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[flhse]

As approved yesterday by Harley-Davidson’s Board of Directors, the Company will discontinue its Buell product line and divest its MV Agusta unit as part of this strategy.     


http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/HD_News/Company/newsarticle.jsp?locale=en_US&articleLink=News/0581_press_release.hdnews&newsYear=2009&history=news

[nidan]

I can certainly understand the Buell choice , MV Augusta makes incredible sport bikes , but certainly not part of the normal demographic for HD.

[Buy early]

Wow - a buddy of mine just purchased 2 new Buell's 3 months ago. He can't be a happy camper.

[LarryB]

smart move on HD's part, now maybe they can concentrate on making the BEST bike possible

[smkymtnboy]

i agree larryB

[ice6900]

So what was the point of buying MV lat year, did somebody loose there head over that nostalgic excercise?

As for Buell why just stop production, why not sell off the Buell company?

[SBB]

smart move on HD's part, now maybe they can concentrate on making the BEST bike possible

I guess that brings the question,
What part of building Buells took away from Harley making "the BEST bike possible"?
Is that going to be the excuse?
We didn't have the time or money to make Harley's the "BEST" because we owned Buell.
That's some koolaide that no one is going to buy.

SBB

[BALIS]

More room at the dealers floor and less parts to stock.

[naitram]

http://www.buell.com/en_us/

vid message from erik buell

[RedDevil]

Actually, they could have used Buell as their testing ground to bring better and higher tech evolutions to the mother ship...but business is business and you stick with what got you there to begin with...I never was a big Buell fan, but I did see a niche market for them....

[Twolanerider]

There was a thread/discussion here a couple years or so ago questioning the Buell - Harley arrangement and suggesting that Buells just didn't "fit" in the Harley dealerships.  They don't.  But they're not strong enough to stand alone in their own building.  Not surprised that they're just going to fade away. 

The MV Augusta thing seemed odd to begin with.  Only thing that seem to make sense to me at the time was they bought the company to gain the European dealer network and thereby further assist international sales efforts.  Guess they decided whatever cash they can get for the company near-term is more important than the European floor space longer term.

[ice6900]

Only thing that seem to make sense to me at the time was they bought the company to gain the European dealer network and thereby further assist international sales efforts.  Guess they decided whatever cash they can get for the company near-term is more important than the European floor space longer term.

Have a look in your touring handbooks, Harley Davidson already had an extensive European dealer network, MV dealer network was never going to enhance that, for me the buy out was an ill judged/ill timed nostalgia trip to buy back something they once owned.

[Twolanerider]

Have a look in your touring handbooks, Harley Davidson already had an extensive European dealer network, MV dealer network was never going to enhance that, for me the buy out was an ill judged/ill timed nostalgia trip to buy back something they once owned.

Understand that.  Never thought that buying MV was a "good" decision or tool to expand the European network chain.  Just that it seemed to make more sense than any other reason I could think of for HD to buy MV.  None of the reasons seemed to fit or make sense.  That just seemed the "less wrong" of all the other reasons.

[Grizzly]

Just announced this morning...

[SBB]

Just announced this morning...

WOW, I thought he was going to cry.
It was like he was reading a eulogy at a funeral.
I have owned 3 Buells and enjoyed each one.
This is sad.

SBB