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View Full Version : Bruce - what are the dealers hearing?



zac4mac
08-31-2015, 10:08 PM
Definitely not busting balls, but what about us dealers?
Please let us in on what's happening, we are supposed to get these machines out to the public, and make a profit...
I love Erik's work and live it, but we gotta sell to survive.

Zack

Ed / AF1 Racing
09-03-2015, 11:27 AM
Definitely not busting balls, but what about us dealers?
Please let us in on what's happening, we are supposed to get these machines out to the public, and make a profit...
I love Erik's work and live it, but we gotta sell to survive.

Zack

+1....we got 2 RX, one SX, and a RS in stock ourselves that need to go. Racking up interest every month with no end in sight.

EBR also let their Texas state manufactuerer license lapse, so technically we can't even legally sell them even if there were buyers at our asking prices.

oddball
09-03-2015, 08:39 PM
I though you had several RS Ed? Maybe i'm confusing you and another dealer's ads on cycletrader.

zac4mac
09-03-2015, 11:31 PM
When I talked to AF1, the guy said they had one RS, 2 RX and an SX, much like we have(without the unsold RS).
I really hope the new entity will contact their dealer network soon or it's all over again.......

Z

Classax
09-04-2015, 08:47 AM
+1....we got 2 RX, one SX, and a RS in stock ourselves that need to go. Racking up interest every month with no end in sight.

EBR also let their Texas state manufactuerer license lapse, so technically we can't even legally sell them even if there were buyers at our asking prices.


This is also making it incredibly hard to get insurance on them as well. If you don't have it already you may find it nearly impossible until EBR gets their MFG's license situation fixed.

zac4mac
10-01-2015, 08:26 PM
I sure wish I could see the logic in a TOTAL lack of communication from Bruce and Erik.
Why is it so hard to start calling the dealers with ANYTHING, just gimme something to hang on to.....

Need4speed
11-01-2015, 09:30 PM
This is also making it incredibly hard to get insurance on them as well. If you don't have it already you may find it nearly impossible until EBR gets their MFG's license situation fixed.

I got insurance through GEICO but it was 2.5X what I was paying on my Buell 1125r, FJR, and DR650 combined.

Slickit
11-02-2015, 12:36 AM
most insurance companies dont seem to be able to tell the difference between an RX and RS so some have their insured prices at ~40k instead of ~18K. Most companies I called, GEICO included, said they would insure to it to about 16k but when I ask them to break it down it equals 40k. Seems to be common between the few companies I called. Allstate, farmers... This was the week after shutdown.

Edward G.
11-04-2015, 04:43 PM
Definitely not busting balls, but what about us dealers?
Please let us in on what's happening, we are supposed to get these machines out to the public, and make a profit...
I love Erik's work and live it, but we gotta sell to survive.

Zack

What are the dealers hearing? Zip, nada, nothing. What happened to "Our first order of business at EBR is to reconnect with our dealerships"? That was August.

Speedy13
11-04-2015, 09:04 PM
I have been riding Buell's since the early '90 s. I work at an EBR dealer now. We sold most of the EBR's we had in stock,some at a loss. The warranty issues seem less than any other other brand we sell. Give us some kind of insight so we stay a dealer.

oddball
11-04-2015, 09:15 PM
According to Court, over on badweb, the dealers are getting direct communication now and people are onboard for what is coming.

buell-fan
11-04-2015, 09:26 PM
I am sure that Bruce is going through some legal b.s. with Hero and the crap that was handed to him when he bought his lot of EBR goods. The 60 day time period the court imposed on the Hero and Bruce to divy up Heros' stuff that EBR was designing has just recently expired, so when Bruce gets done dealing with a bunch of lawyers from India I am sure we'll hear from him. When all the legal b.s. is done, parts and new bikes will definately be available. In the mean time the snow is going to be flying soon and we can't ride them in the snow...

Hughlysses
11-05-2015, 12:25 PM
Based on a couple of posts at Badweb yesterday, at least some of the dealers have heard something very recently.

Ed / AF1 Racing
11-11-2015, 11:23 AM
We have heard from no one

Edward G.
11-11-2015, 01:37 PM
Hey Bruce, how about telling us dealers what the F*CK is going on?

NRHS
11-11-2015, 06:11 PM
Unfortunately it looks like NRHS EBR in CO will not be a dealer any longer. State of CO called us to let us know that because the new EBR has not renewed with the state of CO then I am no longer considered a manufacturer dealer and since I only sold EBRs my license is now invalid.

