Comments on: Thank You Erik Buell

By: Mike Carter

Mike Carter — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:08:58 +0000

I learned to ride on a Harley Z-90 back in 1977 moved up to an SX- 175 in 1979 . when I turned sixteen I got my bike license, ( didint have a car til I hit 18), and rode almost year around in northern NY. when I wanted a bigger bike I couldin’t afford a Harley ( about $3000. back then for a new, leaky, dinosaur of an AMF sportster), so I went through a few Yamahas, Hondas, etc. and I always hoped that Harley would start making a cool up to date good handling affordable bike, well Eric Buell did it for them, and after taking a ten year break from riding ( had a house to pay for) I bought one. Of all the aproximatly fiftty or so bikes I’ve owned and ridden including big Harleys and Japaneese rocket bikes the Buell (mine’s a custom painted Firebolt XB 12) is the best. It’s fast, fun, trouble free, unique and American. And now it seems the same Idiot corprate mentality that almost screwed Harley into the ground back in the day (during some other hard times) is still alive and well and has invaded my favorite motorcycle company a second time. I just unloaded all my shares of H-D stock. All the best to you Eric, and if Buell American Motorcycles rises from the ashes in some future incarnation, I’ll be investing, meanwhile maybe I’ll stock up on Buell parts.

By: Kyle Armstonr

Kyle Armstonr — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:58:16 +0000

Eric,
Your work will be remembered. HD has made a mistake.
Kyle

By: Mike Corbin

Mike Corbin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:53:37 +0000

Erik, you are one of the best guys I have ever watched in our beloved industry..
You employed your vision and incredible work ethic to bring us all something new..
We need more guys like you,, we recieved your soul at work..
You are an inspiration to us all..
Keep eating bugs,,
Mike Corbin

By: Ross Tomas

Ross Tomas — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:50:17 +0000

a buell XB9 was the first big motorcycle i rode. it was on a church ride in Mitchell South Dakota With Klock Werks. it is the best bike next to none. a true favorite to me because it is different than any other sport bike.

Thanks Eric.
hope for the best

Ross

By: adam@customfighters

adam@customfighters — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:15:03 +0000

i would absolutely love to see EB show up working for Honda! Best wishes in your future endeavors Mr.Buell. You brought innovation to a land of complacency. Do work brother!

By: Newtonian

Newtonian — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:21:44 +0000

If he’d been bright enough to abandon his name, HD might have had some hope of selling his bikes. He was never interested in HD-type engines, only in finding someone to pay for his ego and his – often clever -ideas. Good riddance, and anyone who is in the least bit surprised has been under a stone – the writing was on the wall 10 years ago once he started to “hide” the engine, and it the wall got flood-lights on it at Milan in 2008 when the Rotax was shown. End of story.

By: Blue

Blue — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:38:14 +0000

According to a Wisconsin newspaper:

‘Walworth County officials have formed a business retention team to try and keep Buell Motorcycles Co. production in East Troy.

The Walworth County Economic Development Alliance has formed a team of officials from the Village of East Troy, Walworth County Board and East Troy Chamber of Commerce, according to an economic development alliance news release.

The team hopes to meet with company founder Erik Buell to learn about the company’s options and evaluate what could be done. ‘

It’s a nice idea, but a little naive. I suspect Harley has got both Erik and Buell firmly tied down. After all, despite putting MV Agusta up for sale, that option for Buell has not been mooted by the MoCo…

By: Kevin Ward

Kevin Ward — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:49:50 +0000

EB truly is a great man! I really hope he doesn’t give up. He’s given us the most progress among bikes in a while. I hope the innovations keep coming. i own a xb9r and im not giving it up. Buell will always be a living ledgend to me. Keep on trucking Buell!!! I really hope you make a comeback in a short time and love yah man. Best of luck. Dont give up. You have a backing. dont underestimate your influence.

Kevin

By: A1 cycles

A1 cycles — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:08:33 +0000

will never forget when he sold to harley I thought “cool for him” money to pursue his dreams, I was In Laconia when the let us test ride the “new” bikes, early 90′s they had a trailer truck and a roadcourse set up, I think it was called battletrax? My friends and I rode the little course all day becuase if you got quick time you got to ride parade laps with mr buell they took top ten guys, we both made the cut! They were supposed to be parade laps around the louden track but we kept sticking a wheel on eric and he kept going faster! He’s a true competitor on and off the track! An inovator and mad genius! Good luck sir one of my better bike memories is meeting you and making those “parade” laps around louden!

