I owned a Buell 1125R but sold it earlier this year. The reasons I chose to sell it were as follows: It boiled the fuel on hot days here in the desert--the official position was this was not a safety issue (safety issue or not, it was disconcerting); I replaced the rear turn-signals at least four times--the stock signals 'burned out' (LEDs, actually) sometimes within days of installation--I wound up replacing the signals with after-market units just to avoid the hassle of returning to the dealer; there is/was a hard-core cadre of Buell fanatics, some of whom were distinctly unfriendly, some of these who were in a position in the Buell community to turn-off new and prospective Buell owners--in other words, the 'culture' was insular, and could be very hostile and unfriendly to anything but unquestioning, blind loyalty. For someone who wanted to be 'a part' of things, this was a show-stopper.
My impression is that they let the 1125R out a bit too early, with some rough edges yet to be ironed out. This lead to bad Press. The problems were mostly corrected, but the damage had been done. Even so, I think slow sales of their 'revolutionary' model was one among a number of reasons the company failed. The company failed, in my opinion, due primarily to its cultish followers and their treatment of newcomers, and outsiders. This attitude shouldn't be discounted, or under appreciated in its insidious effects. There was enough friction between the hardcore Buell guys and literally everyone else it destroyed the goodwill in the general populace required to take a chance on a new brand. Buell fanatics alienated others in the bike community. The seeds of the company's demise were sown when the company was formed. It seems they allowed a cult to grow up around the founder, and in so doing, allowed to flourish the market forces that would ultimately undo the marque. If there's a formal theory of group 'underdogism' (and there must be) then this is a classic case of an overachieving organization who takes the impetus for its achievement from its underdog status and thus cannot do without it. I know on the surface it appears Harley pulled the plug because of financial considerations. My opinion is the plug was pulled because of what was foreordained--the Buell culture couldn't function as anything other than an 'underdog', and in the public eye, underdogs must either become topdogs, or else disappear. There's no middle ground for this.
I hate to see the bikes go. My 1125R was very capable, and fun. It couldn't outrun other top-of-the-line 4-cylinder liter bikes in a straight line, but in the curvy parts, it was superior to them. Buell was outstanding at correcting issues, and the dealer did a good job with service. I lost my a@@ when I sold mine earlier, but I'm glad I sold it then and didn't wait. I imagine the prices are going to go down significantly. I'll also bet 50 years in the future, Buells will bring tidy prices. For those who wish to wait that long on their investments.
My opinion...
Alan
