Buell is done!

Thinking pic of MV Agusta, the Italian marque recently purchased by HD, and which HD now has up for sale.

Good Luck!

Here's an interesting read on the MV Agusta saga. From dealer news:

Harley-Davidson, Inc. today announced a plan to sell the MV Agusta Group. The Italian sportbike supplier, purchased by the Motor Co. in Aug. 2008, has had a tumultuous corporate track record.

2002 - Relaunched in 1997 following 17 years as a shuttered brand, the MV Agusta Group enters the new millennium in serious financial difficulties and, by 2002, is trying to escape court-ordered temporary receivership proceedings.

Oct. 2004 - MV Agusta CEO Claudio Castiglioni strikes a deal with Proton Holdings Bhd to have the Malaysian firm underwrite a €70 million loan. The deal allows MV Agusta to meet all of its outstanding debts with banks and suppliers and return to capital and asset liquidity before a Dec. 31 deadline set by lenders.

Proton becomes MV Agusta's majority shareholder and appoints a managing director. Castiglioni remains as company CEO.

Dec. 2005 - Proton announces a plan to sell its 57.8 percent stake in MV Agusta to Italian investment company Gevi SpA for one Euro plus MV Agusta's $126.8 million debt and $38.5 million working capital requirements. Proton leadership changes during the year, and new corporate directors say they no longer want to fund an operation with what appeared to be a growing debt load.

June 2007 - By now once again 95-percent privately held by the Castiglioni family, the MV Agusta Group sells its Husqvarna brand to BMW.

April 17, 2008 - Harley-Davidson, Inc. says it'll cut 730 jobs and ship 2.5 percent fewer motorcycles this year in measures aimed at offsetting anticipated weakness in the industry.

June 2008 - The Italian firm again, according to Harley-Davidson research, "significantly slowed production due to financial difficulties."

July 14, 2008 - Harley-Davidson, Inc. signs a definitive agreement to purchase MV Agusta Group for €70 million ($109 million).

Harley-Davidson, Inc. CEO Jim Ziemer says the acquisition is intended primarily to expand Harley-Davidson, Inc.'s presence and footprint in Europe, complementing the Harley-Davidson and Buell motorcycle families. H-D plans to continue to operate MV Agusta Group from its headquarters based in Varese, Italy; Castiglioni continues in a leadership role as chairman; design chief Massimo Tamburini continues his leadership of MV Agusta Group's design studio.

Aug. 8, 2008 - Harley-Davidson, Inc. completes the purchase of the MV Agusta Group, which includes the satisfaction of existing bank debt for approximately 45 million euros ($69 million). Harley-Davidson, Inc. now is the parent company for the group of companies doing business as Harley-Davidson Motor Company (HDMC), Buell Motorcycle Company (Buell), Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS) and MV Agusta Group (MVAG). The Cagiva brand also is included in the deal.

Nov. 7, 2008 - Harley-Davidson works to polish the Italian organization in three major areas: 1) the re-start of production, 2) development of a broader model range, and 3) the procurement of a larger dealer base with which to do business.

"Our initial focus has been on the production line, and we're doing very nicely getting to our planned daily production rates," Matt Levatich tells Dealernews during an interview at the MV Agusta factory. Levatich, after having served in a variety of roles for H-D both in the United States and Europe, was tapped to serve as president and managing director of MV Agusta Motor SpA.

How will MV Agusta and Cagiva jive with the Buell brand? "They're a very different product, yet absolutely complimentary," Levatich says. "We don't want to be chasing the same customers. Buell has established itself in a unique position in the streetfighter arena, and there's segmentation based on price."

Dec. 3, 2008 - MV Agusta announces that Design Chief Massimo Tamburini plans to retire from the company, effective Dec. 31. Tamburini has been with Cagiva since early 1985 and has headed up MV Agusta's engineering and design center.

March 23, 2009 - James Ziemer, president and CEO of Harley-Davidson Inc., visits for the first time the MV Agusta and Cagiva headquarters in Italy.

"Harley- Davidson, MV Agusta and Cagiva have a great and common tradition," Ziemer tells workers, "a tradition of creating the world's best motorcycles in the segments where they compete; both companies enjoy unrivalled customer passion for the products and brands; both companies also have extremely talented and passionate employees who want the best for the rider. There are many great strengths already within MV Agusta, and now with the experience and resources of Harley-Davidson, MV Agusta and Cagiva can achieve even greater success in the market more quickly."

May 1, 2009 - Matthew Levatich, president and managing director of MV Agusta, becomes president and COO of Harley-Davidson Motor Co. Enrico D'Onofrio, who joined MV Agusta as corporate general director earlier in 2009 after serving as CFO of Ducati, assumes the post of managing director, MV Agusta.

May 18, 2009 - Enrico D'Onofrio, the newly placed head of MV Agusta, is being investigated for violation of industrial secrets, illicit competition and aggravated theft after leaving Ducati to join competitor MV Agusta. D'Onofrio's house and office are searched. "They have seized only a computer," D'Onofrio's attorney Alexander Diddi tells Italy's ANSA news service.

July 16, 2009 - Dismal business results during the first half of the year are causing Harley-Davidson to cut motorcycle shipments 25 to 30 percent compared to last year, to shut down production for 14 weeks, and to reduce its workforce by an additional 1,000 employees. These cuts come in addition to H-D's plan from earlier this year, which called for a workforce reduction of about 1,400 to 1,500 hourly production positions and about 300 non-production, primarily salaried positions in 2009 and 2010.