By: Rock Star

Rock Star — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:11:02 +0000

PRAVDA.

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2009/Oct/091016expldeleted.htm

By: Roger

Roger — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:40:36 +0000

As hard as the Harley-Davidson Motor Company works on paint and styling, it never ceased to amaze me how homely the Buells always looked, especially the 1125R. Just one extra employee with an artistic sense may have gotten Buell through this. But belts on sport bikes? A giant disc instead of duals up front? The steadfast refusal to dress up that muffler? And when you looked at what was coming out of the KTM and Aprilia factories, it just didn’t make sense that America couldn’t make a good looking bike. Roland Sands and Jesse Rooke make cool, canyon racing roadsters all the time. The Roehr was built in a garage with a “giant, unusable” V-Rod motor and it was better looking. It also had something resembling a homegrown motor that was bulletproof to boot. Buell’s reliability was second rate. Racing an 1100 plus cc bike with the Japanese 600 cc bikes and taking great pride in winning? Come on, since when does America need such a handicap? Aprilia is running right at the top the first year out in World Superbike, we could have done it as well. A lot of strange decisions were made at the Buell factory and dealers often had to discount the hell out of the bikes at the end of the year after paying interest for ten months. It was killing the dealerships and wouldn’t have lasted 18 months on its own in separate buildings, there just wouldn’t have been enough profit to pay the bills. Everyone feels for the factory employees, but the whole company survived on the strength of the Harley-Davidson dealerships, their ability to carry a model that wasn’t profitable. When they weakened a little, Buell never had a chance; every family-owned dealership had to look at their business carefully and do what they needed to do to survive. Paying interest on bikes that had to sell at a discount wasn’t in the cards. Ignoring the beauty of the competitors: the MV, the Ducatis, the KTM’s, along with the Japanese bikes was inexcusable. I think it has been a hundred years since a company offered a product only in black (2008 1125R). Buell could have made a cool roadster given the materials they had, something like the Kenny Dreer Norton, but never a sport bike. Race replicas are bumping 185 horsepower now, you can’t play in the game at 146, and stepping down into the junior league was embarrassing as hell. While many customers were saddened, I don’t think you’ll find many dealers losing sleep, the bleeding has stopped for them. Harley-Davidson probably did this at the request of their dealers. The new CEO warned everyone that he would cut off an arm to save the body and he did.

By: Bonneville´s fastest naked man...

Bonneville´s fastest naked man... — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:57:03 +0000

I have owned three Buells until i found the El Dorado, a ´98 White Lightning, wich is my daily ride. Here in Spain the bike is almost unique, and it turns heads everywhere, despite being surrounded by Ducatis or close to perfection R1´s…
I think it´s a very sad time for anyone to see a brand disappear, but not as a brand ( we have seen incredible resurrections like Von Dutch and so). It is sad that a man´s dream and visionary ideas are killed by a marketing decision or a financial dept order. Somebody has said that Erik has earned lots of money…Quite logical, isn´t it? this is for what he works and developes his own ideas. Having earned enough money does not relief the pain of having a man´s dream and life thrown away.When he sign the deal with HD time ago he was looking for the best way to develope and grow his Company, and i am pretty sure that it was not in anybody´s mind that the brand will suddenly desappear.
Sad times. Buell is dead, long life to Buell.

By: 1550tc

1550tc — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:48:35 +0000

Erick, always liked your bikes and i rode an 2002 Buell Thunderbolt S3T and will probably one day buy one……to me that 2002 Buell Thunderbolt S3T was a great alround bike!

By: MDK

MDK — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:22:07 +0000

Erik Buell has always reminded me of John Britten and I feel that he will continue with his work even if it’s on his own dime as before.

By: Steve Johann

Steve Johann — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:28:27 +0000

Wow what a shock for me. The only American Made Sport bike is no longer a reality and that is sad for everyone. My best to Eric and all those who worked at Buell. 26 years is a pretty great run for anyone. Good luck Eric and crew on the next 26 years.

By: Ted Sands

Ted Sands — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:17:14 +0000

I wish Eric the best, he put his heart and soul into building the Buell Motorcycle. The bikes we ride become memories of the past and one of my favorite memories was ridding a red 1992 Buell 1200S with the flip up back rest for the passenger. I took my 15 yr. old daughter for a ride on the back from So. Cal. to the Laguna Seca AMA races. We cruised Monterey and around the race track. It was one of the greatest weekends in my life. Thank you Eric for providing the bike we rode.

