Harley-Davidson kills off Buell, will sell stake in MV Agusta

[EJ25RUN]

Here is the video of Erik Buell stating the brand is over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSuIixDpB-8

Harley-Davidson has just announced its third-quarter results, and things aren't quite as bad as they could have been... but we'll get to that in a moment. The big bombshell is that the Buell brand is being discontinued and the American motorcycle manufacturer will sell off its share in MV Agusta.

Head on over past the jump to watch a video of an obviously emotional Erik Buell breaking the news that his namesake brand has been axed. Buell explains that HD will continue to honor the full factory warranty on his motorcycles and thanks his dealership body and loyal customers for their support over 20 years of producing offbeat American sportbikes. Roughly 180 jobs will be lost within the Buell organization and HD will also immediately begin the work of selling its recently-acquired stake in MV Agusta.

So, back to Harley's third-quarter performance. Revenue from motorcycle sales came to $803.3 million, down 22.1% compared to the the third quarter of 2008. A total of 54,236 Harley-Davidson motorcycles were shipped worldwide, down 27.4 percent. Another $300 or so million was made off apparel and merchandise sales. Full details (and the aforementioned video) can be found in the ridiculously long press release after the break.

Goodbye Buell, we'll miss you

[David88vert]

And this is just after Buell was handed the AMA championship.....

[jhadleyh]

he sounds pretty sad

[Feffman]

Not a big surprise since Harley bought MV Agusta last year. Sad none-the-less.

Feff

[EJ25RUN]

And this is just after Buell was handed the AMA championship.....

I'm struggling to connect the dots here. I thought when they intriduced the 1125R, Buell was really going to become a real name in the sport bike scene.

he sounds pretty sad

You think? He's worked pretty hard in the last 20 years to get his company here.

Not a big surprise since Harley bought MV Agusta last year. Sad none-the-less.

Feff

I disagree.

Buying MV was a decision Harley made as gamble when the economy wasn't as bad. When they released the sales figures for 2009, drastic things had to be done.

Buell, being directly under Harley's control came down to a decision similar to GM ending Pontiac and Saturn. MV is the Saab in this case.

[Feffman]

My understanding was Harley wanted/needed the MV Agusta dealer network to start moving Harley motorcycles more aggressively in Europe. Guess that may not work.

Feff

[David88vert]

I'm struggling to connect the dots here. I thought when they intriduced the 1125R, Buell was really going to become a real name in the sport bike scene.

Buell's main rider, Danny Eslick, rode No. 9 Bruce Rossmeyer's Daytona Racing/Richie Morris Racing Buell 1125R in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike class. Roger Edmundson basically went out of his way to give Buell an advantage by letting their 1125r run in a limited 600cc class. The Buell had way more power, and almost twice the displacement. To me, he basically gave the chanmpionship to Buell before the racing season started.

Eric Buell was celebrating just a few weeks ago on SpeedTV after the win saying that he was happy that his bike had won, and that it was due to a combination of experience, and Danny's abilities. He seemed certain that HD would spend more money developing the brand with the win. Obviously, HD was already looking at cutting it regardless, but Eric Buell just didn't know it yet. You don't make the decision to cut a brand overnight, you usually conduct some market research first.

Now that HD has shuttered Buell, so Roger will run back to the Japanese manfacturers and beg them to come back to really compete.

[EJ25RUN]

Buell's main rider, Danny Eslick, rode No. 9 Bruce Rossmeyer's Daytona Racing/Richie Morris Racing Buell 1125R in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike class. Roger Edmundson basically went out of his way to give Buell an advantage by letting their 1125r run in a limited 600cc class. The Buell had way more power, and almost twice the displacement. To me, he basically gave the chanmpionship to Buell before the racing season started.

Eric Buell was celebrating just a few weeks ago on SpeedTV after the win saying that he was happy that his bike had won, and that it was due to a combination of experience, and Danny's abilities. He seemed certain that HD would spend more money developing the brand with the win. Obviously, HD was already looking at cutting it regardless, but Eric Buell just didn't know it yet. You don't make the decision to cut a brand overnight, you usually conduct some market research first.

Now that HD has shuttered Buell, so Roger will run back to the Japanese manfacturers and beg them to come back to really compete.

I never cared for the Buell team in the AMA for exactly the reason you put. I doubt i'll attend another AMA race until a major changing of regs and ownership happens. I never did understand how a 1125 was allowed when the Ducatis are choked to 748cc and 749cc in the old super sport class. I really feel that the AMA's and DMG's utter stupidity in running American motorcycle racing has made the championship go to shit.

From my quote, I was looking at the 1125R purely from the street bike point of view. It was getting decent press and was a big step forward for Buell. I feel bad for Erik Buell as he has done a lot for the American motorcycle.