster & a 1977 superglide although they had their "personalities" I never had any big issues.

[drs23]

Just left the dealership. 1125R, $6995, any other on the floor $5000. Guess the price plummets before the collector prices emerge.

[smokey3644]

I've been waiting for my closest dealer to get a 2010 uly xt in stock, now I don't know if I'll see one.  I think I'm still going to buy one if I can find one, they are selling a 2010 uly x at the dealership for 7,999, three K below list.  I read the minutes of Harleys third quarter meeting yesterday, they say they are going to improved and build on the brand HD and go after the 35 and under rider?  I smell a rat here, maybe Buel inspired street bikes in the near future with the Harley name on them.  

[Big Dan]

 I smell a rat here, maybe Buel inspired street bikes in the near future with the Harley name on them.  

And built outside the U. S. A. Link: http://www.jsonline.com/business/64352232.html

Perhaps in the MV plants they recently acquired?

[vern]

they should dump the v rod what a piece of crap

[mark61]

MV  over there in Italy is and always has been a money pit. The guy who designs the bike -Gustavo?- is a genius for race bikes but the company and work place is supposed to be 10 times worse than the worse "union" outfit you ever heard about here. Always been told/ read that atleast.

mark61

[CDeucer]

  I disagree with dumping the V-Rod. It is a great motor wether you like the styling or not. Put a tweaked bagger style V-Rod motor in the new Road Glide frame and get out of my way 'cause I'm coming through! Been waiting a long time tho....... The Night-Rod Special ain't too shabby either for a second bike. IMO 

[CDeucer]

  I do not know wether AMF saved Harley or not. What I do know is that I bought a brand new AMF 1974, 1200 Super Glide that was the biggest piece of crap ever made. Bad brakes, wouldn't start, caught on fire, oil pump went out on way home from the dealer, etc. I fixed it. I chopped it before the warranty was even out and added a Sportster tank, 10" over springer front end with a no brake front wheel and Z-bars and a king & queen seat and high spiked sissy bar. Really made a piece of crap out of it. Looked cool tho! Traded it in on a four door Chevy Caprice and swore off Harleys............for awhile!

[Glenn W]

JITSU,

I understand everyone needs to make a living, but you don't need an over abundance of managers.  

Frank

Salaried positions are not all "managers".  There is a lot of engineering that goes into building sport bikes.  Then there is sales and marketing, branding, legal, etc.  Those are all typically salaried positions.  The real problem is that there was only enough demand to support 80 manufacturing positions.  If they'd had more demand for product, they would of had more then 80 manufacturing jobs.
bing bing bing-we have a winner. The co. wasn't top-heavy. 100 persons is very lean for an entire corporate setup the size of Buell Mfg. The problem was that sales were so slow that they only needed 80 persons to build enough product to have some left over. People just didn't buy enough Buells, despite the Harley/American connection. Had they been made in Mexico they would have been gone a long time ago. H-D bled pretty good keeping them as a pet project;

Excerpt From the Milwaukee Business Journal in regards to the Buell brand investments by HD:

Wandell said that the company intends to reinvest capital that would have gone into the Buell brand into the Harley-Davidson brand. The corporation made a $6.6 million capital investment in Buell last year and a $4 million investment so far this year. In return, the brand lost $18 million in 2008 and $27 million so far in 2009, including the $14.2 million impairment charge, he said.

Those dollars will be better spent on the key Harley-Davidson brand, Wandell said, despite the fact that he still believes Buell is a “great product” with “passionate employees.”

Wandell said the Buell brand wasn’t put on the selling block, like MV Agusta, because it was too integrated with Harley-Davidson’s operations. MV Agusta, on the other hand, was still quite independent from Harley-Davidson.
It was hard to watch Erik Buell's video message.  Obviously a tough day for him and the company he started.

