Buell MX450f revealed.......a little

Brtp4
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Brtp4 1/20/2010 9:11am
1/20/2010 9:11am
Fascinating thread. Love it. Please keep it going.

Brian Price
GuyB
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GuyB 1/20/2010 9:18am
1/20/2010 9:18am
Brtp4 wrote:
Fascinating thread. Love it. Please keep it going.

Brian Price
I'll second that.
Ozzy
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Ozzy 1/20/2010 9:26am
1/20/2010 9:26am
GuyB.........
I think she's a better read in print
than on the net of sorts..........
?
Dave O.Wink
c3011
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c3011 1/20/2010 9:27am
1/20/2010 9:27am
This is maybe the most interesting thread I have seen on any of the boards in a couple of years!

The Shop

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DrSweden
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DrSweden 1/20/2010 9:44am
1/20/2010 9:44am
c3011 wrote:
This is maybe the most interesting thread I have seen on any of the boards in a couple of years!
yes!
miedosoracing1 1/20/2010 9:51am
1/20/2010 9:51am
c3011 wrote:
This is maybe the most interesting thread I have seen on any of the boards in a couple of years!
x10
Tiki
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Tiki 1/20/2010 9:59am
1/20/2010 9:59am
So what is the idea on the split seat?
freeh
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freeh 1/20/2010 9:59am
1/20/2010 9:59am
I will say I had the coolest day of my engineering career while there. We were doing some brake testing with a potential supplier. We loaded up all the bikes and equipment and headed to Sunset Ridge in Illinois. That place has an awesome layout. No professional riders were involved in the program yet, so myself, Tom A., and Dave O's boy did most of the riding. All day long we would try different parts figuring out what worked and what did not. I would come in to the pit area and jump off the bike, our technician would grab it, put it on the stand, and start taking data. I felt like a factory level rider, which I was for that day. I was actually getting paid to ride a dirtbike. Pretty damn cool.



1
GuyB
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GuyB 1/20/2010 10:03am
1/20/2010 10:03am
Ozzy wrote:
GuyB.........
I think she's a better read in print
than on the net of sorts..........
?
Dave O.Wink
Yeah, no one reads web sites. Blink

Wink

Paging Dave's favorite magazine...please pick up the white courtesy telephone...
jeffro503
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jeffro503 1/20/2010 10:14am
1/20/2010 10:14am
I gotta say , this is one of the most interesting threads i have read on here in a long time. man , i sure would like to hear the full story. I'd "really" like to see some pictures of that 450 all put together.

What happened to that bike sitting in the crate? They didn't destroy it did they? It would be a great museum piece for sure! Ozzy and Freeeh , thanks for sharing what you were able to share. Hopefully , the "powers that be" let you open up a little and fill us all in on what happened.
TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 1/20/2010 10:26am
1/20/2010 10:26am
By far the most interesting thread I've seen in here.

Ever.

To "freeh" and "Ozzy"...

There will be more projects, more good days, more riding...more fun.

Thanks for the "story".

Btw, it's completely LOST on me that someone...at H.D. ...couldn't pull their head out jus' long enuff to realize the potential this project had for "New Dealer Traffic" by bringing more Off-Roaders into H.D. dealers. Not to mention the fact that they pulled the plug on the Buell Brand just as their "Racing Program" was accomplishing that VERY SAME GOAL (New Dealer Traffic). Idiots...complete Idiots.

Ozzy
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Ozzy 1/20/2010 4:32pm
1/20/2010 4:32pm Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 8:12pm
Bean counters & mucky mucks are an opinionated group for sure.
But there were factors, & as I look back on it now, I realize that
outside of the timing of it all, & the downward economy wave that was
coming soon, plus there were several other issues at hand!
For me, an "opportunity lost" as I wrote about in '07.....
For the others there too, it was as it happened before on other HD related
projects. I'm sure other OEM's have done similar. It's all part of it really.
As much as I heard of other deals that went that way, it wasn't that common
place, but every now & then it did happened.
It sucked being caught in the cross fire of it all for sure.
To make sense of it all, is a hard 1, especially depending what side your on!
Will someone else or some company try again, I sure hope so.......
& if they do, my advice......................!
1) Make sure you can go the distance, the whole distance.......
2) No egos allowed! Please leave yours at the door........
3) Ideas are ideas, in other words, all in due time, so commonsense is required.
4) Don't go to market or the press with your FLY down.........
Begin!!!!!!
Dave O.Wink
1
neysbo
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neysbo 1/20/2010 5:54pm
1/20/2010 5:54pm
freeh wrote:
I will say I had the coolest day of my engineering career while there. We were doing some brake testing with a potential supplier. We loaded...
I will say I had the coolest day of my engineering career while there. We were doing some brake testing with a potential supplier. We loaded up all the bikes and equipment and headed to Sunset Ridge in Illinois. That place has an awesome layout. No professional riders were involved in the program yet, so myself, Tom A., and Dave O's boy did most of the riding. All day long we would try different parts figuring out what worked and what did not. I would come in to the pit area and jump off the bike, our technician would grab it, put it on the stand, and start taking data. I felt like a factory level rider, which I was for that day. I was actually getting paid to ride a dirtbike. Pretty damn cool.



