I look at the Buell website right now, and every engine on there is between 900-1200 ccs. Not that displacement is everything, but they used to offer an entry-level model, with varying degrees of success (I've known people who loved their Blasts, and people who absolutely hated Blasts of any kind, so much so that they boycotted fireworks on 7/4). Now I can pretty much buy one of three engines in the same size range. Same goes for Harley.
Look at Honda, on the other hand. I can learn on a Rebel, like it, move up to something bigger, and move up from there, until I retire on my Goldwing. Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha: ditto.
But not H-D. Instead of easing people into their company, with the Blast logically moving up to the Lightning or a Sportster, then either to the faster Buells or the Harley big twins, they have nowhere to begin. Am I really going to drop $10k+ on a new Harley (that I'll probably drop) on day one? Even though an 883 Sportster doesn't have a whole lot of power, it's still a big bike for someone who's never been on one. If H-D had made the same deal with new riders about Buells that they did about the Sportsters (full value for trade-up), we might not have to watch Mr. Buell cry. I don't have a problem with H-D, really (I actually kind of like them
), but I never got the sense that the a$$clowns at the flashy dealerships gave a flying whatever about Buells, they were just the strange colorful bikes that weirdos would ask about sometimes, usually set up by the used stuff.
Harley didn't have the problems GM did, where they bafflingly encouraged competition among their own brands. They had three distinct, respected marques that served separate markets. What they did wrong was fail to take two of them seriously, and now they're gone. We'll see if they keep at the teddy-bear and toilet-seat schtick, or start taking their bikes seriously.
Rant over. Thank you for your time.
