In reply to Huckleberry:
I like the Buells I thought were really cool. But I don't think the sales were there and I really think the Ulysses was the worst seller of the bunch.
Not that that makes it a bad bike, just not a sales success.
Found this on a Buell site.
"Buell XBike models include:
XB9R & XB12R Firebolt (Sport-Fighters. 17899 built)
XB9S & XB12S Lightning (Street-Fighters. 15184 built)
XB9SL Lightning Low (Lowered version of XB9S. 1513 built)
XB9SX aka "XB9CX" Lightning CityX (City Cross Urban Assault Bike. 9632 built.)
XB12Scg Lightning (Lowered version of XB12S. 5561 built.)
XB12Ss Lightning Stretched (Longer wheelbase version of XB12S. 7013 built)
XB12STT Lightning Super TT (Motard Inspired Tourist Trophy. 1755 built.)
XB12SX Lightning CityX (XB12 version of the CityX. 860 built.)
XB12X Ulysses (Adventure Sport. 7432 built)
XB12XP Ulysses (Police Model. 137 built.)
XB12XT Ulysses (Adventure Sport Touring. 1911 built)"
RealMiniParker wrote:
Flight Service wrote:
I like electric vehicles love the torque and how quiet they are. If I am not going fast, I like the fact it is low noise.
Shame that the designers added artificial noise to the Livewire. 
If I recall correctly, the Harley guys I talked to said that the sound was from the gears in the jackshaft, and the belt drive making most of the noise. Never heard anything about artificial sounds.
Guys are already talking about putting this new motor into an FXR!
Appleseed wrote:
RealMiniParker wrote:
Flight Service wrote:
I like electric vehicles love the torque and how quiet they are. If I am not going fast, I like the fact it is low noise.
Shame that the designers added artificial noise to the Livewire.
If I recall correctly, the Harley guys I talked to said that the sound was from the gears in the jackshaft, and the belt drive making most of the noise. Never heard anything about artificial sounds.
My buddy went to school with a guy that was on the design team. We saw him at the big deal they had at the HD museum last(?) year, and got to talking about it. He said the powertrain was too quiet, "typical Harley riders want noise, so we had to put that in there." He said it with a frown on his face.
Buells didn't sell because of the hd engine. Hard to sell a liter bike that cant keep up with a 600cc non sport bike and can't rev any higher than a honda civic plus they weren't known for reliability and parts could get expensive.
And I know that sounds like I'm dissing them but do the research. I actually have considered getting them a couple of times. 10 minutes of research and my mind is clear again. Never really like the seating position as well.
markwemple wrote:
Buells didn't sell because of the hd dealer sales people. Hard to sell a unique bike to an informed consumer when the sales people point you to a sportster and insist that it's basically the same thing.
Fixed that for you.
I tried twice in the late nineties to buy a new Buell. The H-D dealer experience prevented that from happening.
RealMiniParker wrote:
Appleseed wrote:
RealMiniParker wrote:
Flight Service wrote:
I like electric vehicles love the torque and how quiet they are. If I am not going fast, I like the fact it is low noise.
Shame that the designers added artificial noise to the Livewire.
If I recall correctly, the Harley guys I talked to said that the sound was from the gears in the jackshaft, and the belt drive making most of the noise. Never heard anything about artificial sounds.
My buddy went to school with a guy that was on the design team. We saw him at the big deal they had at the HD museum last(?) year, and got to talking about it. He said the powertrain was too quiet, "typical Harley riders want noise, so we had to put that in there." He said it with a frown on his face.
Dang. Maybe they added the "sound" from after I got to tweek the throttle at the motorcycle show a few years ago.
HappyAndy wrote:
markwemple wrote:
Buells didn't sell because of the hd dealer sales people. Hard to sell a unique bike to an informed consumer when the sales people point you to a sportster and insist that it's basically the same thing.
Fixed that for you.
I tried twice in the late nineties to buy a new Buell. The H-D dealer experience prevented that from happening.
I had the same experience when I had my Cagiva. Walked into a dealer to look at a Ulysses and a Firebolt. Was told I needed to get off of my Linguine and get a real bike and was pointed to a 1200 Sportster. I came in on a very rare Adventure Tourer to look at another Adventure Tourer and a Sport Bike and you point me at a Sportster. These aren't isolated incidents. (Harley and Cagiva have had a very interesting history together too.)
I won't bash Buell. I like the new HD engine. Hell I like the V-Rod (black on black please). Harley's brand tends to get in the way of me ever riding one. Now Buells are cheap and getting cheaper. 1125R is in the $3k range...
In reply to Flight Service:
I often wonder how many sales Buell lost that way. I sure it was more than just the two of us.
In reply to HappyAndy:
Excellent question. Now I have pondered it for a second or two I wonder if it had anything to do with the fact the sales guys are A: Ignorant B: Work only on commission (Buells IIRC were cheaper than a large portion of the HD lineup) C: Just lifestyle shiny happy people.
In reply to Flight Service:
This could also be one of the side-effects of some stock stuffing Harley was doing back when they were peaking (late 90s, early 00's). They expanded the number of dealers and forced them to buy high amounts of inventory to pad corporate sales numbers. Dealers then went and forced sales of bloated inventory wherever they could to try to get rid of it. Guy in a Ducati jacket on a race bike? Sportster. Guy on a GS with mud all over it? Sportster. Girl? 883 Sportster! Fat guy? Soft tail or Glide! Shareholders sued the crap out of them for it and they cut that E36 M3 out somewhere around '05.
Meanwhile the Buells were gathering dust way in the back with low margins and not too many in stock. People who wanted them knew what they were and just came and bought them so they eventually moved. I wonder how they would have done if they ever had any incentive to sell them.
In reply to Huckleberry:
Good point. Especially on the sportster thing.
RealMiniParker wrote:
Appleseed wrote:
RealMiniParker wrote:
Flight Service wrote:
I like electric vehicles love the torque and how quiet they are. If I am not going fast, I like the fact it is low noise.
Shame that the designers added artificial noise to the Livewire.
If I recall correctly, the Harley guys I talked to said that the sound was from the gears in the jackshaft, and the belt drive making most of the noise. Never heard anything about artificial sounds.
My buddy went to school with a guy that was on the design team. We saw him at the big deal they had at the HD museum last(?) year, and got to talking about it. He said the powertrain was too quiet, "typical Harley riders want noise, so we had to put that in there." He said it with a frown on his face.
coming out of transmissions and gears, gear wine sucks.
Gear and belt whine rule. Roots blowers and gear driven cams, man.
In reply to Appleseed:
Let me put it another way, gear wine is lost power in the form of heat being transferred to the fluid.
The noise LiveWire generates is akin to putting baseball cards in your spokes or the speakers that generate engine noise in some of the cars these days, not just sloppy gear/belt/drivetrain noise.
Yes, it's that berkeleying stupid.
RealMiniParker wrote:
The noise LiveWire generates is akin to putting baseball cards in your spokes or the speakers that generate engine noise in some of the cars these days, not just sloppy gear/belt/drivetrain noise.
Yes, it's that berkeleying stupid.
Ford does it for gas engines
So does BMW
Why can't HD's electric bike say "Potato-potato-potato" at ludicrous volumes if it wants to?
Redonk-you-lous. All of them.
In reply to Huckleberry:
I actually LOLed that.
My oldest son says "Dad I hate that. Those motorcycles are just really loud and go flub flub flub all the time!"
Lol. Next time the scooter gang rolls by all I will be able to hear is "potato potato potato". 
In reply to Huckleberry:
I always thought it was hubudah - cough - hubudah - cough....
