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That is the best move that the MOCO has made in years, to kill Buell that is . JMHO though.
It also could be interpreted at how sporadic the MOCO's decision making is right now. Just a few months ago when they came up with the unique way advertising that they were discontinuing the Buell Blast because it wasn't what Buell was about. Now a few months later Buell is gone all together.
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"I turned out to be the only hell my mama ever raised"
I liked the round tube frame Buells, but since then, nothing I liked. Too bad for everyone involved with Buell. I met Erik Buell on a Buell test ride day and he seemed pretty down to earth, and loved his bikes.
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Flat out like a Lizard drinkin'......
What a shame. Just one more American company either downsizing or folding. I thought they were cool bikes, but I guess Harley has to keep their core business healthy at the expense of Buell.
The economy is tough and they are making some real tough decicions. I wonder what do they see down the road that we don't. Maybe the Buffet money came with strings.
My opinion this is a short sided turn tail pussy decison that may come back to bite in the wazzo in the future. History will repeat itself. Once you concede a market segment you will never get it back. The article indicates that they are are focusing on a single brand. Unbelievable we will pay the Goldman Sachs, Citicorp and Chase employees billions in bonues while we dimantle America. That is short sighted and criminal.
The other criminal act I just wonder when the government or industry going to come clean and admit there are people that will never go back to work. No matter how well the economy starts cranking.
Me I am out of HD stock now.
+1
I sorta figured that they brought in an outsider (Keith Wendall) for a reason.
I just wonder when this snowball is going to stop rolling.
Hello. First time on this forum. I was curious to see what HD riders thought about Buell being discontinued. I have owned 20+ motorcycles of all kinds including 2 Buells.
I think the biggest problem was that selling sportbikes at a HD dealership just wasn't a good fit. HD dealers do a good job of supporting HDs, but in many dealers the Buell section is pretty much an after thought. If Buell sold more bikes the dealers would give them more consideration...if dealers gave Buell more consideration maybe they would sell more bikes. It's a Catch 22.
The sportbike crowd is driven more by technology advancements than brand loyalty. That is why you tend to see the big 4 jap brands being sold together. Honda may be hot bike this year and the new Suzuki may be hot next year, either way you have the popular bikes in your showroom.
If Buell is alble to pick up the pieces & have any ability to move forward...I hope they wind up in showrooms along side Ducati, Triumph, BMW, Aprilia, etc. Those 'niche' brands are (were) Buell's real competition. In those dealers there would be more sportbike freindly asses on seats and likely more sales.
I thought Buell would give HD an opportunity to get some younger blood (and $$) in the door. It's a sad day when a sportbike rider has no option to buy American.
That is the best move that the MOCO has made in years, to kill Buell that is . JMHO though.
I have to agree, although I hate to see anyone else lose a job, we've bled enough of them already. Today, many companies are going back to their core competencies to stay alive and HD is just not a sport bike producer. Their volume may go down, but if they stick to what they do best, they will weather the storm.
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"It's not about the destination, it's the journey that matters"
