No more Buell...

[derby]

c'mon, people... at least spell the guy's name correctly.

it's "erik" with a k.

[junior varsity]

And the final straw has been the debacle in AMA this year.  Sorry Eric, you have not been competitive at the highest level.  Nearly double the displacement of your typical competitor is not the same thing.  Even granting the 848 against 600cc is pushing it in my opinion.  1125?? Forget about it.

I think it should be done incrementally:
Two Cylinders = XXX displacement
Three Cylinders = YYY displacement
Four Cylinders = ZZZ displacement

As a manufacturer, you figure out which you could build the best with your tools, and g'luck to you. No need to make a lot of rules about "brand a with two cyl is a different arrangement than brand b but both are two cyl, lets make everybody have an oddly different set of rules..."

Seems simple.

All that aside, your company was beginning to show some promise with the whole ruthless engineering thing.  SOMEBODY, please give me an American bike to cheer for.  I will be your biggest fan.  Eric B, I'll even give you a second chance.  Just make a real effort this time. 

MotoCzysz?

[DW]

MotoCzysz?

Here is hoping they ever make it off the paper and to the showroom floor.  I am intrigued by their designs, but the coolest thing on paper or in prototype form means nothing if you can't buy it at a competitive price and ride it.

In regards to Eric or Erik - Buell, whatever.  Either way you spell it the result is the same.  Somewhat interesting bikes shot down by the lack of a good powerplant from the "Motor Company" and a dealer network that was clueless.

[Markus]

Aside from the unfortunate situation Buell's demise puts on the employees of the company, I really couldn't care less about them closing down. I'm a pretty openminded guy when it comes to bikes but the Buells I've ridden all left me totally unimpressed, both in rideability and aesthetics. Frankly, if a motorcycle company can't (or chooses not to) produce a single bike among their entire lineup that inspires me to want to ride, then they've failed as a bike manufacturer.

[derby]

Frankly, if a motorcycle company can't (or chooses not to) produce a single bike among their entire lineup that inspires me to want to ride, then they've failed as a bike manufacturer.

they should all have one bike that caters to ya, huh? 

[nicrosato]

Victory has been relatively successful for an American manufacturer, if you go for that style of bike- the V-Twin cruiser with some interesting engineering (compared to the Milwaukee guys), a good parent (Polaris) behind them, and what seems like a realistic estimate of what their market share would be.

Not my style, but I've met a few Victory owners and they rave about their machines.

[Duck-EZ]

Maybe we as a forum can all pool our money together and buy MV. What better than a bike company owned by true enthusiasts who actually ride. 

Im one Grand in..
Seriously a sad day. Being from an engineering background and having gotten in by tinkering and dayreaming mechanical solutions to my hobbies; this hits home square in the nuts.

[DoubleEagle]

I have no affinity for any Buell bike .......ever.

However I do feel for the employees and Erik, but it just goes to show you that you must have something that people want and will pay decent money for or else fold up your business and call it a day.

We are a passionate group about our Ducatis and that's what it takes . Passion for a brand to succeed.

If Ducati starts making bikes that are like Buells , then I might loose my passion pretty quick.

Buell never had a " History ."                     

Ducati has a " History ."

Long live the passion that is Ducati !     
       
Dolph               

[kopfjäger]

they should all have one bike that caters to ya, huh? 

 

[vwboomer]

If Buells could have been sold someplace other than HD dealers, they might actually have sold more bikes.

[kopfjäger]

If Buells could have been sold someplace other than HD dealers, they might actually have sold more bikes.

Where I grew up Harley Davidson and Ducati were sold at the same dealership. 

[CairnsDuc]

Could it be a simple situation of the Buell's were just to different to be accepted into the mainstream?

I know Erik liked to do things differently to everyone else, but could that have been one of the biggest reasons for the companies downfall?

[Raux]

here's the thing with Buell.

because of their close tie to HD there was in my mind always this connection with big heavy iron. bloated overweight.

no i know he did a lot of lightweight components but in the end except for the bikes he switched to the Rotax, was using HD IRON

NOW if he had built from the ground up an all aluminum lightweight motor to stick in a unique but truly functional package... and sold them not as reframed HD... he would have done better IMO

[Markus]

they should all have one bike that caters to ya, huh?  

Well, I am the Sun King.  

Honestly though, they're the only bike manufacturer I can think of that doesn't (didn't) have a single bike in their lineup that interested me. I'm really not a tough guy to impress when it comes to bikes - basically if it has 2 wheels and a motor there's a high probability that I'll find something about the bike I like. Not so with Buell.

[DW]

Well, I may finally buy one now that they have died.  I did like some of their bikes, just not enough to put up with the crap whenever I walked into a dealership.  They didn't have great resale value to start with.  Now that they are DOA, there will probably be some amazing deals out there on barely used bikes.  An 1125 CR would make a fun project to start cutting on.  Look at it this way, aesthetically you can only improve on it.

An XB12 might be fun as a mad bike, but only if the price is right.