|
10-15-2009, 12:21 PM | #1 | |
WERA White Plate
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Renton, WA
Moto: Ninja 650R
Posts: 1,920
|
Seems retarded to me. HD drops the only things that made them interesting to the sportbike/youngish crowd. Now they're going to focus on making more slow, overweight, over-accessorized, oil cooled bikes?
__________________
Quote:
|
|
10-15-2009, 12:39 PM | #2 |
Chaotic Neutral
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Cherry Hill NJ
Moto: GV1200 Madura, Hawk gt
Posts: 13,992
|
you forgot overpriced. Maybe now victory will consider doing a sportsbike. I seriously doubt indian would
|
10-15-2009, 12:51 PM | #3 |
The Man
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: CrabTown USA
Moto: 00 Bimota DB4
Posts: 823
|
I got a feeling this is just the beginning; look for slashed Fim and Ama factory teams shortly. These are expenses few can continue to have in the face of plummeting sales and profits.
If you want to see what happens in worldwide economic downturn, look back to the late 70's and early 80's which heralded the demise of the British motorcycle industry and the pullback of the Europeans; Ducati stopped importing to the US, Laverda staggered on for a couple of years and many marques disappeared altogether. Buell is just a first-rounder, Mv may find a daddy warbucks, but my bet is that Moto Guzzi will go, at least from the US; Benelli will likely get shucked off by it's Indonesian benefactor and won't likely find a buyer;look for CanAm (the folks that brought us the Spyder) to go away..... |
10-15-2009, 01:14 PM | #4 |
Keyboard Racer
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mile High City
Moto: Old Superbikes
Posts: 1,016
|
From the article: "The decision to drop Buell comes only a month after a Buell 1125R bike beat Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki motorcycles to win the coveted American Motorcycle Association's sport bike championship Sept. 8 in New Jersey. It was the first pro championship for an American motorcycle manufacturer since 1986 and the first for Buell."
Is there anything Harley Davidson on the 1125R? What does Buell need from Harley Davidson? Dealerships for sales and service. Too bad Eric doesn't know that this is the best thing to happen to him. He should distance himself from Harley Davidson, which caters to aging baby-boomers (but not me). Maybe he should become the first American motorcycle company to sell motorcycles and parts directly off the internet. Or at least join with dealerships from a smaller company with a similar sporty engine, like Aprilia or Ducati. |
10-15-2009, 02:03 PM | #5 | |
AMA Supersport
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 4,756
|
Quote:
Additionally, with the state the motorcycle business is in right now, how many people are lining up to spend the cash necessary to start carrying Buell when H-D can't manage to sell the bikes? Most manufacturers wouldn't want to go to direct internet sales. Dealers are great for a number of reasons, but the ability for a customer to touch and sit on a bike is lost over the internet. Also lost is dealers paying for inventory to exist. When inventory sits on a manufacturers floor nobody is paying for it. The last issue is nobody has yet figured out how to perform service and warranty work over the internet. |
|
10-15-2009, 02:33 PM | #6 | ||||
Trip's Assistant
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Imported from Detroit
Moto: 2009 HD Street Classic
Posts: 12,149
|
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
I agree. I think Eric will now be able to direct design where ever he wants. Like he did with the 1125. |
||||
10-15-2009, 03:08 PM | #7 | |
Hold mah beer!
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: 80 Miles South of Moto Heaven
Moto: 08 R1200GS
Posts: 23,268
|
Erik Buell can't go anywhere else with his name on it or with any of the designs Buell created. Hell, Harley can sue the pants off of him if he tried to pawn off any of his ideas anywhere else that he created for Buell. Harley owns his designs and his name. HD will have to get paid to release any of this to anyone including Erik Buell. Apparently there were no worthy buyers, so it's gone.
Buell is dead in the water until Harley says so.
__________________
Quote:
|
|
10-15-2009, 03:30 PM | #8 |
Trip's Assistant
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Imported from Detroit
Moto: 2009 HD Street Classic
Posts: 12,149
|
Unless HD allows Eric to buy out HD from the name sakes
|
Bookmarks |
|
|