[deathwish]

these MOCO people are idiots. The MOCO needs more diverse models not less. MV Agusta is what they needed. Take the brand and get it in the showrooms. Buell I thought would be gone when the purchased MV. But think about it. How many years did it take to get a Sportster engine out of the Buell. What do they expect? They had plenty  of time to develop an engine get decent sales. You don't always have to be a race winner. Look at Triumph today. This company should be ashamed to call themselves "The Motor Company" when they develop nothing. I have several T shirts that say "the Motor Company" on them I I used a magic marker to put "The X Motor Company" . I can't be that hard to look at the best sport bike engines built today and take the best of the designs and put them together in one working package and put it into a Buell or MV. Sure you kindof copy this or that but what is really new anyway. They can't get my money either because I can build a better bike with aftermarket parts than HD can do with thier parts.

[Deye76]

  I disagree with dumping the V-Rod. It is a great motor wether you like the styling or not. Put a tweaked bagger style V-Rod motor in the new Road Glide frame and get out of my way 'cause I'm coming through! Been waiting a long time tho....... The Night-Rod Special ain't too shabby either for a second bike. IMO 

I would be right beside you.
And if I wasn't a fat azz old fart, I'd have a Buell. I still love the old design, but am open minded enough to know great innovation when I see it.  

[4DWUDS]

How about a Buell E-Glide

[PoorUB]

these MOCO people are idiots. The MOCO needs more diverse models not less. MV Agusta is what they needed.

Not sue if I agree about you take on MV Augusta.
Save the Buell line, BUT, get rid of the pumped up Sporty engine and go with something else. I really thought that HD/Buell would take the Rotax engine farther into the line up. IMO the Rotax engine was the engine that should have been in the Buell line up from the start. I never could understand dumping basically a 40 year old engine design in a modern frame. The buyers of sport bikes laughed at  the concept. I might have bought a Buell years ago if they had a decent power plant. When you have 600 CC sport bikes turning 125 HP and 1000 CC mills with 160 HP, and Buell had, what 100HP?   Your typical HD buyer did not buy Buell because they were a sport bike. Sport biker riders did not buy them because they had a 40 year old 100 HP engine in them. In other words nobody bought them, at least in the numbers required to keep them afloat.

[PoorUB]

How about a Buell E-Glide

Proof thay beauty is in the eyes ofthe beholder!

[Jeffd]

How about a Buell E-Glide

Proof thay beauty is in the eyes ofthe beholder!

who said anything about it being beautiful LOL

[4DWUDS]

Proof thay beauty is in the eyes ofthe beholder!........ and all this time I thought it was BEERholder. 

[codyshop]

How about a Buell E-Glide

As of this morning, '10 Buells are beind dumped for pennies on the dollar at the dealerships.  I may even try that!  Ray

[Ultrashovel]

Yep, it's a shame this happened. But, HD and it's mindset is running true to form. IMO they need more folks that think like Eric and fewer that think like Willie G. ... either way there's nothing in the current HD product line that interests me. The one and only HD that was in my stable is gone and I won't be replacing it. I'm sure that HD will survive, but it won't be off of my dollars.

Buell was never in sync with the regular Harley Market. Buell never sold all that well in the first place. Many dealers dropped the line years ago because the typical customer who wants a Harley doesn't want a Buell. These are hard times for HD beause of the overall economic picture as everyone knows. Ending Buell production is an understandable business decision that should have happened several years ago. It was inevitable under these circumstances.

So it's a Japanese or Italian bike for you....Enjoy!      

[Ultrashovel]

these MOCO people are idiots. The MOCO needs more diverse models not less. MV Agusta is what they needed.

Not sue if I agree about you take on MV Augusta.
Save the Buell line, BUT, get rid of the pumped up Sporty engine and go with something else. I really thought that HD/Buell would take the Rotax engine farther into the line up. IMO the Rotax engine was the engine that should have been in the Buell line up from the start. I never could understand dumping basically a 40 year old engine design in a modern frame. The buyers of sport bikes laughed at  the concept. I might have bought a Buell years ago if they had a decent power plant. When you have 600 CC sport bikes turning 125 HP and 1000 CC mills with 160 HP, and Buell had, what 100HP?   Your typical HD buyer did not buy Buell because they were a sport bike. Sport biker riders did not buy them because they had a 40 year old 100 HP engine in them. In other words nobody bought them, at least in the numbers required to keep them afloat.

All good points. Buell was taking on the sport bike market with 50-60 less horsepower. They were well-built but underpowered for the sportbike market.

