PAGE 12 Will Three Times Be The Charm For Buell?
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
BuelllogoThursday, Walworth County Circuit Judge Phillip Koss approved the sale of Erik Buell Racing to Liquid Asset Partners for $2 million. The Grand Rapids, Mich., firm won the bidding for the motorcycle company that employed 130 people in East Troy until it ceased operations in April. It was the third auction for the Buell manufacturing assets after two previous auctions failed.
Now, Liquid Asset Partners says it wants to develop a plan that could put Erik Buell Racing back in the business of making high-performance motorcycles. “We will not be manufacturing motorcycles, as Liquid Asset, but we will be working to put together a plan with a team that can be successful in doing that,” said Liquid Asset owner Bill Melvin Jr. “There are no guarantees. A portion of our business is that we are liquidators, but we are also power players in the motorcycle industry,” Melvin said. Founded in 1974, Liquid Asset Partners has worked with motorcycle manufacturers, including Indian Motorcycle Co., before Indian was acquired by Polaris Industries. It liquidated the assets of the Buell factory, in East Troy, when HarleyDavidson Inc. dropped the Buell brand in 2009. Liquid Asset Partners will be seeking investors, or a buyer, for Erik Buell Racing.
“There are still a lot of options on the table for a new owner to come in and continue making EBRs. The company is not a start-
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up; this is an established brand with a huge following across the globe,” Melvin said. While the East Troy company, founded in a Mukwonago barn more than 30 years ago, has struggled in the marketplace, it has been a feisty competitor in motorcycle racing.
“Their (EBR) bikes, out of the box, can go head-to-head with the top Italian race bikes. Our sale process will enable the proper exposure of the company and price flexibility that may better fit a new owner,” Melvin said.
The next step for Buell could involve crowdfunding, a private investor or another motorcycle manufacturer. Melvin said he hopes that company founder Erik Buell and the rest of the Buell management team will remain part of the process.
“Our hope is that someone will continue to make these amazing motorcycles,” Melvin said. =========================
Sisters’ Centennial Motorcycle Ride Seeks Sponsors Alisa Clickenger of WomensMotorcycleTours.com has several sponsorship opportunities available for the Sisters’ Centennial Motorcycle Ride, July 3-24, 2016. A cross-country motorcycle ride for women, the event commemorates the centennial of Adeline and Augusta Van Buren’s historic ride across the United States from New York to San Francisco in 1916.
The Sisters’ Centennial Motorcycle Ride will be the largest women’s motorcycling event of 2016. With a plan to lead 100+ women across the United States, the threeweek event will stop in 17 different markets. A full-time photographer and PR per-
son are on ride staff, and press releases plus images will be uploaded daily to media outlets, social media sites and sponsors. The event’s Launch Party in Brooklyn and the Grand Finale Celebration in San Francisco are in the largest media markets in the U.S. Sponsorship opportunities range from hosting individual events to sponsoring ride staff riding specific machines and wearing custom-branded apparel. Press Release announcements, event banners, social media boosting and company mentions in radio and television stories are among the many sponsorship offerings. Cash contributions and in-kind contributions of $2,500 or more receive a logo on the support vehicle, which will be with riders at all times.
Sponsors will benefit from reaching a target audience of riders 30-75 years old with disposable income and plenty of time to ride. The Motorcycle Industry Council has just announced that female ridership is at an all-time high, with women accounting for 14% of all U.S. motorcycle owners. The number of female riders has doubled since 2003, making sponsorship of the Sisters’ Ride an unparalleled opportunity not only within the motorcycle industry, but also outside the industry as the group travels across the country gathering national media attention. The extended family of the Van Buren sisters has joined forces with Clickenger to promote the event, which will launch from the east coast with at least 100 women riders, including Adeline’s great-granddaughter, Sofié Ruderman, and Sarah Van Buren, great-great-niece of Adeline and Augusta. The riders will follow the Van Burens’ 1916 route as closely as possible, often along the Lincoln Highway. Combining scenic routes, community events, and important stops along the Van
MASTERLINK FEBRUARY 2016 Burens’ own journey, the route will allow for great motorcycle riding and promote women as role models by visibly demonstrating their courage and capability as cross-country motorcycle riders. ===========================
There is No Room for EGO in the Motorcycle Rights Movement
There is no room for ego in the motorcycle rights movement. In a community full of alpha male personalities this makes things difficult. But every one of us learned what we know from somewhere and most likely from someone. And what we all know, even if we seem to forget, is that successful grassroots people-powered movements are the result of an entire community’s efforts. I understand this reality firsthand. I am a Spokesperson for numerous motorcycle rights groups and therefore I am more visible than many. But the fact remains, every amount of success I may have achieved has only been possible because of the hundreds of unified bikers always standing with me. The Washington State Confederation of Clubs and ABATE have always stood with me and trusted me to represent the voice of our movement. I humbly recognize this reality and will never take it for granted. Although it is true that it takes everyone, it is also true that there are usually a few obvious stand-outs in any successful effort that create a strategic foundation for the entire movement. In Washington State, we were lucky enough to have a handful of highly motivated and capable individuals. Donnie “Mr. Breeze” Landsman
Donnie was our single point of contact, our feet on the ground, for legislators. Donnie developed and implemented a