2KX1
11-11-2015, 08:25 PM
Doesn't sound good.

Scott
11-12-2015, 09:44 AM
I'm getting the feeling something unexpected happened in the past month or two. It could be something good - like a new partner coming on-board - or, more likely, something bad - like a lot more difficulty than expected in accomplishing certain requirements.

But it seems like we went from "News is coming soon" a couple months ago to complete silence now.

zac4mac
11-12-2015, 10:15 AM
All I hear is crickets....

Hughlysses
11-12-2015, 11:55 AM
Zac- you indicated on Badweb you had heard something positive early this month, right?

Classax
11-12-2015, 12:59 PM
The lack of timely accurate communication was a deadly sin in the old EBR that appears to be alive and well in the new company. Any reasonable person has limits to their patience and I think the honeymoon goodwill for the new ownership will have evaporated by the first of year if there is no strong communication plan to the dealers.

If they can't communicate well enough to maintain or retain a majority of their current supporters there is simply no logical way they will gain new ones.

In fact as I make my plans to go racing in 2016 I have a deadline in mind for whether or not #105 will gain a twin garage mate or despite my affinity for what is an excellent club racing platform as evidenced by Chas Hern, Pat Mooney, CrotcherRocket TV and others, will be parted out in favor of a machine with some sort of current parts production. That would be a very sad day, but at current its not far off.

Scott
11-12-2015, 02:04 PM
The lack of timely accurate communication was a deadly sin in the old EBR that appears to be alive and well in the new company. Any reasonable person has limits to their patience and I think the honeymoon goodwill for the new ownership will have evaporated by the first of year if there is no strong communication plan to the dealers.

If they can't communicate well enough to maintain or retain a majority of their current supporters there is simply no logical way they will gain new ones.

In fact as I make my plans to go racing in 2016 I have a deadline in mind for whether or not #105 will gain a twin garage mate or despite my affinity for what is an excellent club racing platform as evidenced by Chas Hern, Pat Mooney, CrotcherRocket TV and others, will be parted out in favor of a machine with some sort of current parts production. That would be a very sad day, but at current its not far off.

I think this is true and important, but while all of us want to know answers to key questions sooner rather than later, lack of information may not be a lack of interest in communication. It may represent a real lack of information on EBR's part.

EBR may simply not know answers to the questions we all want to know, and they don't want to provide false information now in the interest of being timely.

Will warranties be honored?
How will existing inventory be handled?
Will EBR continue working with previous dealers or will the dealer network change dramatically?
How will new agreements with dealers differ from previous agreements?
When will the first new bikes be available?

These are the questions we all want to have answered, but it's quite possible that nobody at EBR knows the answers to those questions at this moment. Management, accountants, lawyers etc. may still be discussing, debating, arguing how those things should be handled as we type these comments.

It would be nice to hear: "Hey guys, we can't provide details, but things are progressing." But Bruce has already done that more than once, and after a point such statements lose their meaning.

I hope that the new EBR will make dealerships a priority because they are the front line and understand what customers want and expect. I'm willing to be patient for a while longer, and hope to be rewarded with some real information soon. And I'm going to try to avoid making inferences about what the future relationship between EBR and dealers will be based on an information black-out at the moment.

Classax
11-12-2015, 02:49 PM
Anyone who reviews my online presence will be hard pressed to find a more ardent defender of EBR. I put my money where my mouth was and purchased a machine and ride it hard every chance I get. I truly want these great American machines and the people who make them to excel. The reality is EBR made critical missteps that eventually all contributed to its closing. As it struggles to regain its feet, they must realize time is not on their side and the market is not of a patient nature.

Hughlysses
11-12-2015, 04:45 PM
I imagine Scott is right about the reason for a lack of communication: something critical in the process is tied up and there's not much to say until it's straightened out. Of course that doesn't do a thing for the dealers and customers that have been standing by for months.

It may well turn out that the new company truly has to start from scratch, in pretty much every sense of the word. That would seem to be a significantly more difficult proposition than re-starting EBR, but maybe that's the only choice available.

zac4mac
11-12-2015, 10:40 PM
Hugh

Yes, i saw signs of a stirring, then deafening silence.
I want to be optimistic but it's getting harder by the hour.
I'm afraid Bruce bit off more than he can chew. Sure hope I'm wrong.

