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Message started by Mr. Hyde on 08/25/09 at 07:46:33

Title: Blast is no more
Post by Mr. Hyde on 08/25/09 at 07:46:33

http://www.buell.com/en_us/bikes/blast/#

Buell has dumped the Blast and is crushing those that are left. For you guys who bought one this year you now have a collectible.

IMO at the very least the company should have donated the bikes to some organization as opposed to crushing them.

Title: Re: Blast is no more
Post by Duane on 08/25/09 at 08:14:15

Very sad to crush good bikes like that.

Reminds me of a story a old WWII vet told me about. When he was on his way home after the war he said they were dumping new jeeps still in crates into the Pacific. What a waste, no wonder the US is in debt up to its eyeballs.

I read a bio of Soichiro Honda that said he started with surplus engines left over from the war put on bicycles before moving on to make crap piston rings that Toyota would use.

Title: Re: Blast is no more
Post by voldigicam on 08/25/09 at 16:10:04

Perhaps this is a joke.

Title: Re: Blast is no more
Post by bill67 on 08/25/09 at 16:53:39

I heard it vibrates more than and S40.

Title: Re: Blast is no more
Post by prsavage on 08/25/09 at 23:12:33

I saw a Buell ad for the remaining Blasts which have been crushed into cubes. They suggest to put a glass top on and use it for a coffee table. Each cube supposedly signed by Erik Buell. Can't remember which bike mag I saw it in but it was the inside front cover.

Title: Re: Blast is no more
Post by PerrydaSavage on 08/26/09 at 03:23:58

I know it's a publicity gimick to crush those remaining Buell Blasts, but IMHO it just a sad waste of some perfectly good motorcycles ... I agree that they should've been donated to some Rider Training Programs ... or sold on the cheap ... crushing 'em was nothing more than pure waste ...

Title: Re: Blast is no more
Post by LANCER on 08/26/09 at 04:02:55

I'd be willing to bet that the ones that were crushed were partial bike assembly's that were left on the assembly line when it was shut down.

Title: Re: Blast is no more
Post by voldigicam on 08/26/09 at 04:16:22

And that it's a publicity stunt, probably as Lancer indicates.

Title: Re: Blast is no more
Post by JustPassinThru on 08/26/09 at 17:57:02

Why was it taken out of production?

I had considered a Blast...but the combination of price, a cheap Savage, and the goofy name (and no test-ride) had me shelving the plan.

Was it not selling? The Harley/Buell line needs an entry level, or smaller, simpler machine for those of us who don't want to pose but only ride.

Title: Re: Blast is no more
Post by drharveys on 08/26/09 at 19:19:58

I guess my daughter's going to have to take really good care of hers!

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e204/drharveys/DSC00876.jpg

I had one buddy explain that Harley is pushing the 883 Sportster as the entry level bike, all the Sportys as women's bikes and trying to move all their male customers to their larger machinery.

As for the Blast, why would Harley want to promote a bike that brings new riders into their dealerships? And all the responsibility of running MSF courses (didn't they call them "Rider's Edge") only to contradict the instructors and sell beanie helmets and do-rags?

Look, Honda has the Rebel, Yamaha the 250 Virago, Kawasaki has the Ninja 250 and Suzuki has a nice 250 as well as the Savage/S-40. And the Japanese have some darned good small dirt bikes, scooters and maxi-scooters. Guess where the next generation of riders will be getting their start?

So, the big question is, how soon will Harley start crying for a government bail-out because there's no new crop of gay pirates coming through their dealer's doors??

Title: Re: Blast is no more
Post by John_D on 08/26/09 at 19:28:01

62746E677470637F75060 wrote:

Look, Honda has the Rebel, Yamaha the 250 Virago, Kawasaki has the Ninja 250 and Suzuki has a nice 250 as well as the Savage/S-40. And the Japanese have some darned good small dirt bikes, scooters and maxi-scooters. Guess where the next generation of riders will be getting their start?

So, the big question is, how soon will Harley start crying for a government bail-out because there's no new crop of gay pirates coming through their dealer's doors??

