Tpoppa

She gets rep for a tight package.

I do not detect any

Forget the giant. The brunette is HOT!

My GF is a surgical nurse at a large hospital in the Cleveland area. They just instituted a policy where: 1. You get a physical 2. Your overall health/insurability is 'scored' 3. Your cost of healthcare is then based on your score. I can see both sides of the issue.

The Dean doesn't like fat chicks.

America has lost it's sense of humor

They race those in one of the Isle of Man divisions. I wouldn't want to be the monkey.

Nope. Now maybe we can get back to Buell hating. I miss it

Congrats!

+1 Producing race only bikes wouldn't violate a non-compete. It looks like he has some cooperation from HD.

This is the best article I've read on the Buell closing: http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2009/11/19/harley-davidson-and-buell-unfinished-business/

Did they mention the Aqilia by name?

My guess is this will be a non-event. HD dealers never pushed Buells with American or Austrian motors. I have my doubts that a Korean powered ATK will make much of a splash. Perhaps this will be the new bike for the Rider's Edge program??

Is this a repost?

I don't want to sound all conspiracy theory, but real reasons for the Buell closure are about to be released. It's more related to bruised ego's than $'s. It has to do with hurt feelings over the HD VR1000 team's failures & Buell winning the AMA title this year. Basically "Buell was told (by HD) that if they had a hair on their ass they'd try playing in Supersport." HD was expecting Buell to fall flat on their face. Any pressure on DMG to allow the 1125 to compete was due to this. So Buell was allowed to compete. They did very well, and won. They did it with about 1/5 the budget that some higher ups at HD used to completely mis-manage the VR1000 racing program. "That REALLY pissed some folks off at Harley-Davidson" and was likely the catalyst for the Buell closing. The Buell Barracuda is ready for production and to compete in WSBK. Some top HD execs did not let that happen. You think there are Buell/sportbike haters at HD dealers, they have nothing on HD mangement. ..........Buell........Harley. These are bikes sales $$ x 1000 2003 * 76,064 * 3,621,488 2004 * 79,029 * 3,928,232 2005 * 93,069 * 4,183,515 2006 * 102,227 * 4,553,561 2007 * 100,534 * 4,446,637 2008 * 123,086 * 4,278,241 Over these years Buell had 61.8% growth, HD had 18.1% growth. The closure wasn't about $$$. Now watch this video again http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5i7JDNACtI If you are not familiar with the VR1000 mess, this is a good read: http://www.superbikeplanet.com/vr1000_obit.htm If you search for 'Buell' in the blog that UP mentions above, there are some very good articles. I don't claim to know the entire story, but I know enough that I am comfortable repeating it. Remember you heard it here first;)

That is exactly what HD thinks of anything that is not covered in chrome and leather tassels. But to be honest, that picture is from a test facility. Those were test bikes with no VINs, and were not available for sale.

The traffic on 250 wasn't bad, but that road is so twisty & hilly that when you do get behind traffic it can be hard to find a place to pass.

The 'New Martinsville TT' is always fun, more fun on a big bike. Also, a good chunk of WV250 has been repaved...that was a nice surprise

I tend to agree with that statement. But you may be surpised to know that some top execs @ HD had become VERY resentful that Buell was cannibalizing HD sales. That was 1 of the driving forces behind the Buell closure. Question: Are you at all suprised at the timing of this closure? --Buell just won the AMA Supersport Title - Whether you agree that the 1125 belonged there or not, it proved it was at least as good as a 600cc I4 on the track. It was the best performing Buell to date. --The Buell Barracuda was ready for production (The yellow 1199cc bike in the pic). The costs for the investment in development were already incurred. It was to be released 7/2011 & was to compete in WSBK. --Although only 3% of HDI sales, Buell was holding it's own. Buell sales were growing significantly faster than HD (I'm speaking percentages) & seemed to be poised for additional growth.

You are referring to HD, correct? Buell was not closed for financial reasons. http://dalefranks.com/cycles/index.php/2009/08/a-rare-tactical-mistake-an-ongoing-strategic-problem/ pt 2 http://dalefranks.com/cycles/?p=837 btw, This was written before the announcement to close Buell.

Similair quotes have been made by HD spokes-people...Buell is too entrenched, too deeply integrated, etc. I formally call shenanigans. In this age of mergers and spinoffs, much more complicated business actions take place all the time. I personally have been involved in 2 of them. GM sold Hummer, Ford is trying to sell Volvo, etc. I fully understand why HD wants to keep control of the XB mill. But what is 'integrated' about the 1125. There is not 1 part that is common between the 1125 and any HD model. All 1125 parts are made by Buell or sourced from a vendor...not 1 part is made by HD. HD has also said they don't want to let an outside business entitiy gain access to their dealer network. Again, I fully understand that reasoning. However, the groups that are trying to buy Buell have already stated that would not want any access to HD dealers. If I had HOG stock, I would require much better answer from HDI's board or directors.

Erik still owns 2% of Buell, it's not clear if he still retained patents or intellectual property. He very likely signed a non-compete agreement when he sold interests to HD. So his hands may be tied for 2 or 3 years. Apparently the 1199cc bike was real. It was going to be the Buell Barracuda and was scheduled to be released 7/2011. With significantly less weight & more HP than the 1125R, it would have to use some expensive materials. It would probably be priced to compete with Duc 1198 models. I think everyone can point out reasons why HD and sportbikes are not a good fit. But, it's a mystery why HD would choose to close Buell and make no attempt to sell the brand. In the last month, several groups have made proposals to buy Buell, HD still maintains Buell will not be sold. If you read HDs financial results, HD is in bad shape. HD Finance is losing TONS of cash with subprime loans. It's not like Buell technology or Rotox motors will ever find thier way into an Electra Glide.

It sure could have been. Not only did HD kill Buell, they killed the American Sportbike industry

Inya, What is your impression of the XB?

Anybody see this??? http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2009/11/14/what-was-buell-working-on-when-the-end-came/ What was Buell Working on When the End Came? Speculation about the bike indicates a displacement of 1199cc with much less weight and more horsepower than the current 1125R, it's the kind of bike you would build if you were planning on World Super Bike competition, or more to the point, the bike you would build as a true, no compromise, world class American sport bike.