All I can do now is hope for a miracle, it was really cool being a core member of an EBR dealership for a few months.

Z

Scott
11-13-2015, 07:14 AM
Yes, i saw signs of a stirring, then deafening silence.


That was the sense I also got just from online "chatter", and that's what led to my previous comment that "something happened". It seems like there might have been a behind the scenes event.

And while it seems natural to assume that event was something bad, I'd argue that it's as likely, if not more so, that the event was something good.

Here's my thinking: There have likely been many hurdles and difficulties along the way, but those hurdles and difficulties are likely to be stumbling blocks - not walls.

Up until now we have seen that it seems the new entity had been working slowly and steadily toward resumption of small-scale production. As they did that, inevitably, they ran into difficulties: Supplier X doesn't want to work with us anymore. Okay, find a new supplier. We need to file a bunch of unexpected paperwork to be certified in California. Okay, start creating that paperwork.

So those things are probably a headache, but they shouldn't stop the slow, steady progress, and they shouldn't get in the way of EBR communicating with dealers.

Now, imagine what I would consider a 'good' event. Imagine another manufacturer (such as Polaris, BRP, Yamaha etc.) got involved and said: "Hey. Now that you've extricated yourself from any connection with Hero, we'd like to talk about a partnership."

Something like that could slam on the brakes. Now you've got a larger organization involved with their own dealer network and a say in how things are going to progress, so that would be pretty dramatic. That might make things get very quiet, very fast.

I don't want to start any crazy rumors, but I just think something like that would be more likely to cause the seemingly dramatic shift we've seen as opposed to typical difficulties which shouldn't stand in the way of EBR getting back up and running at a reduced scale.

Remember, they made the 1190RR from scratch, on a shoe-string, without Hero. In an absolute worst-case scenario, they could probably start with a very small staff and use existing tooling and parts to make, for example, a new, limited run of 2016 1190RR's to get things started.

heagachongoose
11-13-2015, 03:13 PM
First off, I am not a dealer nor am I connected to any dealers in any way. What's posted below is probably old news to some if not all of you but I haven't seen it posted here yet.


OCT 8th

http://i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q579/heagachongoose/bb%20bw%20oct8_zpslaz93wih.png (http://s1164.photobucket.com/user/heagachongoose/media/bb%20bw%20oct8_zpslaz93wih.png.html)

OCT 9th

http://i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q579/heagachongoose/bb%20bw%20oct%209_zpsufzhxlob.png (http://s1164.photobucket.com/user/heagachongoose/media/bb%20bw%20oct%209_zpsufzhxlob.png.html)



And that's the last I have heard. He has not been on buellxb since August and badweb since October 9th when he posted the above. Not creeping, just a bit of "creative researching" lol


Something big is/has happened. It's just the waiting game.



You may be able to find out something if someone can access WI public records and try to see what the new EBR is up to. According to the above they're incorporated in WI again.

heagachongoose
11-13-2015, 03:19 PM
First off I am not a dealer, nor am I affiliated with one in any way. This is probably old news to most if not all of you, but I haven't seen it posted or mentioned here yet. This was posted earlier last month.

OCT 8th

http://i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q579/heagachongoose/bb%20bw%20oct8_zpslaz93wih.png (http://s1164.photobucket.com/user/heagachongoose/media/bb%20bw%20oct8_zpslaz93wih.png.html)

OCT 9th

http://i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q579/heagachongoose/bb%20bw%20oct%209_zpsufzhxlob.png (http://s1164.photobucket.com/user/heagachongoose/media/bb%20bw%20oct%209_zpsufzhxlob.png.html)

Bruce hasn't been on Badweb since October 9th or Buellxb since August. Not creeping just some "creative research" lol


Taking that into account, something big has happened. Things don't just stop rolling like that. Change is coming one way or another. If someone had access to WI public records we might get a little bit more insight on what's going on. According to the above EBR is incorporated in WI again.

Hughlysses
11-13-2015, 05:04 PM
Just saw where Rider's Hill, the EBR dealer in Dahlonega, GA is closing. More info here:

http://ebrforum.com/showthread.php?861-Rider-s-Hill-EBR-Dealer-in-Dahlonega-GA-is-Closing&p=5009#post5009

Plotter
11-13-2015, 06:14 PM
Just opening direct communications with the dealers would be an awesome step... Don't have anything to tell you, but we want to let you know we are here. We support you... We are doing what we can... not through chat rooms and messages, but an actual live person on the phone... a link to the company... what are your concerns, let me write them down... call me when you have questions, I might not have answers, but how much stress could that alleviate...