That is my home track, we ride there all the time and know the owners well.

Must have been a top secret thing as never heard any talk of it.








freeh
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freeh 1/20/2010 6:05pm
1/20/2010 6:05pm
freeh wrote:
I will say I had the coolest day of my engineering career while there. We were doing some brake testing with a potential supplier. We loaded...
I will say I had the coolest day of my engineering career while there. We were doing some brake testing with a potential supplier. We loaded up all the bikes and equipment and headed to Sunset Ridge in Illinois. That place has an awesome layout. No professional riders were involved in the program yet, so myself, Tom A., and Dave O's boy did most of the riding. All day long we would try different parts figuring out what worked and what did not. I would come in to the pit area and jump off the bike, our technician would grab it, put it on the stand, and start taking data. I felt like a factory level rider, which I was for that day. I was actually getting paid to ride a dirtbike. Pretty damn cool.



neysbo wrote:
That is my home track, we ride there all the time and know the owners well. Must have been a top secret thing as never heard...
That is my home track, we ride there all the time and know the owners well.

Must have been a top secret thing as never heard any talk of it.








We went to Byron the day before because it was closer to the shop, but that place sucked, so we called a friend of a friend and got a hold of the guy who owns Sunset Ridge. It was during the middle of the week, not an open practice day. We showed up the next day and the track was groomed and ready. Absolutely one of the best days of my life. I was whooped by the end of it though. We had intentions of using that place a lot in the future too. We did go there a few times on open practice days too. Easily one of my favorite tracks.
1
loftyair
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loftyair 1/20/2010 6:13pm
1/20/2010 6:13pm Edited Date/Time 1/20/2010 6:16pm
air-cooled? Well it looks that way in the last photo, but not the motor pic in first post(which I couldn't see at first)
MXTR
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MXTR 1/20/2010 6:59pm
1/20/2010 6:59pm
Ozzy wrote:
Bean counters & mucky mucks are an opinionated group for sure. But there were factors, & as I look back on it now, I realize that...
Bean counters & mucky mucks are an opinionated group for sure.
But there were factors, & as I look back on it now, I realize that
outside of the timing of it all, & the downward economy wave that was
coming soon, plus there were several other issues at hand!
For me, an "opportunity lost" as I wrote about in '07.....
For the others there too, it was as it happened before on other HD related
projects. I'm sure other OEM's have done similar. It's all part of it really.
As much as I heard of other deals that went that way, it wasn't that common
place, but every now & then it did happened.
It sucked being caught in the cross fire of it all for sure.
To make sense of it all, is a hard 1, especially depending what side your on!
Will someone else or some company try again, I sure hope so.......
& if they do, my advice......................!
1) Make sure you can go the distance, the whole distance.......
2) No egos allowed! Please leave yours at the door........
3) Ideas are ideas, in other words, all in due time, so commonsense is required.
4) Don't go to market or the press with your FLY down.........
Begin!!!!!!
Dave O.Wink
As always, Dave, well said!!

That check list at the bottom should cover most things in life as well. I can't wait to hear the whole story some day.

