Erik Buell Racing

[1KPerDay]

http://www.buell.com/en_us/company/news/detail.asp?news_id=1507

[chornbe]

He's not the sunset kind of guy.  

[Tpoppa]

Good Stuff!

[Squidbuzz]

HMM.........

[ninegear]

ok i forgive harley now...errr kinda.

to me this means its only a matter of time before they put buell back on the market lol

[ninegear]

He's not the sunset kind of guy.  

what do you mean?

[Tyrroneous]

That is good news!!  

[tankhead]

F#CK YEAH!!!! Go get'em Erik. Congrats to him and for keeping the same address and hopefully most of the elves.


 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harley-Davidson, Inc. has just announced today that following the company’s recent decision to discontinue the Buell motorcycle product line, Erik Buell, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of Buell Motorcycle Company, will leave the company to establish Erik Buell Racing, an independent motorcycle race shop that will specialize in making 1125R-based racing motorcycles and parts

[scramblerracer123]

Good news, but it brings up more questions

Will they be allowed to race in AMA?  Don't they need to be based on production bikes?  How does that work when it is a production bike then discontinued?  

Will DMG make a new class to allow full on factory race bikes and do away with the production based racing?  

[2DFlyer]

Cool.  But now what am I gonna do with the shirt?

[rhpaw]

Ok, I'm pretty happy now. I can drink my kool-aid with the hope that they're cooking another batch out back.

someday..

[Brad1445]

Impressive web site, continuing the the high standards the 1125 has set since its introduction in 2007.



Same designer?

[chornbe]

what do you mean?

not the kind of guy to just fade off into the sunset never to be heard from again.

[HanksXXX]

Oddy enough, Danny Eslik who won last year on the Rossmeyer HD Buell just signed this past week to ride a Suzuki next year...

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=38753

[squeezer]

Oddy enough, Danny Eslik who won last year on the Rossmeyer HD Buell just signed this past week to ride a Suzuki next year...

Thread jack: Did he sign with Yoshimuri?

I'm glad Buell's doing something with his own bikes. I'm still bummed his ideas are not going to bikes the rest of us might ride some day.

[Rogue]

Foregive H-D?

Never.  Once again they have shown us their self-centered acts.  You think they're doing this because they want to help Erik?  They want to absorb some of the stuff Erik Buell learns from racing without having to support it directly.  They won't even release the rights to the man who created it all.  H-D top executives should be ashamed of themselves for taking away the only American Sportbike company from Americans....the same ones they want to sell their pig-heavy and outdated cruisers to.  Buell held the keys to H-D's future growth and they just cut off that segment so they can continue to sell us slow, heavy, low horsepower bikes for the beer-gut and handlebar tassle crowd.  

H-D's idea of a performance bike = XR1200.  

Lower horsepower than the Lightning.
Heavier than the Lightning.
Old fashioned styling.
More expensive than the Lightning.
How many did they sell?

Why?  

Because the market said, no thanks.  Once the lovers of the original XR bikes got theirs, sales dried up.  DUH?  H-D is NOT listening to the market.  H-D is not listening to their own history (XL-CR/XR1000).  That's because whenever they try to sell something that they claim has performance, it falls short of the performance market's expectations.  

Erik needs to break away from H-D and hook up with another group of investors to start up independently again.  I say he should name it EBM Inc.  Erik Buell Motorcycles, Inc.  Market the bike's with his first and last name to avoid the selfish copyright claws of H-D.  H-D won't be able to start up Buell again without Erik and they know it.  C'mon Erik!  You can do it!  

[Brad1445]

Tell Erik not to let the Pods hit him in the butt on the way out.

[ibppjr]

That's awesome.  I'm glad we'll get to see them on the track again this coming season.

And I also am glad I ride an 1125R which doesn't look or act like every cloneasaki.  Screw conventionalism.

[Squidbuzz]

Brad, enough.  We know you don't like the pods, get over it.  

Somewhere some town has lost their idiot and we unfortunately have found him.  =/

[Brad1445]

Pick the thing you love most in life

For me, Buell Bikes in the colorado mountains.

Now imagine your dream is trashed due to sheer stupidity.  I need to mourn a little while longer.  Probably spring when KTM sends the new 990 to the  US.

[ibppjr]

Brad, enough.  We know you don't like the pods, get over it.  

Somewhere some town has lost their idiot and we unfortunately have found him.  =/

+1
I think this guy would give Dr. Phil a headache.

[squeezer]

Brad, enough.  We know you don't like the pods, get over it.  

Brad doesn't like the pods?

[kendenton]

Brad doesn't like the pods?

Who's this Brad guy anyway?

[chornbe]

He's the guy who makes Larry look like a whole circus of multi-trick ponies.

[Blunder]

Good news, but it brings up more questions

Will they be allowed to race in AMA?  Don't they need to be based on production bikes?  How does that work when it is a production bike then discontinued?  

Will DMG make a new class to allow full on factory race bikes and do away with the production based racing?  

Of course they'll be allowed to race. How many VR1000s have you ever seen on the streets? The precedent was set over 10 years ago and even if it wasn't this is the DMG we're talking about.

[Kyle401]

Cool!  

