Photo: EBR
Erik Buell Racing (EBR) and Liquid Asset Partners (LAP) announce that production was restored at EBR's headquarters in East Troy, and the first 1190RX and 1190SX machines are expected to roll off the assembly line as early as March 17.
While the news is, of course, good for both EBR and Buell fans, there is much more to this fact than simply putting bikes together and preparing them for sale. One of the biggest questions is who will be selling them, given the fact that EBR's former dealer network is now virtually non-existent.
Even so, the dealership network Erik Buell Racing used to rely on was nowhere near as strong as it needed to be to sustain the growth of the company, and warranty issues also plagued the operations of the American manufacturer.
From a product standpoint, learning that EBR has plans to start manufacturing only the two more affordable models, with no mention of the RS model being made, is an indicator that someone started to see that $40K bikes are not exactly the solution for a company that has kicked the bucket three times, already.
It is unclear where EBR is heading for under LAP ownership, and we can only guess that someone finally understood that trying to deliver an American Panigale and with a similar price is not the most lucrative central idea in a business plan for a company like EBR.'
"EBR is on solid ground and moving forward, able to shift into gear knowing that it has financial stability, a profitable multi-year plan, and a 5-10 year vision."
The words above come from Bill Melvin Jr., CEO of Liquid Asset Partners and CFO of EBR, and if we are to believe them entirely, it looks like LAP has not been idling at all.
The fact that LAP wants to see bikes rolling off the assembly line is easy to understand, as their newly-acquired company takes the first baby steps towards becoming profitable, but again, there is more to being a motorcycle manufacturer than making bikes.
In an effort to optimize EBR, Liquid Asset Partner will also sell the "asset excess to current factory production." The sale is estimated to run for 30 to 45 days, and includes "excess machinery, equipment, tools, excess race assets, and excess parts, in a lifetime opportunity to buy a piece of history at the factory level."
EBR's management is as follows:
• Steve Smith: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
• Bill Melvin Jr.: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
• Erik Buell: Chief Technical Officer (CTO)
• Kim Tordik: VP of Business Operations
• Ed Laben: Director of Sourcing
• Dan Hurda: Director of Engineering.
Catch up with us for more on the matter soon, as Liquid Asset Partners are still open to other investors joining their project.
Even so, the dealership network Erik Buell Racing used to rely on was nowhere near as strong as it needed to be to sustain the growth of the company, and warranty issues also plagued the operations of the American manufacturer.
From a product standpoint, learning that EBR has plans to start manufacturing only the two more affordable models, with no mention of the RS model being made, is an indicator that someone started to see that $40K bikes are not exactly the solution for a company that has kicked the bucket three times, already.
It is unclear where EBR is heading for under LAP ownership, and we can only guess that someone finally understood that trying to deliver an American Panigale and with a similar price is not the most lucrative central idea in a business plan for a company like EBR.'
"EBR is on solid ground and moving forward, able to shift into gear knowing that it has financial stability, a profitable multi-year plan, and a 5-10 year vision."
The words above come from Bill Melvin Jr., CEO of Liquid Asset Partners and CFO of EBR, and if we are to believe them entirely, it looks like LAP has not been idling at all.
The fact that LAP wants to see bikes rolling off the assembly line is easy to understand, as their newly-acquired company takes the first baby steps towards becoming profitable, but again, there is more to being a motorcycle manufacturer than making bikes.
In an effort to optimize EBR, Liquid Asset Partner will also sell the "asset excess to current factory production." The sale is estimated to run for 30 to 45 days, and includes "excess machinery, equipment, tools, excess race assets, and excess parts, in a lifetime opportunity to buy a piece of history at the factory level."
Erik Buell becomes the Chief Technical Officer (CTO)
The management positions at Erik Buell Racing have also changed, and the founder of the company is now the new Chief Technical Officer. We speculated in the past that Mr. Buell might be much better off in a technical position, as he looks like more competitive a bike builder than he is a bike salesman.EBR's management is as follows:
• Steve Smith: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
• Bill Melvin Jr.: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
• Erik Buell: Chief Technical Officer (CTO)
• Kim Tordik: VP of Business Operations
• Ed Laben: Director of Sourcing
• Dan Hurda: Director of Engineering.
Catch up with us for more on the matter soon, as Liquid Asset Partners are still open to other investors joining their project.
Google News