Buell to be Discontinued

[Rev_Eddie]

: The H-D move that struck me as curious was introducing the XR1200 in Europe and making it a Euro only offering for the beginning of its run.

Many manufacturers have models that are only for specific regions.

I'd ASSume H-D felt that the XR wouldn't really sell that well in the US,
and took it elsewhere first.
Maybe it's also a way of judging how much demand there really
is in the country that didn't get it.
In this case, they brought the XR1200 to the US a year later.
To my understanding, out side of a couple areas, it hasn't sold that well in the US.

After they had been out a few months, I called my dealer last spring about a new XR1200.
"How many did you get", I ask?
"Just one" he tells me--"and we didn't order it. H-D had their way of making us take it."

"How many people you have in line for it" I say.
"Just you" he tells me.

In the spring rush season, I got a smokin' discounted deal on a bike that many claimed
they wanted, but no one actually stepped up and bought.

I think H-D knew what they were doing by not putting this bike's initial emphasis on the US market.

They now have a 2nd model called the XR1200X.
Guess where it's available (and where it's not).........?


Eddie

[TexanRT]

I think H-D knew what they were doing by not putting this bike's initial emphasis on the US market.

They now have a 2nd model called the XR1200X.
Guess where it's available (and where it's not).........?


Eddie

Great points.

It's another great idea that doesn't have much of a domestic market -- or it's not being properly marketed. If I were a HD marketing guy I'd take a couple of those bikes --- hire some really good riders --- and send them out to the Dragon, the Snake or anyplace else popular with riders to demonstrate them to the Motard and Sportbike crowds. Just parking them in the showroom isn't going to get the word out -- the customers HD is searching for aren't sitting around a HD dealer -- they're out riding.

I like those bikes -- the HD dealer I frequent has a couple --- at first glance, I knew they'd be fun on the Dragon.

[mika]

snipped-

Many manufacturers have models that are only for specific regions.

Eddie

I am well aware of that. You need not go beyond the Roundel to find Euro only models and even within that models that, in an ongoing basis are only sold in Ireland or Spain for example. Other companies have exported bikes and cars to Canada that never legally made it south of that boarder except on tour.

The XR decision struck me as curious at the time because the bike harkens back to an American icon. When it was announced I had space in a multi-bike garage that house two street tracker projects whose owners were likewise surprised. On reflection our interest in street trackers was more as a project bike to build rather than one to go to a dealer and buy. For HD to sell in Europe it had Harley chic, iconic value and in many ways worked for the mega-moto style rider.

This brings me back to Buell closing up shop. There is much I like about the Buell XB series. I have ridden a couple and find them an engaging bike. It makes the short list of bikes that I regularly check when I am dinging around at a bikes show, on ebay, craigs list or pick up a copy of some cycle trader. I could easily see buying a used one. At the same time I have never considered it on the list of bikes I would go to a dealer and buy new. I would happily buy parts from them just not the new bike.

[mika]

roadracingworld.com: A commentary on the end of Buell Motorcycle Company

[TexanRT]

Mancuso HD, the sole Buell dealer in Houston, sold out of every Buell they had in just a few days with some hefty discounts. They're even considering bringing in some bikes from an out-of-state dealer they moved so fast. I spoke with a salesman and they're providing full warranty service with any bikes sold and they expect HD to manufacture parts for 7 years. Parts and service should continue uninterrupted despite the production shut down. Another salesman in Austin claims there are still bikes at the factory that haven't shipped yet -- but at the current sales rates, they should be gone soon.

[mika]

thekneeslider.com: Harley Davidson closing Alabama test facility ÔÇô outsourcing non core operations in York

[TexanRT]

http://www.motorcyclingmag.com/Last_...torcycle_Built

[schweinweg]

I love my buell and was looking forward to the new models that were rumored to be out in 2011.When it comes time to replace my uly as my front line bike,well there just isn't anything out there that does it for me.I like my bmw but they don't make them anymore either.
The bad part is the folks that have lost their jobs.Buell workers(elves) were a small group of dedicated enthusiasts,who did take on the giants of the motorcycle world and were squashed by their own parent like some sick child abuser.ok maybe that's a little carried away.
Buell Forever Harley Never.

