I got to tell ya. people can talk a lot a crap about Buell motorcycles but who does this shit? A few weeks ago i was severly injured practicing for the mid ohio grand nationals. I was riding my personal gsxr-750.Thats a story in itself so i'll get to the point. For the last 2 years i was racing a Buell in the FUSA thunderbike series. When the Racing Director by the name of Henry Duga found out i was injured he sent me a get well card which was personally signed by Henry himself and Eric Buell. I'm talking the real shit here no friggin stamp with his name on it. Show me another CEO who does that. My hat's off to Eric Buell for giving a shit.
Erik is an old racer at heart....
Duga seems like a good guy too...
But is Erik the CEO anymore? I think they are completely owned by H-D. Isn't Erik the design officer or something?
Still was nice... 8)
I only know Henry....
... and he is one sweetheart of a gentleman.
Dawn ;)
Man that's really cool. Wish I got a card from kawasaki... ::) :P ;D
thats the point. show me another bike manufacturer who does that. CEO or not. when i raced theFIM 24hr world endurance race @ Oscerschlebeen, Eric made damn sure that we the Buell team had everything we needed even though he could not be there himself. im proud to say i raced one of his bikes. however, id really like to see him design a real motor for his bikes.
My hat is off to Henry Duga as well. It appears I'm the only Buell rider out here in the SW Region, and I gotta tell ya' the man has spent a good bit of time on the phone with me ensuring I had the technical and parts information to properly set the bike up. He also made himself available to the local Harley-Davidson dealership to make sure I got the right parts in a timely manner. I also race a Kawasaki and simply put, I haven't gotten that kind of support and service from them. Paul James has also been a great resource for information- thanks Paul and good luck with the rest of the season!
RandyR- thanks for bringing this to the attention of the racing community- I believe there are very few MC companies that show this kind of support on a personal level- even to a lowly amatuer in the SW.
Oh- and the Buell contingency program works as advertised... finish top 3 in Thunderbike on a Buell- get paid! That easy! Check was recieved within 6 weeks of posted race results...! No BS, no continuous paperwork.
Thanks Buell and Henry Duga for supporting club level racing, and making it easy!
Randy,
Sorry to hear about your injuries and very sorry to see you're leaving racing. It won't be the same on the F-USA Thunderbike grid without you.
All the best to you in the recovery process and whatever else the future may hold for you.
QuoteErik is an old racer at heart....
Duga seems like a good guy too...
But is Erik the CEO anymore? I think they are completely owned by H-D. Isn't Erik the design officer or something?
Still was nice... 8)
For the record, Erik is Chairman and Chief Technical Officer of Buell Motorcycle Company.
And Henry Duga was Erik's first official employee. Nobody knows (and remembers) more about the 22+ year history of Buell than Henry.
They both have a strong passion for motorcycle racing, as do many of the employees at Buell. ;)
Paul, thanks so much for the well wishes. With all the racing ive done in the last few years, i've. come to make some great friends within the Thunderbike series. A great group of guys out to help each other. Thats how it should be. Good luck with the rest of your season and if you hear of anyone looking to start their own program, i'm selling my complete one. Take care Paul.
Hey, somebody has to make sure that the buell customers return!
Besides, if Suzuki sent cards to people injured on their bikes, they'd have to buy out hallmark :P
More of the same here.
Henry has talked to me and my local deal. Henry had parts for me when my bike broke at Barber. He was the reason why I got to race another day. Racing a Buell is a real different experience for the better. Not to mention the pau out. Henry and Buell have my total respect!
Michael
AM CCS 127
QuoteMore of the same here.
Henry has talked to me and my local deal. Henry had parts for me when my bike broke at Barber. He was the reason why I got to race another day. Racing a Buell is a real different experience for the better. Not to mention the pau out. Henry and Buell have my total respect!
Michael
AM CCS 127
now if only he'd buy cousin Eddie a new generator.... ;D
Seing Henry at all the FUSA races and the support that Buell puts behind those that ride their bikes not just the fatory elite is awesome.
I have been helping a frind of mine build stands to transport bikes and Henry when he saw them worked with me to get the dimensions so that he could make the parts needed to transport the Buells. Unfortunately the stock XB9/12 will not work but we discovered the race swingarm (chain drive) will and he still wanted to see this work so he got me with the Hal's guys to measure for stand. Hat's off to Henry helping the Buell racer to get a good product (of course my opinon) for their bikes that he has no stake in.
Just from seeing this support and dedication has changed my mind on what I want for a next bike and that will be coming from a Buell/HD dealer. To paraphase/adapt "Buell if you don't have one, you wouldn't understand"