I hope he is planning to support XB owners after Harley ditches us in a few years.

[Kootenanny]

Foregive H-D?

Never.  

+11111

From the article 1K posted: “I’m pleased that Harley-Davidson is assisting Erik in establishing this business to continue supporting the racing efforts he has had so much passion for over the years,” said Buell President and COO Jon Flickinger. “Harley-Davidson and the Buell Motorcycle Company will always be proud of their affiliation with Erik, and we wish him well in this new endeavor to support Buell racers.”

Well, first of all, how will BMC "always be proud" when they're shut down?  And if H-D is "proud of their affiliation with Erik," they sure have an odd way of showing that.

Maybe if H-D made "actually ride a motorcycle" part of their criteria for a new CEO, they wouldn't be doing this.  A corporation has no soul...but the CEO should.

I know that, at one point, H-D saw Buell as a sort of "entry-level" bike meant to attract younger riders, who would eventually "grow up" and buy a Harley.  Well, this was wrong on the face of it (different demographic), but in this instance, they've ensured that at least one Buell rider will never, ever buy a Harley product!

[scottzilla]

Judging from this months Cycle World and Motorcyclist (December issues) Buell was spending some $$ on catchy advertising.  Is it me or does Harley's decision to shut Buell down seem rather spontaneous?

[Kootenanny]

Judging from this months Cycle World and Motorcyclist (December issues) Buell was spending some $$ on catchy advertising.  Is it me or does Harley's decision to shut Buell down seem rather spontaneous?

As I understand it, the advertising you're referring to (which was quite good IMO) was produced by Harley's advertising department, or at least the same ad company they use.  So in a way, H-D was getting more involved in Buell's advertising.

So yeah, it does seem a bit spontaneous.  I lay this at the feet of the new CEO of H-D, a man who is just now learning to ride a bike.  Maybe it's only me, but...I'd assume that anyone with any passion for motorcycles might actually learn to ride (at least, before they become the CEO of a major motorcycle manufacturer).  This guy is the classic example of a man who ignores his passions in order to make money--how can he possibly understand the passion that his customers have?  He's never had to sacrifice anything in order to own or ride a motorcycle, because he's never owned or ridden one!  He is the epitome of faceless corporate America...and if this is where H-D is going, I certainly want no part of them!

[Brad1445]

FRom the dealers I speak too, Buell got everything they needed from Harley.  This conspiracy theory makes no since.  


Harley paid to bring the XB bikes to market. They gave Buell all the rope they needed to hang themselves.  

I wish Harley had pushed harder for a higher standard when they brought out the water cooled " dream bike "  It appears focus groups and quality reports were not enough to change Erik's time table. You can read the old post at Badweb.  anonymous claims the bike was exactly the look they wanted and the best in class, and  so they just sat in dealers basements.

[ibppjr]

I like all of the Buell models, but it I really like the fact that Erik is going to build 1125R racebikes, just to piss off the "I hate the pods" wussies.

[2DFlyer]

 I lay this at the feet of the new CEO of H-D, a man who is just now learning to ride a bike.  Maybe it's only me, but...I'd assume that anyone with any passion for motorcycles might actually learn to ride

The dude didn't just walk into the board room and plop himself down at the head of the table.  Some majority of the board of directors had to think his election was somehow a good idea.  Maybe the reason they brought him in is precisely because he didn't ride.  Maybe they didn't want his heart getting in the way of his head.  So blame the BOD because it's heart and passion that saved HD in the middle 80's.

[Rogue]

The CEO, GM's, and the BOD all had a hand in it.  The main goal of the BOD is to make money and to ensure the value of their stocks.  This is the same goal of most stockholders of H-D.  And this is the same goal any CEO has while running any corporation.  This is what drives CEO's and other GM's to make decisions without any conscience regarding the well being of a company and its employees over the long run.  Their only goal is to keep their jobs long enough to make the big $$ then jump ship.

How often have we seen this happen over and over.....passion and loyalty is rarely ever the driving factor of any company.  Erik Buell was the one who bucked the trend and when he didn't dance along with everyone else, they shut him down.  H-D is no different from GM and other corporations.  The only difference I can see is that GM has little circles within their organizations who can REALLY build kick ass cars.  Cadillac is one of them, the Corvette team is another.  If GM wanted to they can tap into this talent pool.  Unfortunately, H-D does not have any of these capabilities.  They know how to market their bikes and build reliable bikes.  But they rarely ever come up with a world class performer.  NEVER.  The Street Rod was the closest one and they had to turn to Buell and later Porsche to do that job for them.  The XR1200's performance was due to Buell's development of the Thunderstorm engine.  Doesn't anybody ever ask why H-D can't deliver a proper high performance motorcycle that can go head to head with the best of Japan?  At least Buell was trying and at least they could close the gap!  I know nostalgia sells but like the new Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger, they only look nostagic but they pack a wallop and offer modern, world class performance.  H-D's only have nostalgia to sell.  How long can they keep that up?  Oh well.  Time will tell....