[ederdelyi]

>>So it's a Japanese or Italian bike for you....Enjoy!<<

I ain't no Jay Leno, but most folks who know me from the TC forum know I have a fairly large collection of bikes, cars, and boats. It's a shame that there is no American made motorcycle in my stable any longer. The one HD I considered a "keeper" met an untimely end and since it's no longer made and I only buy/ride what truly fits my riding needs and style it won't be replaced. I truly would love to have an American made bike that is the equal of some of the other bikes I own and will keep until they spread my ashes at sea ...I ain't holding my breath :>)

[Ultrashovel]

>>So it's a Japanese or Italian bike for you....Enjoy!<<

I ain't no Jay Leno, but most folks who know me from the TC forum know I have a fairly large collection of bikes, cars, and boats. It's a shame that there is no American made motorcycle in my stable any longer. The one HD I considered a "keeper" met an untimely end and since it's no longer made and I only buy/ride what truly fits my riding needs and style it won't be replaced. I truly would love to have an American made bike that is the equal of some of the other bikes I own and will keep until they spread my ashes at sea ...I ain't holding my breath :>)

Well, that's fine. It's nice to have a lot of bikes. I only have one and it suits my needs. If a Harley doesn't suit you, then ride something else. It's just that I don't feel right on anything else. I also don't need to go 150 mph. It's not my style.

As far as Willie G, if you check, the present-day Harleys really haven't changed their basic motiff all that much in the past few years. I doubt he really has all that much influence anymore. He's a fixture as far as I can tell. He had a lot to do with the V-Rod but I'm not buying one of those either.

You should take a look at Victory. They are rather nice. It might be a good alternative for you.

[ederdelyi]

>>You should take a look at Victory. They are rather nice. It might be a good alternative for you. <<

No, thanks. My HD was an FXDX ... about the sportiest recent bike that HD made. Both it and the FXDXT were axed. Ask the folks who own either of those bikes or an FXR owner why they liked and own/keep them. I considered the 1125R and the Uly as viable additions to the stable but just never pulled the trigger as I had other irons in the fire ... oh, well. I can only ride/drive one at a time anyway.

[Jim B.]

  I disagree with dumping the V-Rod. It is a great motor wether you like the styling or not. Put a tweaked bagger style V-Rod motor in the new Road Glide frame and get out of my way 'cause I'm coming through! Been waiting a long time tho....... The Night-Rod Special ain't too shabby either for a second bike. IMO 

I'll be in line with you. Wish my 09 Road Glide had a tour tuned v-rod. Saw a V-Rod at Las Vegas Bike Fest that had a Road Glide style fairing and saddlebags. Nice looking bike. And boloney to all those people who say that putting a water cooled engine in a touring bike will result in the bike being covered in plastic like a Goldwing. The v-rod shows that a water cooled engine can be just as exposed as an air cooled engine.

[ederdelyi]

>>And boloney to all those people who say that putting a water cooled engine in a touring bike will result in the bike being covered in plastic like a Goldwing. The v-rod shows that a water cooled engine can be just as exposed as an air cooled engine.<<

The big problem for HD is that a V-rod based touring bike (even with the engine "optimized" for  touring) is that it will require a new frame to take full advantage of the motor and for it to look "right". In the early stages of V-Rod development HD tried putting the Revolution motor in an existing chassis ... it didn't cut it. IMO, if the Revolution motor had been inntroduced in a model like the FXDX and FXDXT it would have been a much better product launch. Lots of folks who feel as I do about what a bike should be feel the same. Not all of us "old farts" want a '59 Caddy ... some of us drive Vettes :>)
As for the Revolution in a Buell ... too big and heavy. The Rotax motor was the motor that the Buells should have had from the git go ... too bad it took Erik so long to convince the mothership that his creations needed something other than a warmed over Sportster engine. I feel for the entire Buell staff and for Erik ..darn shame.

[codyshop]

I think the final nail in Buell's coffin was that even after all the R&D dollars, foreign powerplant and media hype, the 1125R barely beat everyone else's 600's in AMA races.  I would have hated to be Erik Buell at that morning's board of directors' meeting.  Ray