Saturday Morning General Moto News - A Show, A Man and a Bike

First we will start with the show. In Toronto at the International Centre during 15 - 17 January 2010, the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW will have 7 halls dedicated to various motorcycle disciplines including cruisers, customs, racing, and much more. It seems to be a very large event which gets only basic press coverage here in the US. If you live nearby, though, you should go and check it out! All manufacturers should have a presence there and there will be vendors from all over North America and elsewhere.

http://tinyurl.com/y9g9mve

And, now on to the man; Julian Ryder, Eurosport MotoGP commentator and longtime motorcycle journalist, will be making an appearance at English dealer Tippetts Honda for a night of conversation about the MotoGP broadcasting experience. Tickets are only £5 and they are limited, so get yours quickly. Ryder is always worth listening to and he has a way with words...

http://tinyurl.com/ybzfkx5

And now on to the bike - it is the Buell 1125CR, believe it or not, and it is the hottest selling 1000c.c.+ motorcycle in all of the United Kingdom for December. I guess we can say that all of the dealers cutting the price in half have had an effect. If you can get yourself a Buell, this is the time to do it as they are dirt cheap and they are, in fact, full of great tech. You should also not have a problem with spares as Harley-Davidson has promised to keep parts stocked for a long while.

http://tinyurl.com/yedyuqh

United Kingdom Bike Sales Go Naked!

It seems that the motorcycle market is still on a downward trend, unfortunately. Of course, things could be improving, but people are getting themselves necessities instead of purchasing big-ticket items. Plus, it is winter and the Christmas season is upon us - that could be a factor as well. The interesting part of this report is the sales of naked sportbikes - that segment is leading all motorcycle sales presently. What is even more sad is how popular the Buell 1125CR and R are in the U.K. - too bad the company is gone...

http://tinyurl.com/ygv89an

So Buell is Dead, What About Erik Buell?

According to the author of the linked piece, Erik Buell is a true innovator of the motorcycle industry. I agree with his position, up to a point. I do not think that Mr. Buell contributed a great deal to the industry overall, but I think that he brought out ideas - which had been used before - and put them into the mainstream. For that, we should all be thankful. I do most wholeheartedly agree with the fact that the industry needs people like Mr. Buell - individuals who push the mold and change our perspective - and it needs them now!

http://tinyurl.com/ygfa3rg

P.S. I'm available - someone hire me!

Harley-Davidson Paying Dealers US$5000 for Each Buell Sold

If you are in the market for a Buell sportbike or road machine, this is the time. H-D has said that parts and service will continue to be available even after the Buell factory closes, so there should be no worries about that. So, if you have some spare money lying around and you want a decent motorcycle - go get your Buell today! They may never be this cheap again...

http://tinyurl.com/yz4o3eo

Is That a Silver Lining? Buell May Come Back

It is a bit far off to say for sure, but this has happened before. Now that Harley-Davidson has killed Buell, the local county where the brand was (is) based has sent a letter asking Erik Buell if he would be interested in forming an investment group to keep the brand alive. Most sources, though, say that Buell is so very integrated within H-D that it might be impossible to buy it away and start it up again. However, Erik Buell has been told things were impossible before - and that never stopped him.

http://tinyurl.com/yk2q4kf

P.S. If you are reading this and you have the ability to assist in this process, contact Mr. Buell and see if you can help out...it certainly could not hurt.

Buell is Gone. Why is That? Well, Here's One Opinion

Buell has been closed by the accountants at Harley-Davidson. This was Eric Buell's lifelong project - to make H-D a road racing powerhouse. The technology which was used in the Buell motorcycle was impressive in many cases - though, some of it had been done before - and, I always thought it was good to have them there if only to influence other manufacturers. The problem came when they tried to turn an engine based on a nearly half-century-old design into a race bike - it just vibrated to pieces. But, they had finally gone out and had a very modern engine created to fit into a racing chassis. Along comes DMG and, suddenly, the Buell 1125R is legal to race against 600c.c. Japanese fours; this essentially made it look like DMG and Buell had set up 'cheater' rules for them. And the final nail in their coffin came from H-D's accountants after reporting a huge sales drop...

It will be sad to see the marque disappear as I really hoped they would continue looking outside of H-D for powerplants and they just might build a motorcycle I would buy - something very different and very well-designed...

So, this leads me to the article. It is an opinion piece, and I am not in total agreement with the author, but it is worth reading for yet another perspective on the demise of Buell.

http://tinyurl.com/yjtmfqo

P.S. I just hope that Harley opens their minds enough (I know, not likely given their conservative bend) and learns some design and engineering from the Buell line of motorcycles...

A Streetfighter Shoot-out - Aprilia vs. Buell vs. Ducati

Since the release of the Ducati Streetfighter, there have been many comparison reviews between it and its competition. This version has it up against the Buell 1125CR and the 2009 Aprilia Tuono. Soon, though, at least part of this test will be useless as Aprilia will soon launch a RSV4- based Tuono. The outcome of this author's review may surprise you!

http://tinyurl.com/mzuvjf