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View Full Version : Harley not touching Buells?



shoeshineboy
11-17-2009, 11:29 PM
Made the decision to go back to a dualsport and picking up a new 4 wheeler as a Christmas present for my daughter. Went to trade it in at my local Polaris dealer. They contacted the local Harley shop about selling it to them since they don't want to sit on it over the winter. The Harley shop said they won't take in any Buells. What's up with that?

afinley
11-17-2009, 11:48 PM
Harley got out of the Buell business. In the biblical sense.

Baal
11-18-2009, 03:42 AM
No surprise there. Given that new bikes dropped in value by a whopping percentage a few weeks ago, I'd be surprised if any dealer would take a Buell in trade unless they could steal it.

Buell_Cru
11-18-2009, 03:43 AM
My buddy traded his in for a new 1125cr. Our harley[down] dealership was going to take my other buddy's quad trailer on trade also.[confused]

bardo688
11-18-2009, 04:14 AM
the local jap dealer picked up an 1125r about a year ago. No one around here appreciates a good bike. there price 8??? with less than 3k miles too bad he wont take the loss and sell it guess it will make a beautiful showroom orniment too bad it wont get to see the twisties[down]

shoeshineboy
11-18-2009, 05:32 AM
I already had another trade lined up a few hours south of me at another dealership but wanted to give my local dealer the business. Hard for them to compete with the big metro dealers on trades so I'll be heading there later this week. Going to miss the Buell but I just don't get to ride it enough.

Tank
11-18-2009, 12:30 PM
I dont think HD ever really cared about Buell anyway, no surprise. I tried to get my local HD shop to do an oilchange on my 06 XB12R...they said "It's not a F'n Harley!" and hung up on me. What class!

roadrocker
11-19-2009, 02:07 AM
I have always believed that if HD wanted to make Buell work they would have put there full weight behind them they can sell a piece of **** to so many people why couldn't they sell a buell? They didn't care !!!! Buell should of gotten away from HD a long time ago and made it on there own . HD KILLED BUELL

treyflee
11-19-2009, 02:25 AM
I'm not defending Harley's decision to stop making Buells. I love the bikes and been looking at them for years, recently bought my first one.

It probably has a lot more to due with demand issues. Buell sells very few bikes in comparison to other brands, HD, Japs, etc. I mean 100,000 bikes over first 25 years isn't that many. Obviously, Buell was not able to stand on their own when they sold 49% to Harley in 1993. When they sold a majority shareholder to Harley in 2003 (I think) probably means they needed more cash than they were able to generate on their own again. Harley may have saved Buell from an earlier demise. They may have been able to do more with Buell, but still they need to see profits as well. There just isn't a huge demand for Buell bikes (unfortunately). It all comes down to simple business sense.

Blame all the people who choose to purchase other bikes. If there were as many peopel buying Buells as GSXRs they'd be rolling in money and still open. But then the bikes wouldn't be unique.

Just my two cents, but I do hate that they're gone.

CJT
11-19-2009, 03:15 AM
The Harley/Buell(former) dealer in Boise, Id is advertising brand new 1125r and cr's for $6995! I couldnt belive it at first, I mean that is almost half of what they were a year ago! But it's true. Bargains to be had for the Buell lover in a down economy.

shoeshineboy
11-20-2009, 02:08 AM
I agree with treyflee totally. My first twin sportbike was a TL100R which was a beautiful bike, ran flawlessly, and was little to no maintenace. Suzuki caved on them in 03 and honda didn't last much longer with the RC-51. I was completely hooked from the day I threw a leg over it and never considered an inline four sportbike again. Unfortunately for us lovers of the v-twin we are a small minority in a produce-what-sells/makes a profit world. Hopefully Buell can do something in the future so I'll have something available other than a high maintenance(although fun to ride) Ducati or other exotic bike when I decide to go back to a sportbike again.

johnmichael
11-21-2009, 12:18 PM
I picked up my Bike in Renton, Washington from Downtown H/D and they have be absolutely gracious as far as my warranty is concerned. I was having starting problems and they came and picked up the bike the same week. Time will tell how long it takes them to pick it up. SO far they have been very helpful. I guess it is all a game of chance in who your around to service your bike. Thankfully I bought my bike where I did.

shoeshineboy
11-23-2009, 08:12 PM
My Harley dealer was great for service work but still wouldn't touch it as far as buying from my local Polaris dealer if I traded it there. Thankfully, the big dealer down in the Twin Cities gave me a good trade so I picked up a new DRZ400 and a new Polaris Sportsman 300 for my kid. The look on her face Christmas morning will more than make up for the heartache of getting rid of the Buell!

