Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: JJ on March 04, 2016, 05:36:31 PM
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Good for Erik Buell and team! :thumb: :cool: :smiley: :bow:
http://auto.ndtv.com/news/erik-buell-racing-re-starts-operations-in-the-us-1284046
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Are they still using the Rotax engine from the previous incarnation?
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Are they still using the Rotax engine from the previous incarnation?
It's based on that but now called the Helicon, EBR owns it and builds it in E Troy.
wish them luck.. they need it..
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The yoyo spins upwards again!
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His designs are always pretty good, but I hope that this time he hires a good business manager.
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His designs are always pretty good, but I hope that this time he hires a good business manager.
Eric is not in charge of the financial end of this startup this time. Time will tell if this attempt stays afloat.
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Glad to hear Eric is back.
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Eric is not in charge of the financial end of this startup this time. Time will tell if this attempt stays afloat.
Thanks for the information. I have all of good wishes.
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As a former Buell owner (2000 M2 Cyclone) this is good news. I wish Eric the best, but hope he can succeed with real world street bikes rather than (or at least in addition to) race replica machines.
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Idle speculation of course, but it seems to me that Polaris could have picked up Buell for pocket change, and developed a for real line of American sporty/street motorcycles with a real, if relatively short, pedigree. There are indications that they have an interest in expanding beyond their current two-brand cruiser lineup; this seems like a missed opportunity.
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According to that article, Erik will be the CTO (Chief Technical Officer). :thumb:
...and yes, they do need to hire an experienced Business Manager (for global sales / marketing / business development) :cool:
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As a current Buell owner-'06 Uly- I am ecstatic! Erik has been to the school of hard knocks and back.
Good luck to a great motorcycle designer. The two bikes shown in the link look interesting.
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Serious points for persistence!
Shaun
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Good luck to them!
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I hope they can finally come up with something that sells.
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I hope they can finally come up with something that sells.
According to Harley "On October 15, 2009, Harley-Davidson announced the discontinuation of the Buell product line as part of its strategy to focus on the Harley-Davidson brand.[4][5] The last Buell motorcycle was produced on October 30, 2015, bringing the number manufactured to 136,923." .....How many Guzzi's were built from 1984 to now ? Maybe twice that ?
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I wish Buell would revive something like my old M2 Cyclone in principle: a light, strong, simple (we don't need no steekin' engine modes) minimal plastic, belt-drive street bike. Quality components but minimal electronics beyond ABS and simple traction control. The perceived weakness of those old bikes was the Sportster motor, and with the new Rotax-derived motors (but better tuned for the street ) it seems like they might sell a bunch of those. Alas, they seem to be wholly focused on chasing the Panigales of the world, so it's a pipe dream.
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One of the best handling bikes that I have is my S3 Thunderbolt.
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I wish Buell would revive something like my old M2 Cyclone in principle: a light, strong, simple (we don't need no steekin' engine modes) minimal plastic, belt-drive street bike. Quality components but minimal electronics beyond ABS and simple traction control. The perceived weakness of those old bikes was the Sportster motor, and with the new Rotax-derived motors (but better tuned for the street ) it seems like they might sell a bunch of those. Alas, they seem to be wholly focused on chasing the Panigales of the world, so it's a pipe dream.
I own a 97 Cyclone , they are out there in decent shape with low miles for less than 3 grand... The precieved weakness of the Sportster engine can be dealt with. Building a reliable 110 HP Sporty engine is not difficult or that expensive..
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I have owned a '99 cyclone and a '09 1125cr on closeout. The cyclone was the most reliable bike I have ever owned. The 1125 was an amazing handling bike that was just 'frantic', but it had an amazing motor.
I know Bill Melvin (Liquid Asset Partners). I highly doubt he wants to own a motorcycle company. He wants to make the company attractive enough to sell at a profit. He has been liquidating companies like this for some time (Excelsior, Gilroy Indian, etc). Buell is worth more as a whole than in parts.
Buell needs to make a main stream bike that will pay the bills for the race bikes. Think Ducati Monster sales helping keep them afloat...
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Also As an 06 Buell Uly owner, I wish him the best of luck and hope they come out with an updated Uly, same HP, under 500lb abs and a bigger tank though Honda just came out with it in the African Twin. It's a flawed design but the Uly is a great bike,simple, low maintenance, good mpg (45to55) fantastic handling.
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Had a 2007 Ulysses, was the most exciting bike I have ever ridden. I just didn't have the energy to keep it on the road after HD tossed them under the bus.
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<<Buell needs to make a main stream bike that will pay the bills for the race bikes. Think Ducati Monster sales helping keep them afloat...>>
Or, they need to forget the expensive pursuit of competitive racebikes and focus like a laser on making excellent rider-friendly street bikes ....
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I'll buy you a beer if I'm wrong, but this endeavor dies on the vine within 24 month, more likely 18.
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<<Buell needs to make a main stream bike that will pay the bills for the race bikes. Think Ducati Monster sales helping keep them afloat...>>
Or, they need to forget the expensive pursuit of competitive racebikes and focus like a laser on making excellent rider-friendly street bikes ....
...like the Ducati Monster
Race bikes are cool to those interested in racing. The trouble with race bikes is the tech advances in leaps every year. This is difficult for a small company to invest in. Having a good street bike (standard, ADV, or ?) that has the basics at an affordable price can bring in enough cash flow to be stable. Always building a Panigale beater is only going to drain your cash. Focus on building a dealer network and lowering the buy-in with bikes the average guy would buy.
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Kirb and I agree, but unfortunately, Chad is probably right.
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Great! When will the Blast return? :boozing:
Seriously, the best motorcycle I ever owned was an '03 Buell XB9S, until I t-boned a car and took an upward flight. I did own the Blast before trading it in for the XB, and really liked that thumper.
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My S3T was basically a Buell Griso.
There was a lot to like about it.
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Well, we all know what EBR stands for, so don't go wishing too hard for a regular street bike. What Buell needed was a good accounts receivable manager.
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Well, we all know what EBR stands for, so don't go wishing too hard for a regular street bike. What Buell needed was a good accounts receivable manager.
Said before, but they also needed products that more than a few racer wannabes would actually buy. Heresy perhaps, but Eric's vision was, maybe, fatally flawed when he tried to revive his operation with machines were in an impossibly competitive segment.
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Heresy perhaps, but Eric's vision was, maybe, fatally flawed when he tried to revive his operation with machines were in an impossibly competitive segment.
No argument here. Was he doing engineering for others beside Hero?
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My S3T was basically a Buell Griso.
There was a lot to like about it.
This speaks to my thought, and that of others here. Not that I'd want to undermine Guzzi sales, but the Griso and the Monster fill a niche, as does the 9T, and all European. If Buell targeted that slice, as a US build, he doesn't compete with Harley/Indian/Victory, and gives the Jingo's a legitimate alternative in brand and segment.
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Reminds me of when Stellican bought the Indian name. people thought it was great since they had really deep pockets and a history of bringing back other companies like Chris-Craft. They were self funded and weren't even interested in outside investment.
They dumped in big money, developed a new motor, built a nice new facility, and launched new models. Unfortunately at ridiculous prices (no doubt trying to recoup their investment) and they never got off the ground.
I have come to believe if you want to start a motorcycle company, calculate how much money you need. Multiply that times 10. Now double that amount. At this point you have about a 50/50 chance of making it more than a few years.
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I'll buy you a beer if I'm wrong, but this endeavor dies on the vine within 24 month, more likely 18.
Make that 2 beers. I'm with Chad on this.
Ken