Ciao Bella

I read this morning that the Motor Company is shutting down Buell for good and planning to sell MV Agusta as well. This is tragedy that’s the spotlighted example against the backdrop for the economic downturn, folks.

Those of you that know me well will snort disgustedly and say, “Well, damn, you never had anything particularly good to say about those wierd Wisconsin bikes anyway” or “But you always made fun of their alternative engineering and silly brakes.” This is true. But you also would have heard me say that Erik Buell realized his dream and made a difference in the motorcycle industry landscape. As bizarre as some of the features were, this was indeed an American Sport Motorcycle. And a pretty good one, even if they resorted to that quasi-Teutonic engine. I first met Erik in 1985, I think, when I was working at a BMW-Honda-Kawasaki dealership in Milwaukee, and he was already known as an eccentric that was friends with my eccentric boss at the time. Watching him craft his bikes and build his business over the years has been edifying for me. Pretty valuable foil too, I hear you say. Maybe that’s true, as Buell’s have required all sorts of rulemaking twists and gerrymandering to remain competitive on the race scene in the USA. Even this year with their latest and greatest. Fine by me. I like some diversity, although they seemed to be over the top this year, and it got a little ridiculous. But the fact remains that Buell made a lot of people happy with their weird and sometimes wonderful bikes, and they were a source of not a little pride to those looking for an American Sportbike.

Good luck to you in the future Erik!

Categories : NPR News, Uncategorized