Has anything like that happened?

Scott
11-13-2015, 09:49 PM
Just opening direct communications with the dealers would be an awesome step... Don't have anything to tell you, but we want to let you know we are here. We support you... We are doing what we can... not through chat rooms and messages, but an actual live person on the phone... a link to the company... what are your concerns, let me write them down... call me when you have questions, I might not have answers, but how much stress could that alleviate...

Has anything like that happened?

It would make dealers feel better and it would be relatively easy (Bruce or Erik could personally make a quick call to all of the approximately 100 dealers in a day). It would also be the obvious thing to do.

That leads me to believe they feel they have a specific reason to not contact the dealers. It's not like it just slipped their mind. I don't know why they feel they shouldn't contact dealers, so I can't say if it's foolish or a reasoned decision.

I suspect lawyers are involved at some level.

Hughlysses
11-14-2015, 08:25 PM
Just posted to Badweb by a former Buell/EBR employee (a very reliable source)- the deal has fallen apart. The Receiver says a new auction will be held on December 10th.

(For some reason, it's not letting me paste the link here). Go to www.badweatherbikers.com, EBR & Buell in the News, thread titled "When will EBR resume operations?".)

Scott
11-14-2015, 08:41 PM
Just posted to Badweb by a former Buell/EBR employee (a very reliable source)- the deal has fallen apart. The Receiver says a new auction will be held on December 10th.

(For some reason, it's not letting me paste the link here). Go to www.badweatherbikers.com (http://www.badweatherbikers.com), EBR & Buell in the News, thread titled "When will EBR resume operations?".)

Wow. . .

Hughlysses
11-14-2015, 10:18 PM
Update from Bruce posted to Badweb. He is not out yet and plans to be there at the new auction. Sounds like our favorite former partners may have deliberately delayed things.

Scott
11-15-2015, 09:27 AM
Update from Bruce posted to Badweb. He is not out yet and plans to be there at the new auction. Sounds like our favorite former partners may have deliberately delayed things.

So if I understand from his comments (and please correct me if I'm misunderstanding):

The court required Bruce to close by Sept. 30th.

The deadline for Hero to close out claims against EBR was Oct. 6th.

Bruce needed a line of credit in the 10's of millions to be sure he would have the cash to make this work.

Hero held out until the last moment and didn't finish their claims prior to Sept. 30th.

Since the bank couldn't be sure Hero wouldn't make claims against assets Bruce wanted to claim, they weren't willing to offer the line of credit.

Now Bruce has to bid again (and has expressed an interest to do so) on Dec. 10th.

Beyond frustrating, but at least it explains why the new EBR hasn't been communicating. The new EBR never officially existed so they couldn't have commented if they wanted to.

It seems that, unless any other parties have become interested in the interim, Bruce should win the bid again and move forward more cleanly than before . . . though it is quite possible that now that Hero is officially no longer in the picture, other interested parties could come out of the woodwork. That sucks for Bruce, but it could be good or bad for the rest of us depending on who those hypothetical other parties might be.

Hughlysses
11-15-2015, 10:36 AM
^ I think that pretty well sums it up. I'd guess the reason we haven't heard anything sooner is because Bruce was trying to convince the court to go ahead and let them make the purchase rather than going through another auction.

It's also clear they haven't been sitting on their hands since September 30th, so while this has got to be a setback, hopefully they will be MORE ready to go if/when the sale is finally completed.

mrlogix
11-15-2015, 11:55 AM
the road goes on forever but the party never ends

Scott
11-15-2015, 12:08 PM
^ I think that pretty well sums it up. I'd guess the reason we haven't heard anything sooner is because Bruce was trying to convince the court to go ahead and let them make the purchase rather than going through another auction.

It's also clear they haven't been sitting on their hands since September 30th, so while this has got to be a setback, hopefully they will be MORE ready to go if/when the sale is finally completed.

That also explains why we were told to expect something by the end of Sept.

Of course one other potential outcome of the new auction is, after other bidders have seen how difficult this was, they stay home. Bruce gets it for $1 and saves $2,499,999. In which case, the court will have done a favor to Bruce but a disservice to creditors.

