Buell is done, finished, gone

[Trip]

Originally Posted by shmike

And now we know the real reason Buell failed.

no one knew what the fuck to make of their bikes. yeah, that's probably true actually. Take their adv version for example, WTF do you do with an adv bike that's not a big fan of gravel?

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by shmike

And now we know the real reason Buell failed.

In a way you're right! Between the HD dealers unwillingness to even sometimes show these bikes, I went into two dealerships to look at Buells and was treated poorly, and a definitive lack of ad penetration. I'm not sure how they held on this long. Not to mention all the bad press about quality issues in the past and this whole year with the negative press concerning DMG... Oh and dammit, I still have never seen any proof that his ideas were "better" than what is currently available.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by TIGGER

In a way you're right! Between the HD dealers unwillingness to even sometimes show these bikes, I went into two dealerships to look at Buells and was treated poorly, and a definitive lack of ad penetration. I'm not sure how they held on this long. Not to mention all the bad press about quality issues in the past and this whole year with the negative press concerning DMG... Oh and dammit, I still have never seen any proof that his ideas were "better" than what is currently available.

lack of penetration is the definition of failure

[dReWpY]

ride one, its a experience

[derf]

Harley was just outed as giving dealers a $5k incentive to sell off the existing stock of buells. Seems they are more motivated than I thought to distance themselfs from the buell experiment. With this news I doubt you will ever see a buell in a harley dealership again, ever. Although I still think the XR is going to get sportier over the next 2 years



http://hellforleathermagazine.com/20...-5000-for.html

Harley-Davidson is paying dealers a $5,000 per-bike incentive for each new Buell they sell, irrespective of model. Until now, this incentive was top secret, with dealers and Harley employees under strict orders not to reveal it to the public or media. Oops.

Last thursday, Harley announced it was killing Buell in an effort to re-concentrate its rapidly disappearing resources on the mother brand. We also wrote an obituary for Buell, brought you news of Erik's fate and uncovered news that Harley didn't bother calculating how much money it would save, if any, by killing the brand.

While neither our original source nor third-party verification know exactly why Harley is offering the incentive, it's likely that The Motor Company is eager to free itself of its franchise commitments and clear remaining stock before the Buell plant officially closes for good on December 18.

The $5,000 incentive helps explain the fire sale prices we've seen on Buells in the last five days -- as low as $4,999 for zero-mile Buell 1125CRs and similar prices for the air-cooled range -- but should help you, the consumer negotiate an even better deal. You can now walk into a showroom with the knowledge that the dealer is extremely motivated to get you to leave with a motorcycle. No matter how little you pay, they'll get $5,000, so don't feel guilty.

Of the entire Buell range, we'd most recommend the Firebolt XB12R (pictured above) and the Lightning XB12S streetfighter. These bikes are sure to become the definitive Buell motorcycles in the future and combine 250GP-like handling with the recalcitrant 103bhp, 84lb/ft air/oil-cooled 1203cc 45° v-twin. Expect supersport 600 pace with much more involvement and character.

Let us know what kind of deals you're able to get.

[Dave]

wtf. Hopefully this means they will sell the brand

[derf]

Originally Posted by Dave

wtf. Hopefully this means they will sell the brand

It means that along with the news that HD never actually looked at the savings from stopping buell that they were already looking hard for a reason to get rid of the company, waited until the end of the riding/bike sales season. Now they sell off buell, get rid of the existing stock and rid themselfs of the bastard stepchild that they beat, raped, and left in the closet.

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by drewpy

ride one, its a experience

God Dammit! I have ridden one and guess what? The sky didn't part, the fucking angels didn't sing, and I didn't leave a huge dent in the tank from a boner!!! All I wanted was to get off that uncomfortable, rattling, shaking, slow, non-braking motherfucker!!! If they are so great, why don't you own one? Oh and please don't give me that poor shit because you can probably trade even up for your bike right now.

It's amazing... forget the many,many recalls... forget the many failures, forget the numbers, forget the absolutely dismal race results, forget all of the comparisons- shit when was the last time Buell allowed one of his babies to be compared against a similarly designed bike like the Tuono, Monster, SV1000, FZ1, etc? When has his precious creation ever compared favorably against a similarly configured and sized bike? What is up with all of the excuses? His original stated goal was to take on the other manufacturers on EQUAL terms, when did that happen? It didn't and he failed to complete his mission statement. Period. Were they great bikes? Sure considering what they were and where they came from, they were great bikes but they definitely weren't "world beaters" in any sense of the words. Oh and considering that he had the backing of one of the largest motorcycle companies in the world maybe we should quit treating him like this "small visionary that took on the big boys alone".

[FT BSTRD]

The reason Buell failed is that, not surprisingly, chrome couch dealers suck at selling sport bikes.


The completely don't understand the market, the buyer, or the bike.

If you want to move a not well known and kind of odd sportbike in a buying market where there are proven, popular, and cheaper models competing, you must drag the buyer to your product and convince them to try it for themselves.


Some of you saw this at the last Nashville Super Speedway track day (under the lights).

Was there another brand represented offering free cold beer after the last Friday night session?

Was there a dealer offering really good demo test rides between sessions for anyone with a valid motorcycle license for 8 hours both Friday and Saturday?

Was there a dealer offering free dogs and chips between first and second session?


How many times have you guys been to a metric dealer only to be told "no we don't do test rides"?

If you even brushed past a Buell on our showroom floor, I had your license copied, waiver signed, and bike pushed out the front doors for a demo.


Ever been on a demo where the dealer sales man leading the ride allowed triple digits? (Ask Drewpy)


If I could get your ass on the seat, I could get the bike out the door. I had to work at it more than any other brand, but I made it happen.


HD dealers couldn't get over the mindset that if you stick a sign outside and offer coffee on Saturday that bikes would move.

Guess what, it didn't.


Now my dealership doesn't get to show how good it really could have been.

[FT BSTRD]

Originally Posted by TIGGER

God Dammit! I have ridden one and guess what? The sky didn't part, the fucking angels didn't sing, and I didn't leave a huge dent in the tank from a boner!!! All I wanted was to get off that uncomfortable, rattling, shaking, slow, non-braking motherfucker!!! If they are so great, why don't you own one? Oh and please don't give me that poor shit because you can probably trade even up for your bike right now.

It's amazing... forget the many,many recalls... forget the many failures, forget the numbers, forget the absolutely dismal race results, forget all of the comparisons- shit when was the last time Buell allowed one of his babies to be compared against a similarly designed bike like the Tuono, Monster, SV1000, FZ1, etc? When has his precious creation ever compared favorably against a similarly configured and sized bike? What is up with all of the excuses? His original stated goal was to take on the other manufacturers on EQUAL terms, when did that happen? It didn't and he failed to complete his mission statement. Period. Were they great bikes? Sure considering what they were and where they came from, they were great bikes but they definitely weren't "world beaters" in any sense of the words. Oh and considering that he had the backing of one of the largest motorcycle companies in the world maybe we should quit treating him like this "small visionary that took on the big boys alone".

Psssst....


http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/8/4511...onclusion.aspx