A Buell Cruiser? Hey! It could Happen, if I had my way.

[ofreen]

There are already too many cruisers, aren't there?

[Rebel_1]

Not a bad idea, but it conflicts too much with Harley's product strategy.



A high percentage of existing Bueller's would rather see Erik come up with a decent two-up sport tourer, a super motard, a dual purpose bike and perhaps a StreetTracker.



All of which are much more in line with the market niches that separate Buell from Harley.

[eekadog]

If buell made a cruiser they could call it a Sportster....



imagine a bike with a cruiser frame and a detuned Buell engine...

[gbrummett]

Well said!!

[mikenomad]

The Buell is already a good cross between a cruiser and a sportbike. It has the handling and cornering clearance of a naked bike and the V-twin character of a cruiser.



The last thing we need is another block-long bike that has to tiptoe around corners.

[bikerlarry]

Yeah, he's nuts!

[pplassm]

Believe it or not, I was thumbing through some cruiser oriented magazine at the gym the other day, and they built that very bike.



The only difference is they kept the stock 1200 engine.

[PoppySTS]

how about Buell just makes a real sportbike instead?

[jungkvist]

As a matter of fact, that's exactly what I want. I think a Buell-framed, V-Rod powered, Sportster-type bike would be a really good idea.



Wait! Before I go any further, let me say, right from the Get-Go that I already know this is a pipe dream. Now, thatÂ’s been said, IÂ’ll continue to put the noose around my neck, so you guys can kick the chair out from under meÂ…No need to thank me; after all, what are friends for. Now, hereÂ’s the dealÂ…



Harley is reluctant to innovate because of its fear of alienating their customer base. Buell, on the other hand, as a separate division of Harley, isnÂ’t nearly as hide-bound to tradition, and is much freer to try new ideas. Now, letÂ’s face it, the Harley gravy-train isnÂ’t going to last forever. The way I see it, Harley will probably getting pretty close to market-saturation, in the not too distant future. Once that happens, HarleyÂ’s going to need to innovate. And, I think, the only way Harley will be able to innovate, without alienating their existing customers, would be to create more advanced designs at Buell. Then, having established those designs at Buell, Harley could adopt those designs, and rightfully claim them as their own. Hence, a Buell cruiser.



Now, hereÂ’s where it gets good. Once Buell becomes an integral part of HarleyÂ’s design strategy, Erik Buell would be given more autonomy, and possibly be able to create a REAL sportbike.

[longride]

I believe Harley produces the bikes they do because they know they will sell. Fear of alienating anyone is not the issue. Sinking millions into a design that doesn't sell is the issue. Harley already makes the Sportster line, which is 90% of what you want. A Buell framed V-Rod is not even remotely possible, when you look at the motor designs. I think Harley has it's customers pegged pretty well. Some people here pine for a Harley sportbike. Why? So it can be slower, heavier and more expensive than a Japanese equivelant? If they produced said sportbike, the traditional Japanese sportbike buyer would laugh at it, and the traditional Harley buyer would scoff at it. A perfect waste of money. Ask Triumph how thier world beater 600 sold. Now, if Harley would put that V-Rod motor in a touring platform, it would certainly get my attention. I have seen many Photoshop chop jobs of a Road King with a V-Rod motor. I have a feeling that we will soon see that design coming much sooner than another cruiser type effort with the V-Rod. Tell me how Erik can create a REAL sportbike? What is the criteria for a REAL sportbike anyway? People always talk about them, but I never figured out what the specifications were for a REAL sportbike.