[scottzilla]

The CEO, GM's, and the BOD all had a hand in it.  The main goal of the BOD is to make money and to ensure the value of their stocks.  This is the same goal of most stockholders of H-D.  And this is the same goal any CEO has while running any corporation.  This is what drives CEO's and other GM's to make decisions without any conscience regarding the well being of a company and its employees over the long run.  Their only goal is to keep their jobs long enough to make the big $$ then jump ship.

How often have we seen this happen over and over.....passion and loyalty is rarely ever the driving factor of any company.  Erik Buell was the one who bucked the trend and when he didn't dance along with everyone else, they shut him down.  H-D is no different from GM and other corporations.  The only difference I can see is that GM has little circles within their organizations who can REALLY build kick ass cars.  Cadillac is one of them, the Corvette team is another.  If GM wanted to they can tap into this talent pool.  Unfortunately, H-D does not have any of these capabilities.  They know how to market their bikes and build reliable bikes.  But they rarely ever come up with a world class performer.  NEVER.  The Street Rod was the closest one and they had to turn to Buell and later Porsche to do that job for them.  The XR1200's performance was due to Buell's development of the Thunderstorm engine.  Doesn't anybody ever ask why H-D can't deliver a proper high performance motorcycle that can go head to head with the best of Japan?  At least Buell was trying and at least they could close the gap!  I know nostalgia sells but like the new Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger, they only look nostagic but they pack a wallop and offer modern, world class performance.  H-D's only have nostalgia to sell.  How long can they keep that up?  Oh well.  Time will tell....

I agree with you but keep in mind the Japanese came to HD-and copied them, not the other way around.  There is/was no reason for HD to go "Head to head" with the Japanese.  Marketing is a powerful thing.

[Rincewind]

The Buell Racing company is a nice concession to Erik, I guess, but it means nothing to me.  I don't follow racing.  I followed his product line pretty closely, and his bikes were on my list, but not anymore unless I decide to take my chances with iffy support.

Combine this Buell business with the apparent strong-arm tactics used recently at the Harley York plant, and I have very little admiration for Harley except for their history.

[chornbe]

The Buell Racing company is a nice concession to Erik, I guess, but it means nothing to me.  I don't follow racing.  I followed his product line pretty closely, and his bikes were on my list, but not anymore unless I decide to take my chances with iffy support.

Combine this Buell business with the apparent strong-arm tactics used recently at the Harley York plant, and I have very little admiration for Harley except for their history.

I'm in much the same boat. I love my bike, but it's the bike I love, not the company, not the heritage of the Sportster (which, IMO, is holding Harley back in general), etc. I admire what HD has done to help build, and respond do, a wickedly loyal core following, and I generally like their machines, but I just don't get some of the decisions being made.

[Lon]

He's the guy who makes Larry look like a whole circus of multi-trick ponies.

I almost spit out my coffee just now.  

[McHack]

Oh great,  another year of an American building claiming they're successful for competing against motorcycles at half the displacement of the competition!  

I would've been happy if Buell motorcycles were still being sold as STREET bikes,  but the DMG is just stupid & will not support what's being done to motorcycle racing here in the states.  Whats next,  having American builders race in the 250 class?

[Schneegz]

He's the guy who makes Larry look like a whole circus of multi-trick ponies.

At least Larry is cheerful.  Brad is like a bitter old crone with a grudge.  Think Miss Havisham from "Great Expectations".

[chornbe]

BWAHAHAHHAHAHAHA Awesome!  

[bomber]

Judging from this months Cycle World and Motorcyclist (December issues) Buell was spending some $$ on catchy advertising.  Is it me or does Harley's decision to shut Buell down seem rather spontaneous?

Yes, indeedy -- combine the timing of all the events (new logo, new ad campaign, crushing the Blast, closing the doors) with this gem -- HDI's PR department stated, within days after the closure annulment, that they didn't know how much money would be save by the closure . . . . all these things smell like panic.

Look for changes to the Board -- the decision regarding buying MV, getting into thebank business, approving the spend on the new Buell campaign, decisions like these are not approved at the junior MBA level --

[Rogue]

I agree with you but keep in mind the Japanese came to HD-and copied them, not the other way around.  There is/was no reason for HD to go "Head to head" with the Japanese.  Marketing is a powerful thing.

I hear yah.  That was back in the 1940's?

What is really ironic is the Japanese are quite the admirer of American inventions and products.  This was the case back when Japan was just coming out of their medieval age, and in fact we were responsible for their emergence was a military and industrial power prior to WW2.  After WW2, it was the same thing.  With the aftermath of our occupation of Japan, that admiration for American products only grew.  The Japanese copied a bunch of stuff from us.  However, while we stagnated, they advanced and nearly put our auto and motorcycle manufacturing out of business!  I believe the reason behind this is because the Japanese MUST compete in the world stage as well as each other.  Meanwhile, H-D has the luxury of unconditional support from the Baby boomers for the past 30 years.  All they need to do is look at GM and they will see themselves in about 10 years.

[Schneegz]

All they need to do is look at GM and they will see themselves in about 10 years.

Bailed out (again) and owned by the US Government?

[Rogue]

60% owned.

Ridiculous!

