No more Buell.

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

 

sad news indeed...

 

Damn

Poor guy looks like he is on the verge of tears......Gotta break the heart to get cut loose like that.

 

I was a bit surprised and sad to hear that. I am sure there will be a lot of cheers from the haters!

 

That really is too bad. You can't watch that and not feel for the guy.

 

Whether or not you don't like Buell - competition going out of business is NEVER a good thing.

I personally thought Buell's were cool American semi-sport bikes. It's a shame they're gone.

 

They are not my cup of tea but that is terrible to hear. I hate to see any motorcycling company go out. And I hate to see a proud and smart designer like EB drop out of business.
Bummer!

 

That really sucks!!! I have always thought of his bikes as being inovative and cutting edge with the exception of the powerplant. I dont know how many of you followed his carrier but it is pretty much as he said on this video. I hope he finds his way to a new company or is able to start another. From what I have seen honda could have used him on the new VFR project... It is not often that engineers are so sucessfull as Eric in the thinking outside the box mentality.

 

damn, thats sad news....

i hope he gets to continue his design philosophies with HD.

as a side bar, buells will almost certainly become collectable now..

a good investment oppurtunity is available right now...

 

well I hope someone will come in and give him the funding he needs to continue w/ rotax
srew harley IMO the reason why harley axed him was the fact that he went to rotax for the motor.

 

dude bummer :frown:

 

I agree 02.

I make it no secret I dislike HD, BUT I have no real issues with Buell. In fact I always thought Harley held him and his bikes back.

I had always hoped Buell would do an American "Bimota". He takes his frame designs and stuff Japanese engines in them.

He is a talented guy, he'll be back with interesting designs and ideas...hopefully for the masses.

BZ

 

That is a shame. While Buell isn't for me, its yet another testament to a "small time" guy feeling the crush of the economy. He seems sincere in his statements, and he's the type of person we all need: An entrepreneur; not afraid to take risks and stand up to the big guys; willing to deviate from the norm for something he believed in.

Like or dislike the Buell, my hat's off to him.

 

That so sucks. It makes me want to go egg the nearest H-D dealership. The guy just can't catch a break. He finally got a factory based racing effort, which you need to develop the bike. And they were. They raced the XBRR, which proved they needed a better motor. H-D refused to give them the superbike version of the V-rod motor so Buell took their own money and went to Rotax. I have watched those bikes devolp, and they were making steady, sustainable forward progress in racing. And instead of the rule going away from him the rules had come to in both in AMA and WSBK. I bet there was a good chance there would have been a Buell on the grid in WSBK in 2011. The 1125 developed into the 1125RR just this year, and was gaining ground in AMA SBK. Darn it all!

 

Example: How would the perception of the 2010 vfr changed if it had additional fuel storage in the frame, his incredible front brake system, and a belt drive instead of the shaft. The belt drive saves at least 20lbs, another few pounds off the front wheel with better braking power and an extra gallon or two of fuel for range with a low central mass. MMMM... sounds to me like a 170HP 1200 VFR with better braking at not much more weight than a 6th gen...

 

I bet a VFR1200 motor would fit really well in an XB frame. Personally I really hope Buell gets a frame into Moto2. That would be the best place for him, I think. And other crazy chassis guy too.

 

I had the pleasure of meeting Erik Buell at Road America this summer. I was at the race with a friend of mine who's company manufactures the frames for Buell in Des Plaines IL. He was kind enough to introduce me to Erik. We spent about 10 minutes together talking about racing rain tires vs. regular racing tires. This man was gracious enough to give a little of his knowledge to someone he had never met before. He is truly the definition of a "Nice Guy".

Guys this passionate about what they do, don't deserve to fail. I think the big wigs at Harley failed Erik Buell. They should have dumped more money into Buell instead of pulling the plug. Buell could have been Harley's way out of this economic hole, instead Harley digs it deeper. Sad day for motorcycling and sad day for America. Will the last one out of East Troy, WI. please turn out the light! Erik will probably still be there to lock up.

 

The truly disturbing problem that is hidden within this story, has ramifications that should be troubling to any US citizen. This story merely scratches the surface of a much greater and far reaching issue. Fast food, software, and ponzi schemes seem to be the only products this country is still capable of manufacturing.

I mourn the loss of Buell for this reason and can't help but feel remorse for a true american innovator, enthusiast and enterpenuer, E. Buell. Hopefully he will return.

 

As a previous Buell owner I am really saddened by this decision. It was when I was saving up to buy a Ulysses that I ran across my VFR and bought it instead.

Buell's biggest problem was its worthless dealer network that in most cases gave little to no support.

I think HD has cut off its nose to save its face because many Buell owners also supported HD and now will refuse to do so. It has been surmised that HD was unhappy that Erik Buell went around them when he bought the Rotax engine for the 1125. As other companies make new innovative products, it looks like HD will continue with their overpriced, underpowered road barges.

 

What a darned shame.
The Buell was one of "those" bikes that always made you look at it.
Different approaches to common themes. A collectors market may emerge from this loss.

Sad to hear.