09CRRED1
12-19-2009, 05:17 AM
you guys must have some ****ty harley dealers my dad and i both have harleys and i just bought a cr this weekend for 7k (dont need 2 bikes but what the hell) my dealers around here would do anything to a buell. anyways harley did save buell in my opinion and i was told they were the 3rd best selling sport bike last year or mabe this year. the story is this guy was hired by HD to make there stock look appealing to the stock buyers so that is why they are getting rid of buell and MVaugusta this way they can focus more and HD

blackbuell69
01-10-2010, 03:24 AM
Sorry to here all these dealerships acting like asses. I am the service manager at Salem County Harley in Elmer, NJ. I ride a 1125R, my wife rides a Xb9SX. and our GM rides a Blast. We love Buells hear and it saddens me to hear of these pompous asses. I have owned numerous Harleys the late 70's and Buells stole my heart.

roadrocker
01-21-2010, 02:35 AM
I live in New England and the dealerships around here are pompous asses !!!! If you don't ride a f'n bagger they don't want to talk to you. Even if they sell Buells they just don't care about us.

icepop77
01-21-2010, 12:05 PM
They don't even care about Sportsters, let alone Buells.

Midnight82
01-21-2010, 03:10 PM
IcePop, I couldn't agree more.

4 or 5 years ago I traded my first bike (2000 xl1200c) in for an '06 Electra Glide. Not only did I get bent over on my trade, they posted the rapage on YouTube. :D

09CRRED1
01-22-2010, 01:52 AM
ok i dont know what u guys are talking about but how do they not care about sportsters i have a kick ass nightster and thats proof there they are doing something different. they also bent u over cause not many people want to buy a used sportster when they can get a brand new one for less than $11k not alot of people walk in asking for a used sporster. there gona bend u over befor they take it in the u know were first

triple7
01-22-2010, 06:42 AM
Sorry to burst your bubble 09CRRED1 but there is very little new with the nightster. They took a sportster low and cut the rear fender back, and except for the fuel injection on 07, the sporster has seen very little change in the last 20 years! I owned a 07 orange and black nighster and it was the most worthless peice of crap bike I ever had. The low suspension had only a couple inches of travel coupled with a seat that was basically a piece of leather wrapped around a tin plate. The ride was so harsh and uncomfortable I didnt want to ride it farther than 30 miles. It also handled like a fat pig with short legs. I dumped that hunk of junk, at a loss of course, and was happy to see it go. But thats just my opinion.

09CRRED1
01-22-2010, 09:12 PM
wow u must not like bikes at all it is by far the best handling harley (they are cruiser bikes) other than mabe vrod. i weve in and out of traffic no prob and u must have a VAGINA ive rode mine to sturgis and back 2x its 500 each way and prob 300 to 400 miles around the black hills ive got 10k on it in just under 1 1/2 years. and they dont change much because its a great starter / bar hopper bike. i ride with kids that have rice and they love my nightster they say they hate harleys but mine is kick ass. just my opinion

triple7
01-23-2010, 07:14 AM
You cant take another opinion without giving out a derrogotory comment in return? You sound like you havent ridden very many bikes. For your information I am 44 years old, ridden my Road King Classic up and down the western coastline, from Montana - over 20k in one summer! For many many years raced both enduro and motocross in which I hold a state vintage championship, so I know a little about suspension set up and handling. Owned and ridden all four major brands of jap bikes, 4 different Harleys and currently a Buell 1125R! The Harley V-rod, (except the 2 yr run 06-07 street rod) has way to much rake in the front making it difficult to turn - you have to think way ahead because it is a slug in the turning dept. (It was designed as a drag bike! Point a to point b.)As far as sportsters go or best handling, the nighster dosent even hold a candle to the XR1200! Less rake, more suspension, better riding position = better handling. Or the XL1200C - more chrome, more seat, more suspension, more versatility and options for less money! Harley dosent change much because of the death grip they have on the old school thinking of style over function. (example- fuel injection, which is old technology to other manufacturers but fairly new to Harleys.) Thats why you can buy a jap bike for literally half the price of a Harley and why Harley lost over 75% of sales in the last couple of years and had to dump Buell and the other sportbike brand it recently aquired. So, before you go spouting off vagina comments or blurting out that your technically outdated, overpriced, and undersprung nightster is kick ass just because you febally think it is. Maybe you should do some flippin homework and save the personal derrogatory comments for other forums and off this (KICK ASS) site!![mad]

Red93stang
01-23-2010, 02:38 PM
I have to agree with triple! The "chrome couches" do handle like pigs, and I have riden them all. Sportsters are girls bikes and short trip bar hoppers they aren't designed for long trips. The problem with HD is they are stuck in the 50's using 50's technology. They have lost a lot of sales due to their crapy dealer market and the fact that their bikes are overpriced for what u get. Polaris has beat them in quality for years now. We will see this week coming up the numbers are going to come out and I don't think it's going to be good! Sales were down last time and they are laying off lots of people at the factories. They didn't even produce bikes in the 4th quarter of 09 due to the surplus of bikes at the dealers. That's my 2 cents!! Once again F@&k HD!

xtremelow
01-23-2010, 06:27 PM
I have been pimpin the Buell for 3 years and risen many different bikes that either freinds have or at bike shows where swales offer free rides.

I was specifically looking at buying a Nightster but after I took it for a ride an was found that 30 moles of rising left me feeling like a cheerleader who just go served by the entire football team I would never buy one, not to mention how over price the bike is for what you get. By the time I was done with what paint scheme and add ons I wanted the bike was close to $12k, an for what, another HD cookie cutter bike.


