Premium Member rustyshackles Posted February 19, 2021 Premium Member Share Posted February 19, 2021 Buell Is Back Making Motorcycles And More Models Are On The Way Buell Motorcycles is back and it is... 2 1 IBA Member #59800 3 Nations Brewing Mug Club #100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salish900 Posted February 19, 2021 Share Posted February 19, 2021 I welcome this news. It's ridiculous we have but one motorcycle company in this giant industrialized nation that makes the worst bikes in the world. I would gladly spend 10% more on an American brand that could build a bike to compete with the Japanese for reliability, the Germans for performance, and the Italians for style. Are you kidding me, the Italians who can hardly hold their nation together make far better bikes than we do here? It's a ridiculous waste of American engineering potential, and yet reflects the oddly cultural and even intellectual backwardness of our highly technical country. Sorry to rant, but this always frosts me. We should be making bikes to compete with the best in the world. Period. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koth442 Posted February 19, 2021 Share Posted February 19, 2021 I hope with time and money they step away from their V-twin only philosophy. I look forward to their future! '15 FJ09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhchris Posted February 19, 2021 Share Posted February 19, 2021 From the press release... "Buell will be present at Daytona Bike Week 2021 at J&P Cycles Destination Daytona Mega Store. " Anyone going to Daytona in March? 1 1968 Triumph Bonneville 650 1971 Norton Commando Roadster 2002 Harley 1200 Sportster 2003 Honda ST 1300 2016 FJ 09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhchris Posted February 19, 2021 Share Posted February 19, 2021 58 minutes ago, koth442 said: I hope with time and money they step away from their V-twin only philosophy. I look forward to their future! This bit from the press release hints at a broader approach to the market than they previously took: Buell Motorcycle upcoming models will include variants for dirt, dual-sport, touring, and cruisers while expanding the line up to include medium and small displacement motors. Let's hope! 1 1968 Triumph Bonneville 650 1971 Norton Commando Roadster 2002 Harley 1200 Sportster 2003 Honda ST 1300 2016 FJ 09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member keithu Posted February 19, 2021 Premium Member Share Posted February 19, 2021 10 hours ago, Salish900 said: It's ridiculous we have but one motorcycle company in this giant industrialized nation that makes the worst bikes in the world. We have two: H-D and Indian (Polaris). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member keithu Posted February 19, 2021 Premium Member Share Posted February 19, 2021 I hope it works. I would actually buy one if they're not terrible. I wish they would get rid of the weird front brake though. Yes, it's a cool concept, but it would be a lot smarter from a business sense to just go with a more conventional setup that we all know works, like Brembo Stylemas or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salish900 Posted February 19, 2021 Share Posted February 19, 2021 1 hour ago, keithu said: We have two: H-D and Indian (Polaris). Yes, just more fuel for my rant. I get that there is a stylistic preference for many for these bikes, but this goes beyond that. As a machine, as technology, as engineering-we fall short. For power, efficiency, reliability, diversity of style-we fall short. There is simply no comparison of the quality of work being put out by foreign companies to our own. It's just such a disconnect. We have absolutely the greatest universities in the world. I've gone to two of them and seen first hand the ridiculous draw and quality of our institutions. We attract many of the best and brightest engineering and science students from around the world. Long have. With all this talent, and expertise, HD and Indian make bikes that are not competitive in anything but a nichy styling on the world stage. Great Mars landing yesterday, an engineering accomplishment of the highest order, and done by a room of native and foreign born folks. We surpass the world in space. Make bikes that are stuck in 1960. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member keithu Posted February 19, 2021 Premium Member Share Posted February 19, 2021 26 minutes ago, Salish900 said: Great Mars landing yesterday, an engineering accomplishment of the highest order, and done by a room of native and foreign born folks. We surpass the world in space. Make bikes that are stuck in 1960. I hear you. I work among some of the top engineering recruits in the world, I see what graduates of these top universities can accomplish. There is equipment on the ISS that came out of the building where I work. Some of the things they're building were science fiction just a few years ago. I wish H-D and Polaris would hire some of these folks. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 2and3cylinders Posted February 19, 2021 Premium Member Share Posted February 19, 2021 Oh no! Bill Melvin, Jr. is a snake (as was Sr.). I could have worked for Erik in 98 but chose to decline his offer. "Erik Buell will not have a role in the new company, according to Melvin, because Erik Buell is currently involved with the electric motorcycle and bicycle company Fuell." Yeh, right, Erik can't stand Melvin. https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/buell-is-back/ HISTORY | Buell Motorcycle (What a load of crap, their website is revisionist) In 2016 Melvin was selling off new and updated units for under $9k. I took a test ride of the naked version up at Action Powersports up in Waukesha, WI, and bought a leftover fastest red 15 FJ09 instead. I knew EBR wouldn't make it. As far as dissing HD and Indian, they now make excellent quality (with a few bugs like ALL the manufacturers) machines that are dependable, fast, high-tech and stylish, IF that style and function match your choices. They don't attract me except for the FTR-S a bit. But to say their bikes are junk is just not correct or fair. After WW2 we saved Japan, Germany and Italy, and taught them modern industrial manufacturing technology. They took the ball and ran with it, improving on technology developed by others, and then leading new paths while we got fat and sassy. But we've always have been and never stopped being great (get the inference), we just got lazy and let others do the manufacturing for us, which I've ALWAYS derided, if for any other reason than National Security. I could go on but you get the drift... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member keithu Posted February 19, 2021 Premium Member Share Posted February 19, 2021 I am interested to learn more details about the Pan America next Monday. If the rumors flying around are true, H-D might have a legit home run with this one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhchris Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 (edited) On 2/19/2021 at 12:31 PM, 2and3cylinders said: As far as dissing HD and Indian, they now make excellent quality (with a few bugs like ALL the manufacturers) machines that are dependable, fast, high-tech and stylish, IF that style and function match your choices. They don't attract me except for the FTR-S a bit. But to say their bikes are junk is just not correct or fair. Maybe. But you can't call them innovators either. Old technology seems to be part of the allure of these brands. Water cooling is touted as an innovation! Look at KTM (1290s to 350s), BMWs 1800, the new Multistrada and and other bikes and you see design and technology innovation. Other than the eBike Harley is basically same-old-same-old. One would assume that they would have improved quality after building basically the same product for 30 years. I wish them well and hope they survive, but they need to join the rest of us in the twenty-first century IMHO. Edited February 21, 2021 by nhchris 1968 Triumph Bonneville 650 1971 Norton Commando Roadster 2002 Harley 1200 Sportster 2003 Honda ST 1300 2016 FJ 09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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