You know the biggest offense is that the same people who voted to get bailed out are the same ones who let GM go in the wrong direction.  I am quite sure that GM could have whethered this storm IF they had done the hard & painful work that Ford did back in 2006-2007.  I just wish I could have been in that Board meeting when they fired Rick Wagoneer (GM's CEO) for letting GM falter on key products for so many years.  I say that GM can do great things because they have.  But they need to step up to the plate and put ALL their products to world class standards.  They know how.  They just don't want to!  A car company that can create the Corvette, the Cadillac CTS (and all the V series Caddys), the current Malibu, and their excellent light trucks and SUV's can make it against the Japanese.  All they have to do is look at how far Ford has gone with determined effort and focus in just a few years.

[atadaskew]

Race on Sunday, sell on Monday.


Oh wait...

[Brad1445]

I'll bring the duct tape

[Kootenanny]

I would've been happy if Buell motorcycles were still being sold as STREET bikes...

Yeah.  My Buell is a street bike--and a damn good one at that.  It isn't really a racebike, but that don't make it slow.

I said at the time, I found it kind of embarrassing when the Firebolt (and then the XBRR) was being raced in Formula Xtreme.  Even though I know why it's not really competetive with supersports less than half the displacement, it just looks bad.  And then the 1125R comes along...according to Erik, the odd displacement was chosen specifically because it didn't fit into any race class...and sure it wins in the new Daytona Sportbike series, but the thing shoulda been racing in Superbike, where even if it didn't win, at least the optics wouldn't be so bad (I understand the recent, and controversial, 1125 racebike was--is--intended to race in Superbike).

[McHack]

..... And then the 1125R comes along...according to Erik, the odd displacement was chosen specifically because it didn't fit into any race class...and sure it wins in the new Daytona Sportbike series, but the thing shoulda been racing in Superbike, where even if it didn't win, at least the optics wouldn't be so bad (I understand the recent, and controversial, 1125 racebike was--is--intended to race in Superbike).

They do race 1125R's in SuperBike...  they're just not really competitive.  

[scramblerracer123]

Has DMG commented on the Buell situation lately?  What will this mean for the American Superbike class?  Do the homologation rules only apply to factory has to build so many- they don't have to be based on a street bike?  

[chornbe]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only Buells being currently raced are by privateer teams and not a factory-sponsored team, correct?

If so, shouldn't the finger pointing and laughing be at the privateer teams for selecting a bike that the creator - Erik Buell - was pretty darned open and honest about being a STREET bike and that he specifically designed FOR THE STREET and not for racing...?  

In this four-part (and great!) interview, Erik stated pretty clearly he was breaking from racing and focusing solely on building (paraphrasing his words) "the best street bike we could build".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meS0yPCZjdY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b77b09tM3A4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r86uJcF9d_4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhAFE8V0nK4

[Brad1445]

[ninegear]

little did we know the picture above was a flyer given to brad as he put his helmet on for volley ball in this years speacial olympics. now normally vollyball players dont wear helmets but you see brad needs one because hes speacial.

[phoenix]

I can't see how there would be any contingency money for racers, so why would anyone ride the Buell in a race?

Its cool that he's taken a step in some direction, but I don't think this step is really going anywhere.

[ninegear]

I can't see how there would be any contingency money for racers, so why would anyone ride the Buell in a race?

Its cool that he's taken a step in some direction, but I don't think this step is really going anywhere.

fischer and roehr build 1 motorcycle each. if buell built just the 1125r for private use i'm sure he would make some cash. and maybe even get another company started again

[whodom]

Here's a little more info from Erik Buell Racing:

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Ne.../?R=EPI-120348

"Very competitively priced front-running superbikes, no roadbikes"

The article has a couple of quotes from Erik, the first I've seen since October 15 apart from the canned HD press releases.

[st ryder]

Both you guys are way off track with mocking special olympians.  

[Oilhed]

Good news, but it brings up more questions

Will they be allowed to race in AMA?  Don't they need to be based on production bikes?  How does that work when it is a production bike then discontinued?  

Will DMG make a new class to allow full on factory race bikes and do away with the production based racing?  

I think Honda raced the RC45 years after it was out of production

[Mastros2]

Both you guys are way off track with mocking special olympians.  

I agree. It's a great organization. I attend our state's games almost every year.  

[Brad1445]

Both you guys are way off track with mocking special olympians.  

You are right and I apologize.

I heard the joke on anther fourm where they said Buells win was like winning in the S.O.  


Not cool. I am sorry

[ninegear]

You are right and I apologize.

I heard the joke on anther fourm where they said Buells win was like winning in the S.O.  


Not cool. I am sorry

yeah me too. sorry brad. sorry special olympians

[Tpoppa]

I suspect that ERB will focus on only Race bikes for just about as long as the duration of Erik's non-compete agreement.  In the meantime, Erik & a few of the brightest from BMC can continue their R&D and go racing.

[whodom]

I suspect that ERB will focus on only Race bikes for just about as long as the duration of Erik's non-compete agreement.  In the meantime, Erik & a few of the brightest from BMC can continue their R&D and go racing.

An anonymous post on Badweb seemed to confirm that.  Obviously it'll be a lot easier to start a new company if you can keep a core group together and working until legal & financial issues can be resolved.  

