Time - Business & Tech
Erik Buell, Founder and Chairman of Buell Motorcycles, the Harley-Davidson subsidiary that makes high-performance sport bikes, is dressed in his signature mechanic's shirt and faded blue jeans when he greets me at the Buell plant in rural East Troy, Wis. He's bouncing around from subject to subject--from his beloved sport bikes to motocross to how he makes guitars--with a passion that's palpable. I quickly forget the plane ride that I spent fretting about how to get out of riding a motorcycle. Buell has turned it into an opportunity you wouldn't want to miss.
The 58-year-old former motorcycle racer from small-town Pennsylvania has this kind of effect on people. There's something about his restless enthusiasm and unpretentious charm that makes you want to hang out with him--and buy his bikes. Just ask Harley-Davidson. The hogmaker fell under Buell's spell 15 years ago when it decided to purchase a 49% stake in the tiny company as a way to attract a younger demographic to the iconic baby-boomer brand. To read the rest of the article: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1848757,00.html
