Posted on 10/15/2009 11:06:45 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Harley-Davidson USA today announced that they are discontinuing the Buell line of motorcycles. This news comes as Harley-Davidson reported a third quarter earnings that was down 21.3% from the same period in 2008.
All remaining in-stock Buell motorcycles and accessories will be sold by authorized dealers, but no additional Buell motorcycles will be manufactured. Existing warranty coverage for Buell motorcycles will be honored and Harley-Davidson will continue to provide replacement parts and service through their dealerships.
Over time, the discontinuing of the Buell line is expected to eliminate 80 hourly productions positions and approximately 100 salaried positions at Buell. According to Harley-Davidson's statement, employment for the majority of these Buell employees will end on December 18, 2009.
On the Buell Motorcycle website, in a large main-page video titled "An Important Announcement From Erik Buell" a worn-out and defeated looking Erik Buell also announced the end of the Buell brand. Erik Buell is the founder and designer of Buell motorcycles.
According to Wikipedia, Buell Motorcycles were based in Troy, Wisonsin. Buell's partnership with Harley-Davidson began in 1993 and Buell had become a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson by 2003.
They’re talking about moving to Indiana.
There’s been discussions with the state economic development folks. Also Ky and Tn.
Frankly I’m shocked this hadn’t happened years ago.
PA is so rediculously confiscatory, I am amazed there is any manufacturing left at all in this state that is not local in nature.
Probably not. But they sure know *Harley Davidson* is on the planet.
Harley sells 50% of the heavyweight motorcycles in the US and 30% in the world. (heavyweight = 750 cc and greater, not actual weight of motorcycle)
So Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki have to share that other 50% in the US with BMW, Triumph, KTM, Ducati, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Polaris/Victory, etc.
Yeah I’ve only been riding for 33 years...what would I know about Motorcycles...
PA is a right to work state (commonwealth)
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The HD XR-1200 is supposed to be pretty darned good ,, comparable to a sporty Japanese "standard" motorcycle,, my HD dealer had new 2009's at $1,500 off and under market financing rates back in July.
Thats the euro sporty right?
Shame it needed twice the displacement to be competitive with the Japanese offering and has the usual HD lack-of-build-quality....
They only won because they were allowed to have twice the engine displacement of the other racers. Surprise, they won... oh wait, it’s not a surprise.
Having ridden and worked on both Buells and "rice burners", I can tell you that Buell was NO threat to ANY import. While the frame/suspension wasn't all that bad, the XL-based engine was a boat-anchor that severely handicapped the marque. Even worse was the Blast (half the cylinders, twice as bad).
Furthermore, if you knew how many of the bits and pieces of the bikes were "imported", then that "American bike" marketing ploy wears very thin.
Well...I’m not going to sit here and piss on buell’s grave...
Buell WAS the only american bike to offer an “alternative” to the japanese sport bikes....how’s that...
Heres the XR
Wow, you have been riding about as long as I have. Actually I love the old Indians and Harleys that had the old flat head engines. The torque they had far out weighted any acceleration that over head valves gave them. I recently gave away(I know)enough old Indian parts to build a full Indian Chief. Too old to ride now but wish I could!
I recently stopped to assist a stranded Buell XB12R rider.
The bolts that held one of his front calipers on had sheared off. When discussing the matter with him, he revealed that despite the fact that his bike was less than two years old and had less than 20K on the clock, it had a long history of build quality failures. The immediately prior incident, I was told, was that the electrical system had pretty much had a total meltdown while he was riding.
Forgetting Triumph, Aprilia, Ducati and BMW, are we?
Er, hit send too soon. Those are alternatives to the Japanese bikes, though not American made.
if you want American made, there are any number of custom builders who can give you what you want, that’ll actually perform, with a Harley-pattern engine that wasn’t a boat anchor (because it’d been heavily modified), for about the same money or less.
Sorry, not buying it. To be an "alternative", it would have to be in the same league as other sport bikes. Buell was not even in the same Sport, much less the same League.
I still contend it had too many import parts to be a "true" American-made bike. Perhaps we are jaded with all the Toyotas, et. al., that are "made in America". (/soapbox)
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