Buell: Ceasing Production

Mike621 · #1 10-15-2009, 09:24 AM

Erik Buell announces the closure of Buell Motorcycles.

http://www.buell.com/en_us/

subeman90 · #2 10-15-2009, 09:28 AM

Harley is in enough trouble with their union and lack of sales. This really isn't a surprise to me.

I've never seen a Buell that I would buy anyhow.

Mike621 · #3 10-15-2009, 09:55 AM

Its just always a shame to see a company that does something well be forced to close their doors.

BoxerFanatic · #4 10-15-2009, 10:00 AM

Supposedly, I heard a rumor that HD is selling off Cagiva/MV Agusta that it bought up a while back...

I wonder if HD is in dire straights, and retrenching heavily. 20K heavy cruiser bikes probably aren't selling well in this economy, as a highly demand-elastic luxury item.

benebob · #5 10-15-2009, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike621

Its just always a shame to see a company that does something well be forced to close their doors.

What did they do well, other than trash their best selling model and every single person who bought it? I (and judging by the mailbox this past month I wasn't alone) was shocked reading this article a few months back in cycle world.

http://www.buell.com/en_us/bikes/blast/

Seriously, they built nothing more than the Saturn of the motorcycle world. Great idea, great concepts, great innovations but poor execution. That said I hope Triumph picks Eric up, he'd be a wonderful addition to their team!

Maxo · #6 10-15-2009, 02:02 PM

This is sad. I love my Buell. Erik looks crushed in that announcement. Wonder why Harley didn't just try to sell Buell rather than killing it

subeman90 · #7 10-15-2009, 02:50 PM

ok so I watched the video since I am home from work. I have to say I feel bad for the guy. He seems like he really believed in his product. Unfortunatally I do not believe in Harley one bit. They have screwed over their employees and continue to build a bike that is nothing more then a name. I have never seen one that would ever interest me in owning. I could rant all day but I will be respectful of the folks here that might like them. I am not a fan at all.

it really doesn't surprise me at all really...take a good company that makes a good product (in their opinion) and then bleed it dry and dump it at the curb. Maybe that guy needs to call Obama and maybe he will send some money

JaySVX · #8 10-19-2009, 03:23 AM

Erik does look really bad in the annoucement. Chances are HD killed it to keep the licensing, patents, and so on, that belonged to buell, while being able to tear them down and keep anything worth while while selling the trash. A strait up sale they couldn't pick them apart for the pieces they wanted. Too bad, I like buell better than HD.

svxistentialist · #9 10-19-2009, 07:29 PM

That is sad news. The only decent Harley is a Buell.

Well no, that's not quite true. They now make a really decent Euro model 1200 Roadster, that's a good bike you could actually ride.

All the rest are big noisy scooters, designed for an era when there were roads with no bends and roads that did not have roundabouts. Anacronisms, but kinda retro cute if you like farfing around at slow speed making noise.

Sorry to hear this news.

Joe

K_Dub · #10 10-19-2009, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by svxistentialist

That is sad news. The only decent Harley is a Buell.

Well no, that's not quite true. They now make a really decent Euro model 1200 Roadster, that's a good bike you could actually ride.

All the rest are big noisy scooters, designed for an era when there were roads with no bends and roads that did not have roundabouts. Anacronisms, but kinda retro cute if you like farfing around at slow speed making noise.

Sorry to hear this news.

Joe

I followed a really sweet looking chopper through the canyon by my house yesterday. The type with the 5ft fork, and the 2ft wide back tire and 100db exhaust! By the time we got out of the twisties we had a long string of traffic backed up behind us 'cause that guy couldn't handle the turns over 20mph.

Normally I'm cursing about the crotch rockets blazing past my house at full speed, passing on the double yellow through a residential neighborhood and being a general menace to the community. It was refreshing to be upset at a biker for going too slow.

svxistentialist · #11 10-20-2009, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K_Dub

I followed a really sweet looking chopper through the canyon by my house yesterday. The type with the 5ft fork, and the 2ft wide back tire and 100db exhaust! By the time we got out of the twisties we had a long string of traffic backed up behind us 'cause that guy couldn't handle the turns over 20mph.

Normally I'm cursing about the crotch rockets blazing past my house at full speed, passing on the double yellow through a residential neighborhood and being a general menace to the community. It was refreshing to be upset at a biker for going too slow.

I would never make a case for speeding in residential areas. In fact, a Harley or cruiser bike makes a lot of sense in residential areas, they are comfortable and town speeds are no challenge to them, roundabouts excepted.

On a decent bike though it's nice to let it loose on twisties.

Joe

BoxerFanatic · #12 10-20-2009, 08:49 AM

canyon carving on a raked chopper sounds like no fun what-so-ever.

Even just a bare-bones standard motorcycle with not a lot of power sounds better than a chopper.

I have seen my fair share of customs and choppers, an I have always wondered what the attraction is.

Feet so far forward you actually have to stretch your legs to reach the foot controls, and are cumbersome to move to the point where you can stand at a stop, usually paired with a low seat height that also puts your legs at a disadvantage.

No front brake, because what would be the point of bending your fork tubes, and still not stopping... So instead, relying on a weak rear brake that is usually antithetical to the physics of weight transfer...

Ape-hanger bars so high above your shoulders that all the blood drains out of your outstretched arms, and to the point that you look like you are doing an impression of a human parachute.

Forks so long that they don't need to compress, they just torsionally flex for suspension action, with so much rake that the wheel both doesn't want to turn, but then just falls over, once you get it to turn.

no rear suspension what-so-ever.

An engine that is older than most of the guys riding the bikes, and is reputed to be the most efficient way of turning gasoline into noise without the side benefit of horsepower...

A belt drive or two that are so big small animals can get caught in them.

and a rear tire that looks as wide as a car tire, but if it were a car tire, it would be a BAD, bald one. Not stable, nor set up to lean.

It seems like every single aspect about that is a drawback. I like bikes, and I ride a bike occaisionally, (although far too infrequently, unfortunately...) but give me a sporting standard "naked bike", any day of the week and twice on sunday. I wouldn't even try to sit on a chopper.

svxistentialist · #13 10-20-2009, 10:52 AM

Choppers and customs are purely for show rather than go, so it's best to accept that reality.

I'm not that fond of cruisers or Harleys although they are less extreme. I can accept that they are retro and a compromise and don't really offer all that a good bike can offer regards riding experience. Having said and accepted that, I do take a more tolerant view of the people that ride them.

Being a biker myself I regard anybody riding anything on two wheels as a biker, a kindred spirit. I respect that they have made different choices for their transport, but at heart they are bikers, that's good enough for me.

Still sad about Buell though. Those were nice idiosyncratic bikes with individual character and way better than mediocre ability.

Joe

BoxerFanatic · #14 10-20-2009, 01:25 PM

yeah, I don't really have a problem with most people who ride motorcycles of any stripe..

Except the morons in my neighborhood that rev their noise machines less than a block away, after 10pm, and wake my wife up at night. Sometimes they are still at it past midnight.

Mechanically, I am not sure how choppers are even a compromise. Compromise between style and what else? not practicality. not performance. not cost, as most of them cost more than my cars.

I can appreciate the workmanship on some of them, but the premise is un-compromised ridiculousness.

As a freedom lover, I would fight for their right to be able to buy or build one... but that doesn't mean it makes a whit of sense to me. not even a little bit.

But maybe I am too tied down to function, rather than just form.

svxistentialist · #15 10-20-2009, 01:33 PM

"Life, liberty and the pursuit of scraping the footboards on every little canyon bend"