Hughlysses
11-16-2015, 02:19 PM
Confirmation of this story: http://www.jsonline.com/business/erik-buell-racing -motorcycle-company-deal-hits-a-roadblock-b9961675 4z1-350596331.html (http://www.jsonline.com/business/erik-buell-racing-motorcycle-company-deal-hits-a-roadblock-b99616754z1-350596331.html)


The plan to restart Erik Buell Racing motorcycle company of East Troy faces a roadblock that's sending it back to bankruptcy court, it was revealed Monday.

Erik Buell Racing was the sequel to Buell Motorcycle Co., which Harley-Davidson Inc. owned for more than a decade before dropping the brand in 2009 and leaving company founder Erik Buell to start over on his own.

Court records showed the company had $20.8 million in assets and $20.4 million in liabilities when it shut down in April and sought court protection from creditors.

In August, motorcycle enthusiast Bruce Belfer of West Allenhurst, N.J., bought the manufacturing assets of Buell for $2.25 million, while Hero MotoCorp. of India paid $2.8 million for Buell's consulting business.

Monday, Belfer said the deal is headed back to bankruptcy court, for another court-ordered auction, because problems with the first settlement meant that he could not secure financing to recapitalize the business because of an uncertain balance sheet.

"I've done some tough deals in my career, but this was, in my opinion, intentionally complicated ... If you want some idea what it's been like, try taking a deep breath on August 5th and holding it for three months," Belfer said.

Belfer said he is still committed to buying Erik Buell Racing and will be at the Dec. 10 court-ordered auction.

"Throughout this, I have made a point not to make any promises before I was in position to deliver. I know this has frustrated some of you, but the worst thing any business can do is make commitments it is not yet able to keep. Bear in mind, the only other bidders were all liquidators. I'm used to keeping my promises, and I promise you this: I don't quit," Belfer said.

This story will be updated throughout the day.

Scott
11-16-2015, 02:29 PM
Confirmation of this story: http://www.jsonline.com/business/erik-buell-racing -motorcycle-company-deal-hits-a-roadblock-b9961675 4z1-350596331.html (http://www.jsonline.com/business/erik-buell-racing-motorcycle-company-deal-hits-a-roadblock-b99616754z1-350596331.html)



:thumb: I certainly like what Bruce says. Hopefully he'll have a chance to turn those words into reality.

Scott
11-16-2015, 02:34 PM
Of course one other potential outcome of the new auction is, after other bidders have seen how difficult this was, they stay home. Bruce gets it for $1 and saves $2,499,999. In which case, the court will have done a favor to Bruce but a disservice to creditors.

This becomes more interesting with Bruce's comments that the other bidders were liquidators. Will they bother showing up on Dec. 10th if they know Bruce is willing to go over $2 million (I thought it was 2.5 mil, but apparently it was 2.25)? It seems possible that he could be the only one there and save some money . . . or if there are other bidders, they could be motorcycle people who have gained interest since the first auction.

Scott
11-16-2015, 02:50 PM
Does anyone else think there may be more here than meets the eye? It's probably just my ignorance of how these things are handled, but let me explain why I think there could be something going on.

The judge already knows that there were only three interested parties at the first auction and the most interested of those, Bruce, bid $2.25 mil. The judge knows that Bruce is still interested and will be bidding again. Presumably, the other two parties won't be bidding any higher than they did last time, so why is the judge putting this back up for auction? Isn't there a good chance it will go for a lower value and cost creditors money? If I were the judge, and unless any other parties had contacted either me or the receiver and expressed an interest in paying over $2.25 million, I think I would contact the previous bidders and ask if they were willing to bid more than $2.25 million, and if not, I would extend the deadline for Bruce to close. Who is being served by a new auction unless there's more going on and interested parties who weren't involved in the first auction?:confused:

Hughlysses
11-16-2015, 06:30 PM
Article updated with more info including comments from Erik, and a hint that there may indeed be more bidders:

http://www.jsonline.com/business/erik-buell-racing-motorcycle-company-deal-hits-a-roadblock-b99616754z1-350596331.html

Scott
11-16-2015, 07:42 PM
Article updated with more info including comments from Erik, and a hint that there may indeed be more bidders:<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.jsonline.com/business/erik-buell-racing-motorcycle-company-deal-hits-a-roadblock-b99616754z1-350596331.html" target="_blank">http://www.jsonline.com/business/erik-buell-racing-motorcycle-company-deal-hits-a-roadblock-b99616754z1-350596331.html</a>

That's certainly interesting. Could be bad news for Bruce, but good news for us.