I give HD props for bikes such as the Vrod and Rocker as they actually changed things up a bit but if you look over the past couple decades HD has not made any real strides in their motorcycle designs.

As far as them saving Buell???? That is like saying Obama is saving the economy by putting us further in debt. The closed down Buell..,.. How is that saving the line in any way. The only reason Erik Buel. racing is around is because of Erik. HD seen a way to make money by being the distributor for Buells and jump on it otherwise they aren't doing anything for the Buell line up.

BuddhaBuell
01-23-2010, 06:44 PM
"left me feeling like a cheerleader who just go served by the entire football team"
frakkin priceless xtreme :D

"As far as them saving Buell???? That is like saying Obama is saving the economy by putting us further in debt."
bang on!
my own goverment is run by an ass clown by the name of Stephan Harper who is systematically dismantling Canada for who ever has the most dollars
[mad]
AND with the stupid winter Olympics draining much needed $$$$$ from BC's tax payers all the while cutting funding for much needed social programs
the proof is in the pudding!

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=16977

sorry for the rant..the political truther in me comes out in public every now and then...lol
:)

Red93stang
01-23-2010, 07:00 PM
Most of the sportsters performance has come from Buell. They were the ones that did all the r&d on the 1203 and 883, because they knew it would perform in their bikes like their customers would like.

highmileage
01-23-2010, 08:22 PM
I have a good friend who loves his Sportsters. I don't get it at all.

I've owned over three hundred bikes and you couldn't give me a Sh*tster. But I have met guys who love them and ride them across the U.S. They just don't know any better! But instead of calling them morons (which they are) I just say, to each his own.

Q - What are the three, three-letter words that Harley riders know but riders of water-cooled bikes never hear?

A - Top End Job

That Buell ever got big enough for there to be a Helicon motored 1125 is thanks to H-D, so we should appreciate them for that.

But the reason that Buells never sold in any volume is also thanks to H-D. Selling Buells through H-D stealerships was a whopping mistake - few H-D dealers want to deal with anything other than 'big twins' and few big twin customers want to even look at anything else. That's why V-Rod sales suck in the U.S. too.

The other reason why Buells are made no more is Harley's stupid, or at the very least poorly timed decision to buy MV Augusta - and the same factory that they used to own where the Aermacchis (Harley Sprints of the 1960's) were made - for $108 million.

Do you know anyone that rides a $50K bike like the current MV? I don't. And Buells never made any real money for them. So H-D brass decided that sport bikes are poison to them 'cuz they just don't know squat about the sport bike biz.

Their 'big twin' customers dump huge amounts of money into their bikes so they are their core business. These guys care more about paint chrome and sound than they ever would about handling or performance. Otherwise, they'd be riding anything else than an H-D!

Our Buells are cult bikes now - collectible, gorgeous, great performing and handling bikes that will only become more and more rare and collectible as time goes on. It won't be like owning a Japanese crotch rocket where if you own one that's a few years old, you'll want to trade it in.

In fact, I suspect that the 1125's will stop depreciating soon and begin to appreciate - much as my Honda CBXes have already done. The CBXes weren't really appreciated until they had been out of production for a couple of years. Now, they are great investments. That's how I believe our Buells will be in a few years.

In fact, if I find another 1125 and can afford it, I'll buy it in a heartbeat. A great investment and a fun toy. The only way you can lose is if you wreck it!

09CRRED1
01-23-2010, 11:13 PM
ok first off cruiser bikes dont need performance or handling because they are cruisers and they spend all the money on looks and noise bc they grew up and realized what looks and sounds good and ik the 1200r is better but thats new and i havnt rode it much. the metric cruisers are for the tight asses of the world and they dont resale like the harleys do and i dont know how the sportster performance comes from buell bc they do the same things to the big twin motors the reason y harley doesnt do much is because its the classic look and it still looks good these new things that like the kingpin and 8ball bikes these jab companies look like ass but i guess its all on what u like and do. i didnt buy my cr cause it looks kool its fast and just a step up in the amount of trouble i can get into and u think harley is over priced look at the indians that is over priced and i bet u will get any harley to outlast any of the jap bikes and look and sound 10X better

xtremelow
01-24-2010, 02:33 AM
Counterdict yourself by stating cruisers handle like poo, when above you said it handle wonderfully???????:confused:

09CRRED1
01-24-2010, 02:58 AM
mine does good for what i do im not out racing on a track so its good for what i do with it i said it handles best out of harleys

09CRRED1
01-27-2010, 12:14 AM
ok since harley doesnt care about the sportsters check out there NEW fourty eight its sweet

BuddhaBuell
01-27-2010, 12:17 AM
09CRRED
here it is...
http://www.buellxb.com/Buell-XB-Forum/General-Motorcycle-Chat/Forgive-me-buellers-for-I-have-sinned

browland
01-27-2010, 12:21 AM
check out there NEW fourty eight

Check out their sporster that they changed some more options on again and called a fourty eight

triple7
01-27-2010, 01:05 AM
lol!!! HA HA HA, Did you hear about their new model sportster with dingle balls hanging from the mirrors and tie dyed seat? Its called the funky nine!