[ka5ysy]

The Buell Blast! 500cc single was used by H-D Rider's Edge BRC courses all over the nation. IMHO it was a terrible bike on which beginners could learn riding motorcycles. For a beginner it was too heavy. The grabby front brake caused crashes. The clutch was on or off -- no friction zone -- which was hard for beginners to learn to use. It was too powerful and the gearing was too high for learning to ride on an MSF range. Finally, its vibration was fearsome. As an MSF trainer, the Blast was a disaster.

I wonder what Harley will use now for its Rider's Edge courses. If it is smart, it will use beginner-friendly Japanese 250cc training motorcycles. But don't count on it.

Jeff, with all due respect, you are totally wrong on this one.

The Blast is perfect for a training bike because it is capable of taking huge abuse on the training range and still continue working. The typical crash damage is the loss of the turn signal lenses and stalks. Rarely does anything else break off. The only other thing that is an expendable item are the shift lever (you can straighten this 3 times before it breaks) and the peg support struts (These can be pulled straight many, many times). The parts are cheap too.

The "grabby front brake" is simply people improperly grabbing the front brake before the weight transfer occurs, and we brief that a lot when running braking exercises for that reason. Many of the guys and a few of the girls have to be told to use only two or three fingers until they get a feel for the brakes, which is usually after exercise two or three of the BRC. We always brief "squeeze the front brake lever", and I usually tell students to lead slightly with the rear brake which gets the weight transfer going. Buell brakes are very powerful by design, and the only reason I did not purchase a Ulysses was lack of anti-lock brakes and the timely arrival of the R1200R at the end of 2006 at my local BMW shop (test ride victim!).

Clutch: It is easily adjustable and if that was an issue on a Blast you were riding, it was the fault of the shop using them for not setting it up properly. It is also a wet clutch that is not prone to burnout like some "training bikes" I have had the displeasure to work with.

Weight: About 370 pounds wet. Not really an issue for anybody I have taught because the CG is so low. That includes a lot of tiny ladies who were absolute newbies, and some of whom were vertically challenged on the "low" seat.

The specs for a Ninja 250 shows a dry weight of 352 pounds. Wet it should be about 360 or so, so is essentially the same bike with only 27 HP from its engine, so this argument is totally erroneous.

Other common trainers:
Honda Rebel 250. Wet weight: 329 lbs.
Honda Nighthawk Approximately 350 lbs.



Too Powerful (???) :The Buell blast is powered by single cylinder, 4-stroke, 492cc (30.02 cubic inches) engine at about 34 horsepower. In actual fact, most of my students jump into much higher powered sport bikes (which I try to discourage without much luck), so the massive 34 hp Blast is a good training bike for them to figure out how and why they will kill themselves on the CBR1000 they purchased the week before class and dumped in the road several times already.


Fearsome Vibration: Its a Thumper for chrissakes, not a Boxer R1200RT !. At training speeds it is ok, and the heavy flywheel in the engine is very forgiving to improper clutch use and starting in second and third gear until they figure out getting back to first on stops. If you really want to ride it at highway speed (!!!), some Thottlemeister heavy ends work great to damp the buzz.

As a MSF/RidersEdge bike it is the proper tool for the job at hand.

The Blast will continue, for some amount of time, to be produced for the Riders Edge classes. There is a rumor about that HD is preparing a replacement which I hope will be as tough a little trainer as the Blast.

Japanese "lightweight" trainer... I certainly hope not, unless they can take the abuse the Blast can, or we will end up with crates of bike pieces at the ranges.

The loss of Buell is simply the result of the inability of HD to get dealers to sell a really nice bike that had some warts, because it "Wasn't a Harley", and other bad business decisions on the part of HD in its finance division. Think "Housing Bubble bust" applied to motorcycle financing for people incapable of repaying the loan. Economics 101 simply applied

[radiofun1]

how about "arrowhead". Kinda looks like one.

[drharveys]

I'm definitely going to miss the Buell Blast. My daughter has one. It was her "beginner bike" and she likes it. Even after riding an F650 in Europe, she just wants the Buell.

Here we are after a practice session:



And here she is in the driveway:



And, as the guy who took it around town getting it getting it fixed up, I like it too.
No, it's not a high-performance bike -- it's just basic transportation around town. You can hop on the interstate for a couple of exits, but that's not what thumpers are for.