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.
Yeesh.
Another article on the subject: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2363030/posts
Thanks. I pinged them, too.
Few have the money for stuff like new motorcycles...RVs, boats etc...
I know I sure don’t.
Crap....the only american bike built to compete with rice burners...
A sad day...
Welcome to the new screwed by Democrat America.
pling.........
Strange.
Odd months - HD is the hallmark of “American manufacturing” and has “avoided the pitfalls of the recession economyh”
Even months - HD is closing shops, laying off workers and outsourcing components to China.
So, which is the real HD?
OMG, that’s incredibly sad. Everyone in the M/C industry has been rooting for Buell’s success, and it looked good for them until late last year when rumors started floating.
This should have been their year. Winning race after race against the mighty and many teams of the Japanese manufacturers. And this with a race team of 5 and no more than 200 in the entire company.
Harley should have had a separate marketing model in the EU than here, which would have allowed Buell to capitalize on the huge market of Buell fans over there. However, that’s a very complex issue, but still, I think Buell might still be viable if it had.
R.I.P. to a great brand, and best wishes to Erik and crew.
You’re right. We’re seeing some parallels with the old AMF come to light lately. None of this bodes well for Harley.
I wonder if this will have an impact on the Harley plant in York,Pa
My husband won’t be happy about this. He always said once the truck is paid off he wants to buy a Buell.
Guess he’ll have to settle for a used one.
Word on the street is that it’s going to close, at which point York will extinguish it’s last light and move lock, stock and barrel to Lancaster...
Really don't know much about motorcycles do you?
What Japanese motorcycle does/did the Buell compete with? Their Rotax sourced 1130cc had to go head to head with 600cc bikes to even be competitive on the race track and that old XL engine models were pig toad slow and too fragile to even be on a race track. As for sales, Do you really think Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha & Kawasaki even knew Buell was on the planet?
The Buell is really just poor competition for BMW, Aprilia and MV Augusta (and HD owns MV.) Ducati? Not in this lifetime. No, The Buell was nothing more than a boutique brand and boutique brands just ain't gonna make it in today's market.
“I wonder if this will have an impact on the Harley plant in York,Pa”
I doubt this will have any impact on the York plant, since Harley has decided t close it. They are looking in right to work states to build a new plant. This comes from Motorcycle Dealer News.
HD is also dumping their ownership in the Italian manufacturer.
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