Sept. 2009 - MV Agusta unveils 2010 Brutale 990R (MSRP: $15,000) and 1090RR ($18,000), both using designs by the retired Tamburini.

Oct. 15, 2009 - Harley-Davidson, Inc. net income for the nine months ended Sept. 30 was $163.6 million, down 71.6 percent from the year-ago period. The Motor Co. announces move to end production of the Buell line and sell off its recently-purchased MV Agusta business.

that is what mv called a brutale 910.....i know a guy with a 750 brutale...and they look kinda the same...anyway....whenyou stand next to it ,the finish work and the front end goodies ,combined with the rest of the bike and how well it is desinged to flow from seat to tank ect....pretty darn impressive work...i'm no italian bike super fan ,but wow....oh and did i mention the front suspension....the bike seems to be carrera 911 of modern bikes......KawiConvert wrote:

trianglelaguna wrote:

now even i want a harley

That looks like something between a Ducati Monster and a KTM Duke. There is no way thats a harley. Not enough electronics are rubber mount isolated to be a harley.

Tommotbird wrote:

Buy yourself a Triumph guys, plenty of Kawsaki technology there and also made in the UK (F*ck all else is made here these days!)
I would guess that the falling pound sterling makes it cheaper for you to buy a Brit bike.
Tommo

Should I ever get the urge and moola to buy a brand new sickle, Trumpet will definitely be on my list.

Norton 961 Commando soon and it is a beauty!

Something that I jotted down on another forum:

Eric Buell: I think the guy might be bi-polar. I met him on two occassions and both times it took the afore mentioned "3 minutes" for me - and every single person within the sound of his voice - to come to the conclusion that he's a pompus opinionated dick-head. Then again, I have several friends who have met him and describe him as a non-judgemental motorcycle enthusiast who has nothing but passion for bikes and helping motorcyclists. ...go figure.

Word is that Bombardier is looking at him for their potential entry into the streetbike market. That'd be a fit. I wish the best for him. He's strangely brilliant; we'll hear from him again, I'm certain.

Buell franchise: Noboby is going to be buying Buell motorcycles as a brand unless some insane purchase agreements were made. HD has too much inter-related technology patented into the Buell brand (especially 'parts') to be able to allow anyone else to make or own the mark (could you imagine anyone besides HD marketing Harley Davidson parts...with their branding???!). HD itself got into some very stupid and risky investment loans [this is NOT the "customer loan" money...the default number there is very tiny and has no impact on HD closing Buell] and is currently setting on around $900 MILLION in shakey loans...wouldn't that suck.

Buell motorcycles: Man I love that new CR. What a good looking and cool bike. Rode one...hated it. I think that with an exhaust and a set of proper handle bars it might re-stimulate me. And some fettling with the fuel injection...it just ain't right...steady throttle at mid-range cruising speeds is impossible...snatchy and surgey (are these words?). I also - unfortunately for the 1125 - rode a Ducati Monster 1100 and an MV Brutale 910R on the same day...what I didn't expect: the Ducati was fantastic(!) , crisp power, grrrrrreat sound (Termig.s) and snappier handling than previous Ducks I'd sampled. But the slam-dunk was the MV...*ghuh!*...perfec riding position, great power, sweet handling, and 'that look'...oh shawiiiiing. Anyway, back to the $6200 1125s...that's a killer deal on a bike with significant potential...still think I'd take an XB though...can't quite even put my finger on 'why' but XBs just stimulate.

Buell Racing: that championship was total bullsh*t and everybody in the AMA knows it...teams, riders, AMA bureaucrats, you name it, it was a bought-and-paid-for championship pure and simple...no secret. I wish it were otherwise, but it's not.

Good luck to all those who pick up a new Buell; they're sure a sweet bike...if I weren't tighter-than-an-air-lock I'd buy one...but alas...I'm a tight bastich!

-KR

Haveing said that...to you guys I say this: The MV Brutale is a very Kawasaki-like bike...ride one, you'll see what I mean. ...and I still get wood over Triumph triples...whattaya do?

Whattaya do?

Right now ya hunker down and save your sheckles because this economy is not moving in a positive direction. I don't see this as a "normal" down cycle and despite the sunshine and lollipops being painted over certain economic news, this one is going to be a helluva ride before it's all done. Right now I'm in "maintenance" mode. I'm not going to take on any projects nor laying out a lot of cash for anything. I'm certainly not going to be borrowing money.

When this is all said and done and we know who is left standing, those of us who weathered this storm will have our choice of some nice bikes.

Word is that Bombardier is looking at him for their potential entry into the streetbike market. That'd be a fit.

A Bombardier built Buell? Now that's something I would buy!

Doesn't Bombardier make the Can-Am reverse trike? or used to.

Kawickrice wrote:

Doesn't Bombardier make the Can-Am reverse trike? or used to.

Think so... They also made the DS650 single cylinder 4-stroke quad. Pure awesomeness. Their snowmachines are nothing to sneeze at either.

Erik Buell has the most ridiculous hair ever. How old is he, 14?

I wish i had hair!!! :blink: :laugh: