Buell may be coming back

Zach Bowman — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:15:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Motorcycle

Erik Buell Racing has secured financing from GE Capital to build a dealership network to sell its wares, according to the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. Last we heard, EBR had rustled up $20 million from foreign investors in order to begin manufacturing a new line of affordable motorcycles. That's a change of tack from from the company's $40,000 EBR 1190RS. So far, the manufacturer has lined up around 30 dealers, some of which were formerly Buell Motorcycle Company outlets. Right now, EBR says the company isn't large enough to support stand alone dealers, so we can expect to see the manufacturer's hardware sold alongside competitive, high-end machinery for the time being.

GE Capital routinely provides financing for manufacturers, dealers and distributors, and has been a part of the motorcycle industry for years. EBR will likely use some of its financing to create a number of more accessible bikes, including a machine called the EBR RX, which is a lower specification version of the company's 1190RS. Likewise, a naked street bike called the SX is in the pipeline as well as an AX dual-sport adventure machine. Visor Down reports the lineup will very closely mirror the Buell lineup of five years ago before Harley-Davidson pulled the plug, though the new bikes will abandon their winded V-Twin engines in favor of modern, water-cooled powerplants.

Buell may be coming back originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buell fueled with $20M investment, plans $20K streetbike

Zach Bowman — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 08:43:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Plants/Manufacturing, Earnings/Financials, Motorcycle

Erik Buell Racing has gotten its hands on $20 million from foreign investors in a first step toward starting production on a range of new, affordable bikes. The cash will be used to hire more staff and expand the company's current Milwaukee production facility to 54,000 square feet. Details are skinny at the moment, but Buell says EBR plans to start selling a $20,000 bike in line with the current EBR 1190RS (seen above), though with less hardcore components. That price tag puts the newcomer in the same playground as creations like the Ducati 1199 Panigale and well above the BMW S 1000 RR.

But the stack of cash doesn't mean EBR's plans are set in stone. It reportedly takes around $100 million to get a startup bike manufacturer off the ground with all of the necessary dealerships and production capability, which means Buell will likely continue to court investors for the foreseeable future.

EBR hasn't disclosed its mystery investor just yet, though the minds at Asphalt & Rubber believe the funds could have come from Hero MotoCorp, an Indian motorcycle manufacturer. The company has made waves about possibly acquiring Erik Buell Racing in the past, and the two motorcycle builders already have a strategic partnership in place.

Buell fueled with $20M investment, plans $20K streetbike originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 08:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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