Photo: Buell
I'm not sure how many of you remember this, but there was a time when Buell motorcycles were sold in places outside the U.S. as well. Riders up north, over in Canada, but also quite a lot of them in several European markets have had direct access to Buell bikes up until about a decade ago, when things were not looking too bright for the brand. But times have changed, and this week we've learned of Buell's desire to once again go global.
As you're reading this, the company's portfolio comprises five models, and they are all perfectly suitable for sale outside the United States.
First on the list is the Hammerhead 1190, a sport bike that originates "from the heart of America" wearing a sticker that reads $19,995 (starting price). Then we've got a proper streetfighter in the form of the 1190SX, which can be had starting from $18,995.
The Super Cruiser is one of the more recent Buell bikes, and it plays in the cruiser segment. Or, it will play, as production is not really scheduled to start before 2025. Another bike that's still in the pipeline, the Supertouring, will enter production later this year.
Last but not least, there's the Baja 1190 Duneracer, a ride still in the concept stage but one that will probably be sold for off-road use starting at $19,995.
None of the above bikes were around in this form back when Buell stopped being present abroad, but the company considers there's enough of a fanbase in some of the countries of this world to warrant an expansion.
Those countries would be Canada, Japan, France, Spain, and Brazil, places that "have been havens for Buell American Motorcycle's clubs and superfans for decades."
Buell said this week that it will officially start its "expansion into global markets" in the summer of this year, and it will do so by going north, to where Canada is. After that, the coming years will see the brand reach the UK, EU countries, and even yet unnamed markets.
Buell will not open its own stores in foreign markets, but it will operate a network of international distributors and dealers. It's unclear at this point how vast the network will be – in fact, not even Buell seems to know, as it is presently asking interested parties to get in touch for more details.
On the customer level, the bike maker said it will open refundable pre-order deposits for customers from foreign countries, but provided no details on when and how it will do that.
We will keep an eye on this story, because if Buell's plan works, we're going to have ourselves another major motorcycle player on the global stage. And we can never have enough of those.
First on the list is the Hammerhead 1190, a sport bike that originates "from the heart of America" wearing a sticker that reads $19,995 (starting price). Then we've got a proper streetfighter in the form of the 1190SX, which can be had starting from $18,995.
The Super Cruiser is one of the more recent Buell bikes, and it plays in the cruiser segment. Or, it will play, as production is not really scheduled to start before 2025. Another bike that's still in the pipeline, the Supertouring, will enter production later this year.
Last but not least, there's the Baja 1190 Duneracer, a ride still in the concept stage but one that will probably be sold for off-road use starting at $19,995.
None of the above bikes were around in this form back when Buell stopped being present abroad, but the company considers there's enough of a fanbase in some of the countries of this world to warrant an expansion.
Those countries would be Canada, Japan, France, Spain, and Brazil, places that "have been havens for Buell American Motorcycle's clubs and superfans for decades."
Buell said this week that it will officially start its "expansion into global markets" in the summer of this year, and it will do so by going north, to where Canada is. After that, the coming years will see the brand reach the UK, EU countries, and even yet unnamed markets.
Buell will not open its own stores in foreign markets, but it will operate a network of international distributors and dealers. It's unclear at this point how vast the network will be – in fact, not even Buell seems to know, as it is presently asking interested parties to get in touch for more details.
On the customer level, the bike maker said it will open refundable pre-order deposits for customers from foreign countries, but provided no details on when and how it will do that.
We will keep an eye on this story, because if Buell's plan works, we're going to have ourselves another major motorcycle player on the global stage. And we can never have enough of those.
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