[ninegear]

An anonymous post on Badweb seemed to confirm that.  Obviously it'll be a lot easier to start a new company if you can keep a core group together and working until legal & financial issues can be resolved.  

i think he should start another company. maybe join victory. hell if he build bikes for victory or statrted his own company with sportbikes and cruisers.  

[Tpoppa]

i think he should start another company. maybe join victory. hell if he build bikes for victory or statrted his own company with sportbikes and cruisers.  

I think Polaris is a good organization, but the Victory dealer network would have some of the same drawbacks as the HD dealer network:  not alot a of sportbike knowledge and primarily cruiser-esque foot traffic.  Power Rangers and Village People just don't seem to mix very well.

For Erik to have success selling Buells (or whatever they would be called), they need to be sold along side Ducs, BMWs, Aprilias, etc and be in some the Big 4 dealers.  More sportbike friendly asses would sit on them in the showrooms & and salespeople would actually know about sportbikes.  Not to mention the dealers would carry riding gear that didn't have black leather tassels.  

[Brad1445]

For Erik to have success selling Buells (or whatever they would be called), they need to be sold along side Ducs, BMWs, Aprilias, etc and be in some the Big 4 dealers.  ........

You need to add consumer desirability in design and quality control.  

[Tpoppa]

You need to add consumer desirability in design and quality control.  

Out of curiousity, do you have any significant seat time on an 1125?  

I purchased an 1125 about 1,500 miles ago, I would describe the quality as high.  Not that I care, but I've gotten quite a few compliments at stop lights & gas stations.

[ninegear]

You need to add consumer desirability in design and quality control.  

i agree somewhat. i thought every buell ever made was ugly as hell but that wouldnt have stopped me from having one

[whodom]

Out of curiousity, do you have any significant seat time on an 1125?  

I purchased an 1125 about 1,500 miles ago, I would describe the quality as high.  Not that I care, but I've gotten quite a few compliments at stop lights & gas stations.

There you go, trying to bring facts into the argument again.  A few years ago Honda Goldwings had frames that would break in half, but the first few 1125R's had ECM calibration problems (which were fixed with a re-flash) and they're the worst motorcycles ever built.  Erik Buell should have publicly disemboweled himself before allowing these bikes to be sold before they were ready.  

[Brad1445]

yup, a few models with early fueling,  that was the only problem

http://www.badweatherbikers.com/

[Busy Little Whiner]

I think Honda raced the RC45 years after it was out of production

The RC45 was in production from 94 98... it raced one year passed its production in 99 because the RC51 prototype was not ready... after going back to the drawing board the V2 was finally ready in 00...

[fast2win]

Depending on the price this may turn out to be  a good deal for many privateers. If you can buy a complete race prepped bike for DSB which Buell has already proved can win, and get all the support from The man who designed the bike and his team of racer's. what would a team pay for a complete race ready bike 20k? That would seem about right to me. The 1125RR was going to be 39k, if he can build a competitive superbike with all the support that would also be a good deal if you want to run at the front. EBR needs to race his own 1125RR next year to help get the privateers interest.  Best of luck to EBR!!!!!!!!! Brad close the pod doors, please close the pod doors, you ride a Busa for Christs sake

[ninegear]

Depending on the price this may turn out to be  a good deal for many privateers. If you can buy a complete race prepped bike for DSB which Buell has already proved can win, and get all the support from The man who designed the bike and his team of racer's. what would a team pay for a complete race ready bike 20k? That would seem about right to me. The 1125RR was going to be 39k, if he can build a competitive superbike with all the support that would also be a good deal if you want to run at the front. EBR needs to race his own 1125RR next year to help get the privateers interest.  Best of luck to EBR!!!!!!!!! Brad close the pod doors, please close the pod doors, you ride a Busa for Christs sake

brad will keep going after buell so long as people like it. he probobly is one of those people who will continue argueing his point based off little things rather than big facts because he desires atention. brad said he owned 5 buells or somethign like that and 4 or 5 busas. i think he is full of shit too. brad is probobly a little kid who lurks forums because he has no freinds in the real world

[Rogue]

 

Brad keeps making new "friends".

We're all tire of him so just hit the IGNORE button so you don't need to read his drivel.  

[Brad1445]

brad will keep going after buell so long as people like it. he probobly is one of those people who will continue argueing his point based off little things rather than big facts because he desires atention. brad said he owned 5 buells or somethign like that and 4 or 5 busas. i think he is full of shit too. brad is probobly a little kid who lurks forums because he has no freinds in the real world

Ya got me,
the facts are Buell is still in Business all is well,
I'm not old enough to ride yet, but I have posters all over my bedroom because I have no real friends,

HIT IGNORE if you can not handle 7 tear old kids.

[Tpoppa]

Would you care to elaborate on these gross quality problems?  I realize that you have zero first hand exprerience with the 1125, but this must be based on something, right?

These are the known issues that affect the 1125.  I was aware of these prior to my purchase.  It's impossible to know the actual frequency of these issues without access to stats owned by HD.  I have not experienced any of these issues on my 1125 (I received my bike with a updated ECM calibration).