Pit Row

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twostrokesonly 1/20/2010 7:02pm
1/20/2010 7:02pm
I see the Buell style and if I was HD I may pull the plug too. Americans will not buy that. Americans didn't buy the Cannondale and it looked okay. It has to look fast and trick. The chinese bikes are looking better and better each year.
MXTR
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MXTR 1/20/2010 7:31pm
1/20/2010 7:31pm
twostrokesonly wrote:
I see the Buell style and if I was HD I may pull the plug too. Americans will not buy that. Americans didn't buy the Cannondale...
I see the Buell style and if I was HD I may pull the plug too. Americans will not buy that. Americans didn't buy the Cannondale and it looked okay. It has to look fast and trick. The chinese bikes are looking better and better each year.
I'm thinking that picture above is photoshoped.Cool
ebers
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ebers 1/20/2010 7:54pm
1/20/2010 7:54pm
like its been said, very good read, keep it going!
look out below 1/20/2010 8:04pm
1/20/2010 8:04pm Edited Date/Time 1/20/2010 8:05pm
twostrokesonly wrote:
I see the Buell style and if I was HD I may pull the plug too. Americans will not buy that. Americans didn't buy the Cannondale...
I see the Buell style and if I was HD I may pull the plug too. Americans will not buy that. Americans didn't buy the Cannondale and it looked okay. It has to look fast and trick. The chinese bikes are looking better and better each year.
i wasnt the "looks" that killed cannondale!! Looks are not everything.
slider
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slider 1/20/2010 9:05pm
1/20/2010 9:05pm
Nice read above. I will keep checking back. When was the last time this BB had 2 pages without arguing...? NICE

Rick
720furrybunny 1/20/2010 9:09pm
1/20/2010 9:09pm Edited Date/Time 1/20/2010 9:15pm
Here's my Buell story. About 3 yrs ago after learning about the MX project online, I cold called Buell's HR dept. I didn't get an answer but, I left a message regarding my interest in an engineering position. At that time, I had a little after market product I developed which was featured in MXA a few times (REIL Eng. Airbox EZ for CRF 450). Anyways, to my surprize, they called me back and arranged to fly me out from Utah for an interview. Being that this was my dream shot, I took the time to model up some things, perform some FE analyses, and bring them to the interview. I was interviewed by a panel of 4-5 and felt pretty good. As with most of you, I've been into dirt bikes for a good part of my life, so I knew the subject matter inside and out. In fact, all people are geeks in one way or another, I geek out over MX bikes. So, overall the interview seemed to go well, if there were any negatives, I'd say that I didn't get a good body language vibe from the person heading up the interview. Everybody was hush hush about the bike and although I pressed, they wouldn't show me anything. So, I returned back home and two weeks pass and I hear nothing. I finally contact HR at Buell and they give me some bull shit reason I didn't get hired was that I didn't have Think 3 experience. This is a surfacing package used by industrial designers. It didn't ever come up in the interview. I said screw it. As it turns out I'm lucky I didn't get hired due to the circumstances but, I'd love to be a part of something else if it ever comes up. Ozzy/Freeh, were you guys part of the interview? I guess I'm still a little pissed with the B.S. reason the HR guys gave me. I know you may have interviewed several but, you'd remember me since I have a fairly uncommon name (Rocco). I think during the course of the interview, I asked those present if they rode MX and none did. This didn't impress me as it gave me the impression that it could be a misdirected attempt by road racing buffs. Anyways, it would be nice to see an American company get some skin in this game. One last thing. I almost feel like a jinx since Cannondale went under shortly after I interviewed with them. Either that or they screwed up by not hiring me too!
nytsmaC
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nytsmaC 1/20/2010 9:12pm
1/20/2010 9:12pm
Maybe you went wrong when you disclosed your screen name during the interview.
mxer146
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mxer146 1/20/2010 9:17pm
1/20/2010 9:17pm
This thread is awesome!!!!




NOW HOW ABOUT THIS SPLIT SEAT!!!!!!
720furrybunny 1/20/2010 9:18pm
1/20/2010 9:18pm Edited Date/Time 1/20/2010 9:20pm
Yeah, the other account name I used fucked up for some reason so, I picked a new one. I really wanted to post on this subject.
Lightning78
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Lightning78 1/20/2010 9:19pm
1/20/2010 9:19pm
Bump for one of the most intriguing threads I have ever seen on here......please keep it going!!
The Rock
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The Rock 1/20/2010 9:21pm
1/20/2010 9:21pm Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 8:13pm
Bigfoot wrote:
But what was the pressure cooker for?!
Maybe it is actually a prototype hydrogen fuel cell :-)


Muffler looks like it's off a Yamaha.......

Given that Buell folded maybe it was a blessing this project didn't get further along....talk to any 2 wheel Cannondale purchasers and they might tell you they wish Cannondale would have folded before they bought one. BTW, from what I heard the Cannondale quads were actually pretty darn good
Pat327
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Pat327 1/20/2010 9:40pm
1/20/2010 9:40pm
Is this the later design? Looks pretty cool.

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