H-D to Dump Buell & MV - Harley Forum

GOMO · #1 10-15-2009, 10:58 AM

Just got off the phone with someone that has close connections to Erik Buell & the company. This info is for the most part true. No other concrete or offical information was discussed:

Buell Motorcycles to be Discontinued and MV Agusta Sold Off as Harley Davidson Income Falls
by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 10/15/2009

Harley Davidson’s earnings just came in and third-quarter net income dropped 84%. But this jumped out at me:

The company plans to discontinue its Buell product line and sell its MV Agusta unit, essentially exiting the sport bike market.

“The fact is we must focus both our effort and our investment on the Harley-Davidson brand, as we believe this provides an optimal path to sustained, meaningful long-term growth,” CEO Keith Wandell said in the release.

Buell motorcycles will be discontinued, resulting in the loss of 180 jobs over time and MV Agusta will be sold. The troubles are substantial and the work necessary to rebuild is enormous.

Twinpeaks · #2 10-15-2009, 01:52 PM

http://www.buell.com/en_us/q-and-a/index.asp

Too bad, this was truly the most innovative, best handling and technologically advanced "American" motorcycle(s) ever produced. Not every Harley loyalist's dream bike but an American work of art.

harold · #3 10-28-2009, 01:47 AM

i remember back when i was a kid , buell was going door to door along with norton looking for money to build their respective bikes. norton didnt make it , buell persisted.
I bet getting that bike out cost him at least one marriage - times were tuff.
i havnt rode a buell but they must be ok , i havnt heard many complaints about them. i also read the merger with mv agusta with harley, agusta loaded with debt it didnt make sense. harley didnt stand with their customers when times were good and thats why they will suffer extra hard now that times are bad. the shoe issue hit them hard and they knew it would be a problem. harley needs to fall in love with bike's again and love them more than the dollar. stop trying to get the customers on their personal take your money circuit , offer value , love the bikes , give value , give rock solid dependability, fair prices , and drop the dealers/stealers owners.find dealers that love bikes , and guess what harley you'll be rolling in dough again.

captainronpo614 · #4 10-28-2009, 05:14 PM

Buell flushed? Too bad. Owned one once, '97 S3. Loved the bike, but not the maintenance to keep it on the road. Harley hurt'en? Well look at what they're putting forth to the consumer. Money's tight, and dropping the low priced bikes in favor of $32K+ rides? Bet most dealers wished they had the people walking in now that they had 5-6 years ago that they wouldn't wait on because they looked like their wallets were flat. The adage "What goes around - Comes around". Hard to feel sorry for them.

Haulen Ass · #5 10-29-2009, 08:33 AM

I read (can't remember where now

) that they might receive funding from some investors. I'll try to find the article and post a link.

Haulen Ass · #6 10-29-2009, 08:42 AM

I wonder if their India plans are still on the table which doesn't seem like its going to be a worth while effort.

"Harley-Davidson is ready to kick-start bike sales in India"
Rama Lakshmi. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif.: Sep 4, 2009. pg. B.2

Some observers in India said the densely populated country of more than 1 billion does not easily offer the open roads that Harley riders dream of. The potholed roads, where vehicles often jostle for space in cheek-to-cheek traffic, will be perhaps the biggest obstacle for the company, although India recently announced an ambitious plan to add about 12 miles of new highway every day.

India is the second-largest motorcycle market in the world, dominated by small, inexpensive utility bikes that cost roughly $1,200 and are used by those who cannot afford to buy a car. A new Indian car called the Nano was launched earlier this year at a price of $2,500, aiming to convert millions of users of two-wheeled vehicles to first-generation car buyers.

The Harley, however, will target affluent Indians. The company will sell about 12 models in India at a starting price of about $14,000, twice the U.S. starting price.

"A Harley-Davidson is an image more than a motorcycle. Those who want the Harley experience will not complain about potholes here and there," said Bijoy Kumar, editor of Business Standard Motoring, a monthly magazine in India. "Harleys riders enjoy camaraderie and experience. Bad roads are part of that experience."

harold · #7 10-29-2009, 06:44 PM

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We will see what is to be, harley even though most of its bikes are not water cooled , could have if they wished, made the tc a great engine. Its my opinion that there were problems designed into the bike or not addressed due to the fact alot of people who baught harley's were buying as a status piece.
ive met people who have a 3 years old bike with only 3 or 4k on the motorcycle. If i can with garge wrenches make my harley sturdier , be ashured the company could also.there is really nothing that looks like a harley.
its kind of like letting Norman Rockwell indulge himself in the machinist shop.
should harley decide to produce thier rides as a durable good out of the box ?
i think they will slowly find their way back to profit . to the individual who owned the buell , other than the high maintenance, how was the bikes performance. It would be nice if you could expand on your answer. i like the harley because it is a heavier bike and its comfortable for me. the other bikes i owned were the honda's and the kawasaki's , that's when their custom motorcycles were customs, not harley look alikes' or rice rockets. I hate to see anything american go into the black hole, God knows we need the jobs

Majicbringer · #8 10-30-2009, 12:37 AM

I can understand dumping MV, but Buell? Maybe Eric will go back to making his bikes from Harley's instead of being part of Harley. Then he gets to do things his way, which was what I liked about Buell when they first hit the scene, anyway.

harold · #9 10-30-2009, 09:01 PM

i agree hope something goes well for him , he come this far it be ashame to have to strash it now.

Buzz Kanter · #10 10-30-2009, 09:16 PM

A dealer friend told me Harley is subsidizing the dealers to sell all remaining inventory of new Buell motorcycles. I guess that's why you can see so many REALLY cheap new Buells for sale at the dealerships.