-Low speed surging - Resolved by an updated ECM calibration at zero cost to the owner.
-Fuel dripping from vent tube at high operating temps - Resolved by an updated ECM calibration at zero cost to the owner.
-Clutch cover weeping oil - The valve behind the pinhole vent in the clutch cover may 'weep' a very small quantity of oil.  Resovled with a revised clutch cover at zero cost to the owner.
-Low Fuel Light - the LFL may light when starting at low ambient temperatures (below 45 degrees).  It turns off as the bike reaches operating temp.  This is resolved by a firware upgrade in the instrument cluster at zero cost to the owner.

Beyond that, I haven't seen anything that is out of line with new model releases from any manufacturer.  

[Brad1445]

Would you care to elaborate on these gross quality problems?  I realize that you have zero first hand exprerience with the 1125, but this must be based on something, right?

These are the known issues that affect the 1125.  I was aware of these prior to my purchase.  It's impossible to know the actual frequency of these issues without access to stats owned by HD.  I have not experienced any of these issues on my 1125 (I received my bike with a updated ECM calibration).

-Low speed surging - Resolved by an updated ECM calibration at zero cost to the owner.
-Fuel dripping from vent tube at high operating temps - Resolved by an updated ECM calibration at zero cost to the owner.
-Clutch cover weeping oil - The valve behind the pinhole vent in the clutch cover may 'weep' a very small quantity of oil.  Resovled with a revised clutch cover at zero cost to the owner.
-Low Fuel Light - the LFL may light when starting at low ambient temperatures (below 45 degrees).  It turns off as the bike reaches operating temp.  This is resolved by a firware upgrade in the instrument cluster at zero cost to the owner.

Beyond that, I haven't seen anything that is out of line with new model releases from any manufacturer.  

I'm very happy for you.

[Tpoppa]

I'm very happy for you.

It's very interesting that you are so full of opinions, and want to share them over and over.  But when asked to provide any facts or supporting information, you don't seem to have any.  It's more than a little weird that you so strongly hold onto this belief that the 1125 is low quality and poorly built, when you admit that you've never even ridden one  

I choose to form my own opinions based on actual experience.  Everyone is different.

[Brad1445]

It's very interesting that you are so full of opinions, and want to share them over and over.  But when asked to provide any facts or supporting information, you don't seem to have any.  It's more than a little weird that you so strongly hold onto this belief that the 1125 is low quality and poorly built, when you admit that you've never even ridden one  

I choose to form my own opinions based on actual experience.  Everyone is different.

I'm very proud of you.

[ninegear]

hows about we get back to erik buell racing. also lets ignore brad.


any news on erik buell racing? the site hasnt changed since it came out.

[Brad1445]

..... the site hasnt changed since it came out.

yup, that sounds about right

[falconati]

yup, that sounds about right

Cmon Brad!  You can do better than that.  Your trolling has been mediocre, but this post was just poor form.  The trolling is too obvious.  Get back to your higher-quality trolling please - think of the children

[Brad1445]

Cmon Brad!  You can do better than that.  Your trolling has been mediocre, but this post was just poor form.  The trolling is too obvious.  Get back to your higher-quality trolling please - think of the children

I don't understand how I am a Troll for being upset that my favorite bike manufacture had the golden ring within their grasp and blew it.  Not due to economy, but a poorly styled, poorly designed,  non tested low build quality laughing stalk of the industry.  NOt for one year but for three.  Tarnishing the brand name beyond repair.

I don't understand how I go from being an evangelist to a troll due to a failure of Buell management.

If they are now the Edsel's of motorcycles i now have 5 Edsel's in my history,  how would you feel after years of  evangelizing you are presented with a indefensible product blunder that never should have occurred.

Ingredients for 1125

1. Good handing XB bike type frame.
+
2. Engine from Best Manufacture in the world Rotax
=
FUBAR




American manufacturing is dying and no one seems to care.

[falconati]

Now THAT'S the kind of post I expect!  

[Brad1445]

Now THAT'S the kind of post I expect!  

LOL

[whodom]

I don't understand how I am a Troll for being upset that my favorite bike manufacture had the golden ring within their grasp and blew it.  Not due to economy, but a poorly styled, poorly designed,  non tested low build quality laughing stalk of the industry.  NOt for one year but for three.  Tarnishing the brand name beyond repair.

You're a troll because you keep chanting this "low build quality" myth.  Yes, the early 08's had some quality issues.  THEY WERE FIXED.  How do you get "poorly designed"?  Where do you get "tarnishing the brand name beyond repair"?  If most people thought the bikes were really that bad, do you think they'd buy them at any price?  The problems with the 1125's were nothing compared to the recalls on early tubers, which surprisingly most people managed to get past.  There is no wide-spread perception that current Buells are low-quality.  

Not even the most ardent Buell fan would claim these were the best-looking bikes ever built- but we now know that Buell was working to improve that.  Like I said before, you have no freaking idea what constraints Buell was under when the 1125's were introduced.  Maybe it took 3 years to work a complete re-style into the budget.  

Mainly you're a troll because you've stated you're glad Buell went under because they deserved to and you continue to belittle Erik's efforts to keep something going.  You NEVER have one positive comment about anything Buell related.  Nobody can post anything about Buell without you jumping on the thread with this endless rant.  THAT is being a troll.

