Erik Buell Racing - Now EBR Motorcycles LLC
The new owners of Erik Buell Racing – now renamed EBR Motorcycles and officially a 'new' company – has plans to restart production of the existing 1190RX and 1190SX models it's still looking for partners or investors to help secure the brand's future.EBR folded last April, and its remains were bought earlier this year by Liquid Asset Partners. Despite specializing in selling off the assets of defunct companies, the new owner – which coincidentally handled the dismantling and auctioning of the original Buell business back in 2009 – plans to get EBR up and running again as a manufacturer.
It's a low-key restarting of production, and exactly how fast the motorcycles will be built isn't known, however, EBR's workforce is now around 12, a tenth of its pre-closure level. This suggest numbers will be extremely limited. The first 2016 models were due to be completed on 17 March.
Just one day later, on 18 March, Liquid Asset Partners did what it knows best and began a sell-off of the machinery, tools and parts that aren't needed for the current production. The auction is planned to last up to four to six weeks.
Bill Melvin Jr, boss of Liquid Asset Partners, said 'This would not be possible without the EBR team. All the credit goes to them for waiting out the storms during the last year. Now the clouds have cleared; EBR is able to shift into gear knowing that it has financial stability, a profitable multi-year plan, and a five-to-10-year vision. We feel there is still room for new partnerships or investment, but it is not critical. EBR is on solid ground and moving forward. We are turning the key and twisting the throttle!'
Ed Laben, EBR's director of Sourcing said, 'The energy, talent, and enthusiasm of this team are unparalleled, and I can't waith for the world to see what's coming down the road.'
Although motorcycles might be coming out of the factory again, EBR faces a long road to re-establish a dealer network and to get those machines into the hands of customers. It plans to release details of pricing and warranties within days and announce intentions to restart its racing activities. It's understood that since EBR Motorcycles LLC is a new company there's no obligation to honor warranties of motorcycles built previously.
The new company is headed by CEO Steve Smith, previously EBR's chief of operations, and Erik Buell will remain as chief technical officer. Can the story have a happy ending this time around? We surely hope so...Tag: EBR Erik-Buell-Racing Erik Buell EBR-Motorcycles 1190RX 1190SX Sportbike V-Twin Liquid Asset Partners Ed Laben Steve Smith Bill Melvin Jr