I couldn't agree more, and that last part had me grinning. I think they're crazy to cancel a bike that sells, just becuase they think it doesn't fit their "image". Although I guess it does fit the HD "image" quite fine: to heck with financial solvency, I look cool! :P

Title: Re: Blast is no more
Post by gerald.hughes on 08/26/09 at 19:50:43

The Buell Blast was a competent, basic bike. It did what it was designed to do. When I watched the video on the Buell site, all that I could think of was what a pathetic individual Erik Buell was. He did nothing but disparage his own creation. If he was unhappy with the Blast, then he should have improved it. His wanton destruction of the bikes, but more importantly, his manner of talking about them, caused me to lose any regard that I had for the man and his company.

Title: Re: Blast is no more
Post by drharveys on 08/27/09 at 04:58:34

7371667578703A7C61737C7167140 wrote:

I don't know if the Blast was actually his creation, or just something Willie G. and the corporate crew didn't want the precious Harley-Davidson nameplate on. Still, re-labeling would seem a better option. Hey, it's not the first single cylinder Harley!

As for losing regard for Mr. Buell & his creations, I guess that process started for me with a test ride of the Ulysses. While the basic bike was really nice, there were two things that should have never made it to a production model:
First, the wires to the heated handgrips were these fragile dangly things that seemed especially prone to breakage.
Second, and more important, the bike was a testicle cooker, and not the kind at the Turkey Nut festival! When the salesman at the Harley dealer can show you the place to put a strip of metal tape to solve the problem, you gotta wonder why a heat shield wasn't included in the original design!

Olean Missouri during this year's Testicle Festival:

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e204/drharveys/Lake%20Ozark/DSC00940.jpg

Deep-fried turkey nuts:

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e204/drharveys/Lake%20Ozark/DSC00934.jpg

Tasty, but I would have sauteed them with onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and green peppers in olive oil and served them on a slice of crusty bread bruschetta style!

Title: Re: Blast is no more
Post by voldigicam on 08/27/09 at 05:25:47

I can see a couple of reasons.

First, it's not really a ground-up design. Vibration and other problems seem to pop up in fora all the time. Really needed to do something other than cut a Harley in half.

Second, each Blast uses up floor space that could be occupied by a higher-profit bike.

On the other hand, I highly agree with getting people into the dealerships early in their riding career. The usual gimics for getting people to buy Harleys aren't really going to get a first time buyer popping for a heavy bike with a heavy price.

I'd probably investigate several avenues. Based on the basic "Harley" look. A 450 to 650 cc displacement, classically styled semi-cruiser, either joined or separate trans. Engine built to spec overseas, probably Europe, but the orient would do. Final assembly here. One or two cylinders, easy to ride, pretty light. Either Buell or Harley tag.

Observation: the final entry product might well look identical to a 650 Suzuki, the 650 V star . . . . Hmmm.

An alternative, if the floor space occupied by big twins is becoming excessive, would be to have mostly US made utility bikes. I tend to think of the British bikes as highly utilitarian, nimble machines. The Japanese produced similar bikes. Relatively small and compact twins with easy nimble handling, good carrying capacity, good quality stock bags & racks. Probably would do very well the next time gas bumps. Something like a Royal Enfield Bullet EFI version. Light, nimble, capable. With proper styling, it might condition people to look to Harleys for the weekend bike, too.

Personally, I thought the Blast felt good to sit on. I didn't drive one. Seemed to have been made for a 5'6" ro 5'8" person.

Title: Re: Blast is no more
Post by JustPassinThru on 08/27/09 at 11:18:54

31273D342723302C26550 wrote:

I had one buddy explain that Harley is pushing the 883 Sportster as the entry level bike, all the Sportys as women's bikes and trying to move all their male customers to their larger machinery.

As for the Blast, why would Harley want to promote a bike that brings new riders into their dealerships? And all the responsibility of running MSF courses (didn't they call them "Rider's Edge") only to contradict the instructors and sell beanie helmets and do-rags?

Look, Honda has the Rebel, Yamaha the 250 Virago, Kawasaki has the Ninja 250 and Suzuki has a nice 250 as well as the Savage/S-40. And the Japanese have some darned good small dirt bikes, scooters and maxi-scooters. Guess where the next generation of riders will be getting their start?

So, the big question is, how soon will Harley start crying for a government bail-out because there's no new crop of gay pirates coming through their dealer's doors??

:D

Spot on.

Harleys have become more of a fashion statement than a ride; and as long as riders want and can afford the fashion, that's cool.

The trouble with fashion is...sometimes it goes OUT of fashion. Just ask Cadillac...whose mean buyers' age is somewhere between 70 and dead...