From Bill Melvin him self.
From Bill Melvin him self.
first off I’m a super fan of Erik Buell. We have worked together closely and got along very well. He is as amazing an everyone thinks. He cares deeply about this brand and everything created here, and he also cares about the fans & dealers. And so do I. This is a good chance to give a little info.
To answer your question, 3 years. I have been involved, funded, and owned EBR for 3 years. And proudly so. You have to race to live another day. We didn’t crash in turn 2. I didn’t bankrupt it, didn’t leave my dealers screwed, and we paid for every part order to suppliers up front in cash, no terms. The company is financially solvent & has no payables due.
Do you have any idea what the cost is to try to operate a factory set up for 10,000 units a year with the worlds greatest motorcycle engineers & team? It’s not cheap. The truly amazing & experienced employees get paid well as they should. We paid them. For the big factory our volume was not there and not getting nearly close enough. I’ve seen some people online run the sales/cost estimates & they were way way off.
I’ve sat in all the meetings, listened in the R&D room, ran the R&D numbers, & went ahead to fund new development, it’s not cheap. I’ve funded going to IMS shows across the country, it’s not cheap. I’ve funded development trips for the team overseas, it’s not cheap.
I had 100’s of sleepless & stressful nights with my nuts on the line trying to fund a turnaround to keep the big factory running. I think some people who have not been involved first hand have a distorted view of what it takes. When others have the money and vision to do better we are here to listen, but it takes deep pockets. Cash talks & BS walks. We have listened & had to tell some groups to walk.
I made the tough calls when I had to so that we could continue to take care of all of our obligations to the people we were working with. No bankruptcy and no unpaid bills. We have tried and done our best, when no one else would try. It’s not perfect, it’s the real deal. We wish the best for every EBR owner and are very glad we can still provide parts and support. And we are still here, building America’s Superbike.
We’ve made bikes all 3 of my years. As noted above, we are financially sound & looking at what improvements are realistic for 2019. A smaller operation, we can continue to look towards the future.
Race to live another day.
Ride to live another day.