BTW, Sportrider, a mag not known for loving Buells, just posted their Ducati Streetfighter/Buell CR comparison test.  Guess which bike won?  

http://www.sportrider.com/bikes/146_0912_buell_1125cr_ducati_streetfighter_comparison_test/index.html

[JTM]

Mainly you're annoying because you've stated you're glad Buell went under because they deserved to and you continue to belittle Erik's efforts to keep something going. You NEVER have one positive comment about anything 1125 related. Nobody can post anything about 1125s without you jumping on the thread with this endless rant.  THAT is being a annoying.

I fixed that for you

Now if anyone is going to get called a Troll is should be Tpoppa, he registered in Oct and 60 of his 70 post are just antagonizing Brad.

[Tpoppa]

I fixed that for you

Now if anyone is going to get called a Troll is should be Tpoppa, he registered in Oct and 60 of his 70 post are just antagonizing Brad.

You are certainly welcome to your opinion.  However, in a good number of my posts I have provided factual, supporting information for my opinions.  When I have asked Brad to supply any real information to support his strongly held opinions, he has become oddly silent...and even admitted he's never ridden an 1125.

[Tpoppa]

You're a troll because you keep chanting this "low build quality" myth.  Yes, the early 08's had some quality issues.  THEY WERE FIXED.  How do you get "poorly designed"?  Where do you get "tarnishing the brand name beyond repair"?  If most people thought the bikes were really that bad, do you think they'd buy them at any price?  The problems with the 1125's were nothing compared to the recalls on early tubers, which surprisingly most people managed to get past.  There is no wide-spread perception that current Buells are low-quality.  

Not even the most ardent Buell fan would claim these were the best-looking bikes ever built- but we now know that Buell was working to improve that.  Like I said before, you have no freaking idea what constraints Buell was under when the 1125's were introduced.  Maybe it took 3 years to work a complete re-style into the budget.  

Mainly you're a troll because you've stated you're glad Buell went under because they deserved to and you continue to belittle Erik's efforts to keep something going.  You NEVER have one positive comment about anything Buell related.  Nobody can post anything about Buell without you jumping on the thread with this endless rant.  THAT is being a troll.

BTW, Sportrider, a mag not known for loving Buells, just posted their Ducati Streetfighter/Buell CR comparison test.  Guess which bike won?  

http://www.sportrider.com/bikes/146_0912_buell_1125cr_ducati_streetfighter_comparison_test/index.html

Good post.

[whodom]

I fixed that for you

There is some validity to what you say, except that Brad will also manage to inject his opinion of the 1125 into any Buell-related thread.  So even if the thread doesn't start off talking about 1125's (this one for instance) it still gets brought up.  

[Brad1445]

Mainly you're a troll because you've stated you're glad Buell went under because they deserved to a.........

I HAVE NEVER SAID THAT>


I never said I was glad they are gone, there is why the passion.

I DID PREDICT IT.

but its far from what I wanted, a huge difference between those two.
If they had finished the 1125 before release we both would be happy right now.

If you read Bad web, Anonymous, Blake and Court have consistently stated the 1125 was not a product brought to market with any constraints, that is how they wanted the bike to look. AS far as quality its naive to even say there is not quality issues, ie clutch weep, speedometers freaking out, tail light,  mysterious battery drains,  just to mention a few

They proudly state the 1125 is exactly the bike they wanted to bring to market.

That pride killed Buell.

You could have picked any 10 random high school students that could have done a better job in in managing of Buell in quality control, design and marketing, then the current (former) managers of Buell

If it makes people fell better to blame me, then go ahead, I killed Buell.

[Brad1445]

I fixed that for you

Now if anyone is going to get called a Troll is should be Tpoppa, he registered in Oct and 60 of his 70 post are just antagonizing Brad.

Thank you for looking beyond the emotion and to the facts.  THANK YOU!

[Tpoppa]

If you read Bad web, Anonymous, Blake and Court have consistently stated the 1125 was not a product brought to market with any constraints, that is how they wanted the bike to look.

So you think that Buell had unlimited money and time for R & D.  If HD's mgmt (some of whom were not Buell/sportbike friendly) imposed an unrealistic timeline, say before the EFI was sorted, to meet the 25th year anniversary, would you be aware of this inside information?

Blake owns a forum, he is not an insider.  Court is to a degree, but what he knows is rarely shared.  Are you assuming that anonymous = Erik?  Consider your sources.

Given more resources, I suspect you would have seen a redesigned tail section rather tham reusing the Firebolt's tail.  Regardless, the styling is as it is.

AS far as quality its naive to even say there is not quality issues, ie clutch weep, speedometers freaking out, tail light,  mysterious battery drains,  just to mention a few

It is far more naive to claim there are quality issues with based on NO experience.  If 1 person posts a taillight problem on a forum, that doesn't indicate a widespread problem.  Look at other manufacturer forums, there are problems reported on all of them.  It's IMPOSSIBLE to be able to know the frequency of issues with access to data owned by HD.

The overwhelming majority of 1125 owners are happy with their bikes.  Your assumption regarding quality is incorrect.

You could have picked any 10 random high school students that could have done a better job in in managing of Buell in quality control, design and marketing, then the current (former) managers of Buell

If you actually believe this, honestly...this statement says more about YOU.  

