EBR at Chicago IMS 12-14 February

[Hughlysses]

From EBR's Facebook page yesterday:

EBR Motorcycles will be in Booth 1400 at the Chicago International Motorcycle Show this weekend, Feb 12-14th. More info to come, but please plan to stop by and see us if you are in the area.

[Hughlysses]

Just posted to EBR's Facebook page:

Erik Buell will Meet & Greet Friday, February 12 from 3pm – 7pm at the Chicago International Motorcycle Show, Booth #1400.

[Hughlysses]

Info from "Chicago" on the BuellXB forum. Erik was there (providing autographs like he always does). EBR folks told him production of motorcycles WILL DEFINITELY resume next month. They had an SX and an RX on display, apparently 2016 models in "bold new colors" (see below), which look pretty cool. Chicago forgot to ask if there are any other changes to the bikes. He has video that he will post when he gets a chance.

[GJB]

So who will be making the new bikes? Surely a liquidation company is not going to be in the motorcycle manufacturing business??

[buell-fan]

^^^ Why not? American Machine and Foundry, commonly known as AMF, made Harley Davidson's through the Shovelhead years and developed the Blockhead Evolution engine that is the basis of the Twincam engine still used today. Without AMF Harley Davidson would be no more, because they went through a rough patch too. BTW, about the same time the Davidson family bought back H-D in 1982 Erik Buell helped them design the FXR. The best handling Harley ever made. Don't discount LAP and the Melvin families desires to do something great with the EBR brand. This is something they weren't able to do when liquidating the Buell line FOR Harley.

[GJB]

Interesting. I guess I don't know enough to have any good reason to feel the way I do. Just seems like a liquidation company would rather turn the quick buck than take an risk in the unknown. I hope I am wrong. EBR wont last going the AMF route. AMF bikes were absolute POS. Made it through the bad times with the Harley crowd, but with all the exceptional sport bikes from Europe and Japan, not keeping up in this line is a non starter.

[buell-fan]

^^^ LAP may be just interested in turning a quick buck, only time will tell. But from what they are doing so far, they are moving toward a profitable future and a long living brand in the EBR logo. AMF bikes had sloppy specs, that is not disputed, and they still carry a bad rap because of it, but they are still around, and still coveted. As far as the Japanese superbikes go, they are engineering marvels. They keep evolving . EBR surviving will keep on evolving as well. Good marketing and little to no competition for many years has kept the Foreign bikes on the top, until recently. It is up tp LAP and the Melvin's to guide this course in history, just as AMF did.

[zviadi]

Good news! Let us hope for the best.

[Hughlysses]

Here's some very interesting info posted by "Solar Flare" to the EBR 1190 Owner's Facebook group. He spoke with Ed Laben, Director of Sourcing for EBR at EBR's booth at the Chicago IMS. The following info is paraphrased from Solar Flare's posts:

- Limited production of the SX and RX will begin in March.

- EBR will not honor warranties for the existing motorcycles. He said the current parts inventory has been discounted to accommodate those affected with issues. He apologized for this and stated it was out of his control. They will offer free tech support for any owner that is having issues.

- As of now, there are no plans on the table for new models. They want to limit production to build capital, then designs for new models will begin.

- They are resuming production of modified stators for the 1125 models.

- "The next 18 to 24 months for EBR will be very exciting, and very sexy!!"

- Anyone interested in being a dealer can contact EBR. They have some dealers who won't be selling for them anymore after what happened. But, they have a bunch of new dealers interested in selling EBRs. Only about a dozen will be Harley Davidson dealerships. The others will be Ducati, BMW dealerships, and various sportbike dealerships.

- We should be very surprised by the new MSRP for the new bikes.

- Liquid Asset Partners is committed to one thing. That is investing in EBR and producing new and innovative machines. He said that LAP is excited about being a part of the revival of the company. He said that by the company being operational, functional, and making profits, will put the company into a better position financially. This will make the company more appealing to a buyer who is interested in keeping the company moving forward long term.

[golfman1966]

- EBR will not honor warranties for the existing motorcycles.

Not surprising, although lack of warranty was certainly taken into consideration given the price I paid for my bike. I've always turned my own wrenches, so availability of parts and some tech support were my primary concerns. Hopefully we'll be able to access to such things as firmware updates and TSBs as time goes on.