Others could be interested in acquiring the company at the next auction. Earlier, some had said that Polaris Industries, the Medina, Minn., maker of Victory and Indian motorcycles was a potential buyer.

In August, there were interested buyers who weren't ready then, according to Buell.

"I think the company will be restarted. I am still a big believer in the capabilities of the people, and in the desire in the marketplace for there to finally be an American sport-bike brand. Hopefully we will have some really good news in December," he said.

Now that Hero has been removed from the equation and after seeing the relatively low price the company went for last time, people could be re-thinking things.

Scott
11-16-2015, 08:03 PM
Interestingly, Bruce may have actually made Polaris more interested than they were before. Polaris is clearly dipping a toe in the sport-bike market and might have felt pretty comfortable at the time of the original auction that if they just let EBR be sold off in parts, they'd be the only game in town. But a bad-ass from NJ showed up and made it clear he intended to make American Sport Motorcycles. That might have Polaris thinking it would make sense to profit from a resurgent EBR rather than competing against them.

. . . or maybe Harley is recognizing the threat Polaris poses and would like a sport-bike of their own.

All just wild, baseless speculation, but it will be fun to see how this all shakes out.

Hughlysses
11-17-2015, 12:41 PM
It will be interesting to see if there are any other bidders at the auction. It might seem like a good thing if a major manufacturer like Polaris or Harley took an interest, but in that case the last ~3 months were completely wasted. Bruce indicates they've been working hard behind the scenes all this time, and I'd imagine they know EXACTLY what they want to do starting on day 1 if he successfully acquires it again. Hopefully the money Hero paid for the "consulting business" has been used to pay employee's claims, back rent on the factory buildings, etc. Then again, I'd imagine Bruce has sunk quite a bit of his money into this and it'd be a shame if all that got flushed down the drain.

We'll have to wait ~3.2 weeks to find out the auction outcome and 4 weeks (for the next court date) to know for certain I guess.

Hughlysses
11-17-2015, 10:30 PM
Another article with additional quotes from Bruce:

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2015/11/17/sale-of-erik-buell-racing-falls-through-second.html

It sounds like he expects to pay less this time.

Scott
11-18-2015, 12:59 PM
Another article with additional quotes from Bruce:

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2015/11/17/sale-of-erik-buell-racing-falls-through-second.html

It sounds like he expects to pay less this time.

It will be interesting to see. Not only will fewer assets reduce price, but the time it has taken to get restarted, dealers losing interest, etc. will also potentially reduce value. People have also seen how difficult it is, and Bruce has likely done some work over the past few months that will make him more prepared than anyone else to get back up and running.

On the other hand, removal of Hero from the equation plus people seeing the relatively low selling price last time could get other parties interested (and that sucks for Bruce because events forced him to tip his hand. Ideally potential buyers would like to go into this with nobody knowing what they might be willing to pay).

I think there are two potential outcomes and both are probably equally likely at this point:

1. Nobody else will show up and Bruce will buy it for less than before.

2. Other people interested in making motorcycles who didn't show up last time could show up this time and create more of a bidding war.

I kind of suspect no liquidators will show up this time since they'll know Bruce will be willing to out-bid them. For Bruce's sake, I hope that if he is destined to be the owner he can get it as cheaply as possible so his cash can be reinvested in making motorcycles.

But while I'm sort of rooting for Bruce, it would be interesting to see if someone else might make things interesting.

Hughlysses
11-18-2015, 02:45 PM
I'm starting to wish we'd started a Kickstarter campaign. Joel Hodgson, the creator and original host of Mystery Science Theater 3000, started one (www.bringbackmst3k.com) to resurrect that show last week. He raised over $2m in less than a week!

Scott
11-18-2015, 03:29 PM
I'm starting to wish we'd started a Kickstarter campaign. Joel Hodgson, the creator and original host of Mystery Science Theater 3000, started one (www.bringbackmst3k.com (http://www.bringbackmst3k.com)) to resurrect that show last week. He raised over $2m in less than a week!

