Sunday, August 01, 2010

Honest Harley Davidson Commercial -or- Man, those Buell guys are Pissed



Props to Jim

19 comments:

Michael Maier said...

How did Buell get screwed over by HD?

JACIII said...

HD closed them down after they Finally sourced a decent engine from Rotax.

prof_hale@yahoo.com said...

But to close them down, they must have been owned by HD.  So HD was just closing a part of itself.  I don't see how that screws anyone.  Did their check bounce?

Nate said...

The screwing comes largely from the fact that Harley bankrolled buell but always treated them like the redheaded stepchild.  Dealers refused to sell them... mechanics refused to work on them...   eric signed a deal with the devil.

Also.. killing them off when they finally were producing one of the best bikes in the world... yeah... that pissed a lot of people off.

Bill said...

Buells were seriously cool bikes.  I can't believe they did that with Hardly parts.  And, surprisingly, they were not over-priced, they were pretty reasonable.  It'll be intreresting to see if there's some Buell "inspired" Hardlys out in the next few years.  I can totally see Hardly just ripping the guy off.

-Bill

JACIII said...

They are currently doing a pitiful rendition of "cafe' " styled bikes, but I don't see them persuing it far.

Bill said...

In honor of what Hardly did to Buell... here's a video of the most spectacular crash I've seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nsca3UqysrI

-Bill

Bill said...

The new Hardly Sportbikes;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQFH2ida6_o 

(Hey!  Is that Gregg?)  ;)

Michael Maier said...

Fun, semi-related subject change:

What's a good full-face and QUIET helmet?

Claymore said...

I've been happy with my Scorpion exo helmet.

Bill said...

Lots of factors affect helmet noise; your riding position, your bikes aerodynamics, how well the helmet fits, etc.  I've found that just about any decent fitting full-face helmet is pretty comfortable to wear all day, but I like Arai helmets, the Bell helmets always seemed to feel weird. 

Michael Maier said...

The EXO-900 looks pretty dang cool. My only gripe about my HJC Sy-Max has been the noise. But with the inflatable liner and wind skirt, the EXO-900 might have that licked. And I'd still get to not bother with my glasses with the flip-top. And I get built-in shades to boot.

The EXO-750 and 1000 look great too, but I lose the flip-top.

Michael Maier said...

Well, my helmet noise is such that I cannot hear my MP3 player at full blast with in-ear headphones. And the sound levels on the MP3 player at full blast will do damage to mine ears. So it's the helmet + earplugs, even for the five minute ride home.

So as is no phone, no MP3, no GPS.

Mikesbo said...

I didn't even know Buell had fixed their engine problem. With that out of the way, they were actually worth considering and/or competitive with the Japanese and European bikes (although more expensive than the Japanese). A de-tuned (more torque) version of the 1125R motor in a Ulysses would have been very tempting. Maybe even an 700-800cc version to up the mpg.

Bill said...

Dude, you have a real problem.  I've worn probably a dozen helmets, full-face, open face, brain buckets, etc, and I've never had one that I was deaf while wearing it.  I had a intercom/FM radio with earbuds and I've never had trouble hearing it even at 80+ speeds.

Something is wrong with your riding position, your fairing, etc.

JACIII said...

Those fellas need Rucki!

JACIII said...

One vote for Scorpion. I live mine.

JACIII said...

The Uly was just weird. With that seat height you could get a full on GS Adventure.

Michael Maier said...

Well, my Ninja 250 sure doesn't have much of a windshield, so I'm sure that's a factor. But JAC posted something about my exact model of helmet being loud two days after I bought it. So I'm sure it's relatively loud regardless.