Buell to be Discontinued

[Biscuit]

That was my first bike.  Everyone tried to make me feel better about it, by saying it was an
H-D.  The Buell Blast is what I learned on.

[bighog]

This is bad stuff. I always did  like em. Just not enough to buy one. Guess that's the problem. Another sign of the economey

[CDeucer]

  Sad situation all around. Maybe Harley-Davidson should replace Willie G. in the corporate hierarchy with Erik Buell so they can finally make a new bike that is better than my "02".

[mark61]

Keep looking and you will find HD is spending 10s of millions of dollars-some reports say $100M- to kill Buell and all contracts/patents, etc....   Must be nice to have that kind of money to flush something down the toilet just because there might be some competition in sales.......Dunder headed AMF days are here again!

I think Willie G. is less responsible than the white collar greed mongers running the company. Or should we say RUINING the company?

mark61

[PC_Hater]

It is very sad that HD are killing off Buell.
I found Buells to tall and too twitchy for my liking but I would have loved to have seen Buell technology on a Sportster, the lovely ZTL front end, oil in the swingarm, fuel in the frame. And what do HD make? That ugly heavy XR1200.

Come to think of it, that ZTL front end would be good and any HD.
The video of Erik was painful to watch.

[HV]

It is a sad day... the closing of any company is a bad sign of the economy and things to come...I was at a Buell course a few years back ..put on by one of the Buell engineers... very smart guy ....taught me a lot... hope he gets through this OK... a great loss of good people...

[truck]

 and divest its recently acquired MV Agusta lineup

What the hell does that mean?
We made a huge frigging mistake?

[Jeffd]

hey were is Tim Geithner when we need him?

[HV]

Remember that not long ago the CEO of HD Retired and a new guy took over... thats not exactly a Riding type... more of a Corp Business manager... = what happened in the AMF Days... 

[dakota224]

Without Willie G Davidson the Motor company would have folded many years ago..  

[truck]

Do you think Harley will become another Indian?
Could happen, don't you think?

[Jeffd]

Do you think Harley will become another Indian?
Could happen, don't you think?

I would say no.  Way different times.

[FLTRI]

.....what happened in the AMF Days... 

They poured huge amounts of cash into a failing, inadequately managed and antiquated business making unreliable oil-leaking motorcycles.
Had they actually taken the MOCO's management over they would have realized what they were investing in. They possibly would have made production, inventory, and worker changes that maybe would have kept the ball rolling.
JMO,
Bob

[hd06myway]

Buell never brought in that many young riders, they want REAL FAST bikes, like Yamaha R6's a 600cc bike that'll spank a Buell at almost half the price.  .  Buell was never a fast bike by sport bike standards, it had no competition or market. Don't be surprised if the V-Rod as we know it is gone too before long.  If HD wants a young market, then make a bike to compete with the YAMAH R's and Kawi Z's.... it's not rocker science.

[Jeffd]

Buell never brought in that many young riders, they want REAL FAST bikes, like Yamaha R6's a 600cc bike that'll spank a Buell at almost half the price.  .  Buell was never a fast bike by sport bike standards, it had no competition or market. Don't be surprised if the V-Rod as we know it is gone too before long.  If HD wants a young market, then make a bike to compete with the YAMAH R's and Kawi Z's.... it's not rocker science.

BMW finally saw the light and is coming out with an all out sport bike aimed at the R1 and GSXR, it makes more power, is lighter and a good price point.  I think they had to go to China to do it tho.

[RK101]

    http://www.buell.com/en_us/

[Clintster]

Sorry Mr. Buell, you should proud of what you accomplished, sad to see your motorcycle company close down.  Hopefully there will be a Uly available when I can afford another motorcycle.  In this climate and with current obligation it should be a few years.  I wish other Americans had purchased your machines, a sad day indeed...

[rocket]

Bought a Buell in 2000 after a couple Hondas still have it and still love it only reason I bought a Harley T-Sport in 2003.  Think Harley is going in the wrong direction.  Some still want a little performance rather then just looks.

[jimrookie]

  I think the factory management is full of posers who have forgot who the customer is and what we want and until they remember it will not get any better

[PaJoe]

.....what happened in the AMF Days... 

They poured huge amounts of cash into a failing, inadequately managed and antiquated business making unreliable oil-leaking motorcycles.
Had they actually taken the MOCO's management over they would have realized what they were investing in. They possibly would have made production, inventory, and worker changes that maybe would have kept the ball rolling.
JMO,
Bob

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.

[Deye76]

Concerning young riders. They can't even think of motorcycles when there are no jobs.

[CraigArizona85248]

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.

That's true.  AMF is responsible for the EVO design.  They started that project before H-D got rid of the AMF name.  I'm not sure if the EVO saved H-D, but it certainly gave them a big boost.  AMF did H-D a huge favor by floating them for 10+ years and getting them up to speed on modern manufacturing.  If AMF hadn't given them an influx of cash, H-D would have probably gone belly up in the early 1970's.  The late 1960's were terrible times for H-D financially.  They were losing money at an alarming rate.

-Craig

[Jeffd]

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.

That's true.  AMF is responsible for the EVO design.  They started that project before H-D got rid of the AMF name.  I'm not sure if the EVO saved H-D, but it certainly gave them a big boost.  AMF did H-D a huge favor by floating them for 10+ years and getting them up to speed on modern manufacturing.  If AMF hadn't given them an influx of cash, H-D would have probably gone belly up in the early 1970's.  The late 1960's were terrible times for H-D financially.  They were losing money at an alarming rate.

-Craig

I thought government intervention saved harley?  remember the tariffs on bikes over 700cc's.  maybe BO should do the same for Buell.  no imported sportbike with more than 80hp hmmmm.

[JohnCA58]

Pres. Reagan was a piece of the pie, and it helped.  but that didnt save the Co. 

[CraigArizona85248]

Good point Jeff!  I guess, my thinking was related to the early 70's.  If AMF hadn't stepped in, they would have been gone way back then.  But I think you are correct that the government tariffs helped H-D get their footing in the early/mid 80's.  The tariffs were as important a part of their their recovery as the EVO.

-Craig