I think there are a lot more MST3K fans than EBR fans . . . but we're probably more passionate. If Bruce is highest bidder again, I'd put some money into a kickstarter campaign. It would likely end up being drops in an ocean, but if nothing else, it could help convince lenders that there is support and interest.

heagachongoose
11-18-2015, 05:36 PM
I'm starting to wonder if they're not trying to get a bigger company interested.

zac4mac
11-19-2015, 10:29 PM
Bruce posted this link on BadWeB to a new article and it's a very enlightening read...

http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/erik-buell-racing-manufacturer/the-wild-the-innocent-and-the-ebr-shuffle.html

Zack

Plotter
11-20-2015, 01:30 PM
I'm starting to wonder if they're not trying to get a bigger company interested.

I'm good either way... Just get something going...

Random question...

Would you prefer BB at the helm, Harley back at the helm, or Polaris(Victory)?

Scott
11-20-2015, 01:50 PM
I'm good either way... Just get something going...

Random question...

Would you prefer BB at the helm, Harley back at the helm, or Polaris(Victory)?

Can I pick BB with a boatload of cash?:wink: I like the idea of someone with Bruces passion running things and focusing on just making great motorcycles without all the difficulties that come from a big company. But companies like Polaris and Harley have the resources and can take some losses with the big picture in mind ( a racing program would help sell not only EBR's, but it would act as marketing for the technical skill and ambition of the larger brands as one example ).

I like Polaris more than Harley (though the current CEO at Harley is probably much different and better than the previous), so between those two, I'd take Polaris.

But ideally I'd like someone like Bruce/Erik running things but with the backing of a larger company.

Plotter
11-20-2015, 05:41 PM
Can I pick BB with a boatload of cash?:wink: I like the idea of someone with Bruces passion running things and focusing on just making great motorcycles without all the difficulties that come from a big company. But companies like Polaris and Harley have the resources and can take some losses with the big picture in mind ( a racing program would help sell not only EBR's, but it would act as marketing for the technical skill and ambition of the larger brands as one example ).

I like Polaris more than Harley (though the current CEO at Harley is probably much different and better than the previous), so between those two, I'd take Polaris.

But ideally I'd like someone like Bruce/Erik running things but with the backing of a larger company.

That was quite the response... lol... it's the I'd like my cake... and I'll eat it too... cyclic response...

Honestly... I think Bruce is great... and I hope he makes it work... A very large reason for that, is the fact that he wants it to work as badly as it appears we want it to work... but if Polaris had that same drive... all things being equal... I'd go with Polaris...

Passion can only mean so much... it hasn't placed EBR in the best position so far...

We need the cash... but cash alone (Hero) didn't leave us in the best place either...

if we can get both... from the same entity... that's when we win...

now I'm rambling, going in circles...

Scott
11-20-2015, 07:46 PM
That was quite the response... lol... it's the I'd like my cake... and I'll eat it too... cyclic response...

Honestly... I think Bruce is great... and I hope he makes it work... A very large reason for that, is the fact that he wants it to work as badly as it appears we want it to work... but if Polaris had that same drive... all things being equal... I'd go with Polaris...

Passion can only mean so much... it hasn't placed EBR in the best position so far...

We need the cash... but cash alone (Hero) didn't leave us in the best place either...

if we can get both... from the same entity... that's when we win...

now I'm rambling, going in circles...

:lol:

The problem is, it's an impossible question for any of us to answer because we have less than 1/10 of 1% of the information we'd need. All we really know about Bruce are the few sentences we've seen here and there.

What if Polaris bought it and buried it? I think that's a real concern. I can imagine Polaris buying at 3 million with the idea that it's a small price to pay to eliminate a competitor . . . and they might also get some interesting tech in return.

Polaris could buy EBR mainly for the engine, for example. Throw everything else away and use the engine for a sport-bike we might see 5 years from now. I don't think something like that would be good for any of us.

Or Harley could say: "You know, if we stretched out this wheelbase, moved the pegs forward, maybe gave it a hard-tail . . . Maybe some ape-hangers with fringe!"

So deciding which of the three would be best would require us knowing what each planned and how equipped they are to carry out that plan . . . and we don't know those answers.

Plotter
12-04-2015, 05:23 PM
Pretty quiet leading up to this thing... any new info out there?

Scott
12-04-2015, 08:49 PM
Pretty quite leading up to this thing... any new info out there?

Speaking for myself, I'm just in "wait and see" mode.

I'm anxious to see what happens, but I have no idea what to expect. If Bruce does bid again, I think we can be confident that whoever gets it will be excited about making motorcycles. We know Bruce is excited, so for anyone else to outbid him, I'd have to expect they'd be even more excited.