Demise of a brand

[raz]

The problem is not that companies are trying to please the stock holders, but they're trying to please the day traders. That is bound, by design, not to work in the long run. With a very short definition of long

[gstallons]

Do you think the stockholders are pleased at this? It's more a function of "decreasing the flow of red ink, so that the top brass can claim they'd done something to justify their overly generous compensation packages..."

 

Just so you know, I am a stockholder, & no, I'm not pleased...

 

 

Come to think of it you're right.

"The Nation" magazine stated that in 1980 the av. CEO pay was about 25x the av. hourly worker. In 2007 that had crept up to 364x the av. hourly worker. By comparison the av. Japanese CEO pay is 16x the av. hourly worker.

p.s. I'd happily join the rebellion if I knew who is the enemy. I'm afraid we will never see them. They live in VERY tall buildings.

[John in Leeds]

Come to think of it you're right.

"The Nation" magazine stated that in 1980 the av. CEO pay was about 25x the av. hourly worker. In 2007 that had crept up to 364x the av. hourly worker. By comparison the av. Japanese CEO pay is 16x the av. hourly worker.

p.s. I'd happily join the rebellion if I knew who is the enemy. I'm afraid we will never see them. They live in VERY tall buildings.

 

 

Thanks for that but 364x, did I get this right?

 

Agreed - identifying the enemy is a real problem, there seems to be so many, so insideous and so powerful

[Skeeve]

Come to think of it you're right.

"The Nation" magazine stated that in 1980 the av. CEO pay was about 25x the av. hourly worker. In 2007 that had crept up to 364x the av. hourly worker. By comparison the av. Japanese CEO pay is 16x the av. hourly worker.

 

Wow. I hadn't heard that statistic. Ironic too, as I'd reached the conclusion on my own some years ago that the top exec shouldn't be making more than 32x the lowest worker in the company (2**5; any company w/ more than 4 layers of management has too many chiefs & not enuf injuns!) Shortly after reaching this conclusion on my lonesome, I remember learning that a top economist [i think it was the Nobel laureate who won the prize for elucidating "why people save" sometime back in the 50s; prize was granted in '91, iirc? Economics don't get no respect... ] had stated that top execs shouldn't be paid more than 20x the lowest worker's rate. That made me feel pretty good, since my # was pretty much just a WAG based on my observations from my own working life.

 

No wonder the 80s were so much better than today, despite the general lack of cell phones & the 'net!

[Steve W]

Please forgive me for resurrecting an old thread, but here's a good link and a reference to a very interesting article about HD and Buell in the latest Cycle World (May). Pretty scary and depressing stuff. It's not hard to see Guzzi succumbing to a similar fate...

 

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=39962

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

Erik Buell has been looking after Erik Buell Racing and many other projects (including some major engine work on one of the Danish Nimbus' travelling around the world). He has managed to keep the rights to the Buell frame as well.

 

Here is a quote from his Facebook page:

 

Erik Buell - Thanks to everyone for all the birthday stories of rides. Here's one I got today and want to share: "Buell Racing Bonn triumphed today at the '1000 km of Hockenheim' (a race for street legal motorcycles with a tradition of 32 years)! Julius Ilmberger and Martin Kratzer are the winners. They beat 6 KTMs, 3 BMWs, 2 Ducatis, 2 Aprilias, 2 Hondas, 2 Suzukis and one other Buell 1125 R." Congratulations to them!

 

From some of the projects he is working on it sounds like he is coping well with his "retirement".

 

PS. At least we can say the Buell didn't beat any Guzzi's!!

[sullvarni]

True enough, but the resale on a Guzzi has always been pretty dismal as well. So, now I have to decide between the air-cooled XB12 and the new 1125. As much as I like the idea of all that power, I do like the familiarity of the air-cooled mill over the new, somewhat untested rotax motor. The looks of either don't bother me much after seeing them in person.

What are you talking about untested motor,Rotax has some of the best four stroke motors on the planet Bar none and do lots of development work for other manufacturers around the globe.

 

Who do you think did all the development work on all BMWs motors for there 650 duel sports and there new 800s,not to mention how many lite aircraft have Rotax motors in them and on and on,Rotax is actually owned by Bombardier here in Canada,excuse me for getting my nikkers in a knot,my 2 cents.

 

I feel better now Stu.

[felix42o]

What are you talking about untested motor,Rotax has some of the best four stroke motors on the planet Bar none and do lots of development work for other manufacturers around the globe.

 

Who do you think did all the development work on all BMWs motors for there 650 duel sports and there new 800s,not to mention how many lite aircraft have Rotax motors in them and on and on,Rotax is actually owned by Bombardier here in Canada,excuse me for getting my nikkers in a knot,my 2 cents.

 

I feel better now Stu.

Well, that wasn't a cut on Rotax or Buell at all. It was a new motor, even though the best may have been involved in it's development. Notice I said "somewhat". When the first 1125's came out the fuel mapping wasn't sorted, it used a lot of fuel and the bike was too new have any reliability background. And then the jackasses at Harley pulled the plug on Buell. So my thought is just that I was happy with the track record and performance of the air-cooled bikes and leaned that direction as a result. In the end, I cancelled the order for the XB12 and got engaged instead, so I may never get a chance to form a first hand opinion of either one. (More evedence of flawed judgment, I know)

[Steve W]

Well, that wasn't a cut on Rotax or Buell at all. It was a new motor, even though the best may have been involved in it's development. Notice I said "somewhat". When the first 1125's came out the fuel mapping wasn't sorted, it used a lot of fuel and the bike was too new have any reliability background. And then the jackasses at Harley pulled the plug on Buell. So my thought is just that I was happy with the track record and performance of the air-cooled bikes and leaned that direction as a result. In the end, I cancelled the order for the XB12 and got engaged instead, so I may never get a chance to form a first hand opinion of either one. (More evedence of flawed judgment, I know)

 

Although the 1125R's apparently weren't well sorted when they came out, I'm happy to say that my '09 CR with the latest factory ECM map runs very well, and I'm sure the rest of the basic mechanics of the motor are solid; Rotax has a good rep for that.

 

With that said, I've had some saddle time on the xb12 and have to say if you're not hung up on hyperperformance, the air cooled motor is very highly evolved and is a very nice motor - hard to believe it has any common lineage with a dull ol' sportster. Yeah, it's not really a sportsbike motor - but it's friendly, fast enough for the real world, sounds nice, lots of torque. Pretty much all the same endearing traits of my V11. I can't imaging someone who enjoys a big guzzi not being able to enjoy a Buell with the 1200 thunderstorm motor.

[jihem]