I will concede their was some questionable marketing that was not in Buell's best interest.  That blame should should be properly directed...and Buell didn't have a marketing dept.

[Brad1445]

ok

[ninegear]

Not even the most ardent Buell fan would claim these were the best-looking bikes ever built- but we now know that Buell was working to improve that.  

i second that. buells were by far the second ugliest motorcycles ever. i think BMW is worse though. cept their new sportbike caled the sr1000 or soemthing like that. they also got another bike that looks cool

[ninegear]

ok

what? no snappy comeback to anyone elses posts about you?

kid just admit your defeated. go play world of warcraft i'm sure your parents will pay for it.go play runescape if they don't.

i checked the new www.erikbuellracing.com website.hopefully it stays up for awhile. and hopefully HD decides to change their minds about closing buell for good.

[Brad1445]

k

[Busy Little Whiner]

Quote Sportrider Jan 2010 issue:

"Much of the current upheaval in AMA Pro road racing (Honda announced
they are pulling out of AMA roadracing, with Kawasaki likely to follow
suit; Suzuki will be cutting back drastically on its roadracing
efforts) is a result of the controversy surrounding the accusations of
the organization's favoritism toward Buell, with the homologation
approval of the company's 1125RR superbike (in obvious violation of
the AMA rulebook) being a pointed example."

[dorklord]

"Much of the current upheaval in AMA Pro road racing (Honda announced
they are pulling out of AMA roadracing, with Kawasaki likely to follow
suit; Suzuki will be cutting back drastically on its roadracing
efforts) is a result of the controversy surrounding the accusations of
the organization's favoritism toward Buell, with the homologation
approval of the company's 1125RR superbike (in obvious violation of
the AMA rulebook) being a pointed example."

Personally I think that those decisions were a load of crap, but I can't hold that against Buell; this wasn't a factory race team, it was privateers taking a bike and competing with it. It is also hard to blame the teams, I mean you go, you race, if the rules give you an advantage you take it. It looks like DMG was simply aiming for a misguided ideal of putting an American bike in a winning position.

This wanders a little off topic, but I think it is related enough: there's trouble in AMA road racing, and that leaves the idea of Erik Buell Racing in a precarious position. What if DMG changes the rules in view of last year's events and the outcry that followed? What if they want the 1125RR to race the bigger bikes from now on, or they ban the RR and only allow the R? What if they just increase the minimum weight for the 1125? Will anyone want to race the 1125 then? Is there enough interest from private individuals, in either club-level racing or track day riders, to keep EBR going?

What if the manufacturers do pull out? What if they don't have enough bikes in the field because of lowered prize money? We've got 2 serious issues here, we've got the possibility that not enough fans will show up at the track for races, and that can be a domino effect with advertising at the track, vendors and all that, where suddenly tracks decide they can't make the money on the race and suddenly we don't have any tracks to host the races.

The other issue is that if we don't have enough bikes in the field, it won't draw ratings on TV, again revenue falls, but this time its going to be DMG that won't be making enough money.

[chornbe]

Personally I think that those decisions were a load of crap, but I can't hold that against Buell; this wasn't a factory race team, it was privateers taking a bike and competing with it. It is also hard to blame the teams, I mean you go, you race, if the rules give you an advantage you take it. It looks like DMG was simply aiming for a misguided ideal of putting an American bike in a winning position.

That was my position, too. Buell was taking flack for the rules permitting the bikes, and for privateers taking advantage of it.

That's like suing the bug spray company because you served Raid to your 4 year old.  

[Tpoppa]

I think the mystery of the Yellow Barracuda II was solved with the 185 RWHP 1190RR.

Anyone know if 185 RWHP is in line with WSBK bikes?

[Busy Little Whiner]

Personally I think that those decisions were a load of crap, but I can't hold that against Buell; this wasn't a factory race team, it was privateers taking a bike and competing with it. It is also hard to blame the teams, I mean you go, you race, if the rules give you an advantage you take it. It looks like DMG was simply aiming for a misguided ideal of putting an American bike in a winning position.

True... but racing your 1125 against their 600 is not good marketing because its a hard sell when
prospective customers see they become equal in performance... like double the size does not
equal greater performance... I think it is one of the reasons why Buell had to shut down
production which brought on his demise...

[chornbe]

 

"Hi. I'm Erik Buell. Since you nutjobs took advantage of holes in the rules and raced our 1125 street bikes in the 600 class racing against race-bred machines, I've decided to shut down the company and take away your toys. But don't worry. I'll be back building new and improved 1125 models for you to race with... in the 600 class."

 

You're a hoot, that's what you are.

[fast2win]

185rwhp should be close. There will be a ton of electronics though that would need to be applied to make it be competitive. aka traction control etc.

[JTM]

Hey looks, Erik is going into the parts business. I'll take a 6speed trans for an XB and a programable ECU w/USB data port. What you still don't offer a 6speed....

[ninegear]

185rwhp should be close. There will be a ton of electronics though that would need to be applied to make it be competitive. aka traction control etc.

could someone explain what rwhp means?
 

[tankhead]

Rear wheel horse power.  

[ninegear]

Rear wheel horse power.  

thanks