Valid question if you want to yank the discussion out of theory land. That said: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...Riding-the-Isle-of-Man-TT-on-a-50cc-bike.html It's not the TT proper, but it happens. I need to dig more as I recall someone running the Manx one year on Honda Monkey back when I was deep into pitbikes.
Let's say with all the capital sloshing back into the USA, EBR finds the money to restart again. What changes would the beeb implement to make it a successful product?
The front brake system has been proven time and again to be ineffective for racetrack use. Didn't they say when they switched to a proper front brake setup Canepa instantly dropped lap times....that'd certainly be a good start. The motor also whilst not too bad was grossly underpowered compared to its competition and couldn't hold a candle in top speed numbers, and as they started to try and milk more HP from it through the season the things just kept going boom.
The small bike market seems to be booming... 300 triple in nekid and fully clothed trims, motor designed to easy conversion from mild to wild?
Don't call it EBR Don't call it a Buell. Don't associate your product with that company at all. Ride safe, AAron
HD screwed that up just like DMG did pro racing. Put too many rules in place for it to truly succeed. And then they got rid of it when it was still profitable.
Only vaguely remember those things existing and don't remember any specific details about them. That being said, I'm guessing it didn't fall into the category of cheaper or at least fairly reliable that I mentioned. That being said, not all companies will succeed. Just was just my opinion on giving yourself the best opportunity for success possible.
How many millions of dollars needed to be invested? They made a few completely new bikes that were flops... BLAST comes to mind. They were in every single Hd dealer in the country. Marketing doesn't get much easier than that.
Let's bring filet mignon to a vegan restaurant and wonder why it doesn't sell... Harley customers aren't Buell customers. And vice versa. The only advantage H-D stood to gain was accessory sales from the handful of Buell customers who made their way through the door.
And in the end, HD used Buell as a huge write off. First time I saw an S1 Lightning I fell in love with it.. First time I rode one, I fell deeper.. Everytime I ride mine I still dig it.. It is Raw Motorcycling....No BullShit FancyMan Electronics or Grip Warmers, just a motorcycle like a '66 Vette with a 427/4speed, radio delete.
Marine Turbine Technologies They're still around, and if you click on the above link, you'll notice they have a full range of products, allowing them to indulge in building frivolous things like jet bikes. Pictured is their 420RR (It stands for 420 horsepower and "race ready" ) and they have a three wheeler in the works. Watch the video and see the trike they're building for a customer in Mumbai, India.
Putting the Buells in every HD dealer is exactly the kind of marketing mistake I'm talking about. Horrible move. How many million needed to be invested in what? The Buell arm was profitable in spite of its HD connection.