By: fuji

fuji — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:01:52 +0000

Woody.
With all due respect to Eric for for his creativity but your statement is in line with the overall picture.

He was fortunate to have such a window of opprtunity with HD. How many people get the opportunity to carry their name on a production motorcycle.

Buell had many shortcomings in comparison to the technology in the sport motorcyle industry but the Rotax engine was a bright spot in Buells future but ” UNFORTUNATELY ” it came to late.

HD did provide Eric with a golden oprtunity but kept him close to the hip with the wrong power plant for to many years.

Lets hope that Eric can branch out on his own with ideas and R&D, for at the end he was never closer to a winner than with the Rotax combo.

By: Woody

Woody — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:46:33 +0000

Am I the only one to notice a trend where people laugh at H-D for not changing, then laugh at anything new saying, “it’s not a Harley”? Then in their spare time waiting for something new to “not like” they make fun of Sportsters. Not replying to you, MDK, just the situation in general.

By: MDK

MDK — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:05:07 +0000

So much for the high tech H-D’s now they are back to just black smith bikes. To you haters Erik actually had some vision when H-D’s IMO stil has none. For example you can look at 30 years of bikes and they really haven’t changed. Yeah if it ain’t broke….. B.S. They finally came out with the V-rod, granted I don’t like it but it is different and the Rockers finally something with some balls, musta been a chick at H-D’s design. Oops, American Chopper mighta had an influence. Either way good luck Erik and thanks for breathing some life into an American cough cough legend!

By: Woody

Woody — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:56:11 +0000

Not sure why so many folks are trying to make Harley such a villain here. Harley gave HUGE support when Erik left them in the first place to go on his own and he had access to tons of resources while “independent”. It was Erik’s decision to sell to Harley and give up control, and he was paid well for it. If he hadn’t sold out the brand would’ve been his to run. People vote with their wallets, and there just weren’t enough folks buying them. He was hobbled from the start basing a sportbike on a XL motor, and it just didn’t work out. You may be able to win on the racetrack with sympathetic rules, but sales are a different thing and folks with that much $$$ (or less) to spend on a sportbike could get a lot more performance elsewhere. Nothing against Erik, he’s a class act for sure! This is just about what will bring in money for the MoCo and what isn’t.

By: Frank Howard

Frank Howard — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:39:47 +0000

Why in the hell is everyone doing the “Poor Baby Eric” routine? Jesus, this guy has made millions and millions of dollars off of the ride he has had with HD. That ride would have never happened without HD taking the Buell product under their wing. Now they have decided to drop the line, so what? Things never stay the same, ever, in business. If Mr. Buell was smart and retained complete control over the name, engineering and Patients and no conflict of interest contracts exist with HD, Buell will go right on down the road. If not, Mr. Buell will be laying on a beach somewhere in the islands sipping drinks with little umbrellas in them while you fools all are still saying “Poor Baby we wish you well Eric”.

Eric, I say: Good job man, it was a great ride and drink one for me.

By: Gary Bang

Gary Bang — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:59:29 +0000

I remenber in 2002 myself and about 12-other dealers were at Juno Avenue having a large discussion with the heads of Harley-Davidson, “Eric was not their.” The president asked what we thought was wrong with the Buell brand? Their were many reasons most of the people in the room brought to the floor, Price to High, Not fast enough, To tall, to short and a host of other items discusssed. I remembered telling the President my take . “Their are just not enough people who like the Buell Motorcycle.” Most people in the room thought that was a real dumb statement. But I guess after all thats what it all boiled down to. “Not Enough People liked it” Just my opinion.

Gary Bang

By: OldSkool

OldSkool — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:47:43 +0000

VERY SORRY TO HEAR THIS.
YOU HAVE TALENT, YOU ARE AN INNOVATOR & YOU INSPIRE OTHERS…
THERE IS MORE TO COME FROM YOU!
GOOD LUCK ERIK!

OldSkool

By: John

John — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:33:21 +0000

DK I like that idea,other possibilites are Polaris”Victory Motorcycles” or S&S or even Volkswagen is rumored as wanting to get into motorcycles.I own an love my Harley Davidson and know they did what they had to but have always liked Buells and would’ve had one alongside my HD if I could have afforded it.I sure hope things turn out good for Eric Buell.

By: DK

DK — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:08:45 +0000

Maybe Buell bikes will morph into HD bikes. No extra advertising cost for Buell labels. Get young guys started on a HD sportbike rather than Buell. Just kill the Brand not the machines.