Here’s one: What is the appropriate amount of internet hate one should get for designing and building an American sportbike and putting it on a World SBK grid.
+10000 these are legit and professional questions, and i would definitely love to know his answers for them
Those are good examples, but in with KTM, they've gotten MotoGP level wins out of the bike, and there was no real risk of reputation failure should they change. Ducati saw it wasn't going to work, and subverted their aesthetic (paul smart and some of the other trellis frames are beautiful) to go for function, not form. IMO, Buell's need to be "different" over-rode one of the most basic design rules of racing; it has to work as intended, or better. Especially when competing against proven products that DO work. That need to be "different" as I see it, was really Buell's ego over-riding the lack of advantage offered to (or in some cases dis-advantage conferred upon) the racers. My question is in retrospect, was that good? The follow up; would he do it differently now?
A MotoGP podium isn't winning. Selling the most bikes is 'winning". But I see your point. Theres a fine line between engineering something thats different to be better or different to be different... He got some wins and some losses, but it's a great story of a hardworking American that really swung for the fences. He has been very curt with his opinions of the current (Buell TM) owners and he opinion comes through quite clear while still being very PC about it. People didn't understand the importance of mass centralization until later, laughed at underslung mufflers too(until they became mainstream), didn't understand the braided brake lines that are also common now, and so many other mass produced engineering successes, tending to focus on the obvious weird brake. I appreciate the effort to go against the grain. No, you won't 'find them on a MotoGP bike' but for a performance street bike they're still fine. especially when designed over 19 years ago! I'll tune in for the show for sure, thanks for the heads up! But try to not be that 'Hey Ozzy, whats bat taste like" guy. Would he do it all again? He had some success and certainly some very public heartbreak, there are still a core fan base (holds hand up) but I'll admit their time is over. IMO the new brand is laughably bad, bordering on scammy. What a shame. My GF even drank the Buell-aid and tracked her very first bike. A Blast! LOL
Erik is a cool dude, met him a few times at vintage bike shows. He still makes himself available and is really approachable, knows every part of every bike he ever put out, never secondhanded anything. I don't know if I'll ever own a Buell, but appreciate his level of knowledge on everything.
how about the SASS mountain bike? i remember these as i worked at a schwinn dealer at the time (early nineties) and only seen pictures of the bike since there was a small run of them made in waterford if i recall. i am pretty sure they were made in the usa. did Erik actually have much to do with it? even though i was a roadie, back then i thought they were super trick and the cool uber purple, which was the rage at the time. i thought it was a big deal back then, but wonder if he just said, here's my design, feel free to use it, or if he was active in the actual bicycle build process. heck, i don't even recall if they were actually any good, but they were cool looking.
I always thought Buells were cool bikes, even with the Harley anchor. Every one I rode was a blast. The 1125 with a modern v- twin really appealed to me so I opened my wallet. It was worth every penny. I can truthfully say it was the most fun sport bike for the real world -- meaning not the track, but the roads and streets of America -- I've had. In part because it was the easiest bike to ride fast. I've certainly been on faster bikes and bikes that handled better, but all seemed to take more work than the Buell. I don't know how else to describe it. I miss the Buell, but it was a necessary separation.
Ask him why he never attended one of the Back to the Track or Inside pass Buell 1125r dealer training track events.
When the 1125 came out I wanted one badly. I was searching for a step away from older Brit bikes to something more sporty. A HD dealer close to where we were living at the time, let me take one for a 4 hour test ride accompanied by a sales guy on his bike. I loved the thing and really wanted it more after the ride. I don’t know how they are on track, but it made for a great street bike that you could ride all day. Ended up with my FZR400………yeah night and day decision
Tank slappin Podcast I’ve actually interviewed King Kenny and he didn’t hold back. I’ve been lucky to talk to some really good people. Kocinski was another good show. look it up. I’m in there with Ctex
