| Author | Message | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Registered Member Username: Dontx Post Number: 285 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 70.115.181.175 Rating: N/A |
I am surprised nobody has mentioned the new Eagle facility lately. A group of Eagle owners met last week in the factory parking lot in Brownsville TX, and thanks to Dick Bell from Topeka, I got invited to the factory tour, as most Eagle owners had forgotten all the bad things I had said about Eagles in the past! They are working on getting the new Model 25 on the road, they had one almost complete there for us to look over, and the entire Silver Eagle Bus Company was there to give us a very informative tour. For you who expected the same old Eagle reborn, guess again! This guy has some very innovative ideas incorporated in the 25 which is not like any previous Eagle. It will take a quarter of a million dollars to drive one home, and you gotta wait in line, but it is designed to be in demand by entertainers and converters. Slides, yep if you want them, engines? You name it and he will put your choice in there! I came away hoping that this bus turns out to be the hit I suspect it will be. | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 132 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 4.240.234.77 Rating: N/A |
Don..great to have you "back"....hope the ole' ticker is doing well. And thanx for the update. Guess that 1/4 mil is for a shell only...  RCB '64 Crown Supercoach (HWC) | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Registered Member Username: Dontx Post Number: 286 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 70.115.181.175 Rating: N/A |
Yep, health is excellent now. You know we were sitting around doing some wild thinking about that price. Another Eagle owner there had bought his bus brand new from Eagle right here in Brownsville some years back. If you adjust for inflation, and add how much more bus you are getting for the money, that is really not a bad price when you look at it that way. I certainly have not done any price comparison with say Prevost or such, but my guess is that if you were in the market for a new shell to convert, the Eagle would be your best buy. They are not up to speed yet in manufacturing, but the perceived market and their enthusiasm would lead one to believe that soon we will be seeing new Eagles on the road. You can go to their web site for a some information, www.silvereaglebus.com | ||
| norcal kyle (Kylexisxrad)
Registered Member Username: Kylexisxrad Post Number: 141 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 216.220.216.156 Rating: N/A |
I've been keeping tabs on craig and the new eagle crew for the last year or so, and I'm glad to see him finally approaching the finish line. my one complaint(and since I'm not the one taking the initiative to actually start a new bus company from scratch, it really doesn't mean much) are the new headlights. I'm just not a fan of those single round headlamps. I think they fit the 4104 quite nicely, but I was expecting to see single or dual rectangular ones, a la the 97/98 Eagles, but what do I know. good luck craig! and donald, I'm super jealous you were able to attened the rally.... kyle in norcal 1980 Eagle 10 #30223 | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Registered Member Username: Dontx Post Number: 287 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 70.115.181.175 Rating: N/A |
Well, Craig SAID he was making all lights LED, and I cheered to myself. Then I went and looked, nope, no LED headlights! Oh well, maybe next year. Yep, it was quite a treat to see the birthing process of the new Eagle. (And everybody knows I am going to say this, but here goes anyway, it was the first Eagle I ever saw with absolutely no rust :-)) They are forming their own polished stainless steel lower panels in house according to Craig, and the guy doing that is a real craftsman! By the way, the ss panels are made with an upper and a lower section, so strikes on the lower part can be replaced separately. Lots of good thinking like that was in evidence. | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Registered Member Username: Dontx Post Number: 288 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 70.115.181.175 Rating: N/A |
(Message edited by Don/TX on April 24, 2007) | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member Username: Drivingmisslazy Post Number: 1887 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.108.78.129 Rating: N/A |
Didn't Russ post sometime in the past that the old round headlights gave better visibility than the new square ones? Richard | ||
| sassbg (Eagleone)
Registered Member Username: Eagleone Post Number: 50 Registered: 3-2005 Posted From: 24.255.208.234 Rating: N/A |
Don. I Have A 91 MO. 15 Eagle That DONT Have any rust,never had any And you saw it OK. BILL . Nice of Dick to let me know he was going that way. | ||
| Douglas Wotring (Tekebird)
Registered Member Username: Tekebird Post Number: 166 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 71.59.75.212 Rating: N/A |
Pictures or it didn't happen. Been three months since they updated the photos on the website...I hope they are much further along | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Registered Member Username: Dontx Post Number: 289 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 70.115.181.175 Rating: N/A |
OK Bill, I am old and forget stuff you know. Someone told me they are etching the VIN into the windshield these days, so it won't rust off! I cannot verify that however, just a rumor. The factory rally was not all that big, I think 40 Eagles were expected, but some really fine people with some mighty fine buses for sure, many were gracious enough to give me a guided tour of their bus even. One guy even went wild with the corian sorta like I did, really nice turquoise colored stuff. I forgot my camera so cannot show photos. (Message edited by Don/TX on April 25, 2007) | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Registered Member Username: Dontx Post Number: 290 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 70.115.181.175 Rating: N/A |
Oh yeah Doug, they apologized for the limited web site, but funds are being used to get spooled up to making buses right now and their guy does the web site for free for them! They would welcome investors if you got a few bucks you would like to see grow. | ||
| Douglas Wotring (Tekebird)
Registered Member Username: Tekebird Post Number: 167 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 71.59.75.212 Rating: N/A |
You mean to tell me nobody took any good photos. I might consider it if they could show me something...free website and they cannot trouble themselves to take some digital photos....which are also free. from what I have seen so far I would not invest your money to get investors or clients for that matter you gotta show what you got. Granted I have not been there, but between their poor communication, poor public image and behind schedule/lack of product...... Do they have one that can drive arouns the yard yet. | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Registered Member Username: Dontx Post Number: 291 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 70.115.181.175 Rating: N/A |
I would have agreed with you Doug, prior to seeing what they are doing and hearing first hand the way they are trying to accomplish it. They had to make some hard choices really, they could have just welded up some buses in the jigs they have, and put some Eagles on the road again. Instead, they decided (right or wrong) to concentrate on the entertainer/conversion market with the thought that the market was pretty stagnated as far as new ideas went, and something that really met the needs better would be a hot seller. The first one was masked for final paints, engine installed, on its wheels, etc. The engineering and production is still in a working stage. I have seen companies with fancy websites promising lots go broke, I feel better if the energy is placed on engineering a great product, THEN bragging about it. The location is one of doom and gloom I reckon, the same site that Neoplan, the "last" Eagle company, and just this year Taylorcraft airplanes have all went belly up. | ||
| david anderson (Davidanderson)
Registered Member Username: Davidanderson Post Number: 201 Registered: 2-2004 Posted From: 4.226.213.208 Rating: N/A |
I felt Craig was quite visionary in his plans. His goal is to produce a bus with as few proprietary parts as possible. Obviously the torsalastics will be proprietary. If he can get that bus shell out the door and sell it for $250k as planned, he will sell as many as he can make. I'm sure they told us not to take photos inside the factory. That's why there are no pictures. I'm surprised there are none of the Eagles in the lot, however. I really enjoyed meeting all the Eagle owners. They treat each other like family. I was very surprised that only one or two of the 37 owners ever frequent the bulletin boards. For whatever reason they just don't come around here. I'd be lost without this board. David | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Registered Member Username: Dontx Post Number: 292 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 70.115.181.175 Rating: N/A |
Good Heavens David, I never suspected you were there! Worse yet, I may have even "inspected" your bus! I just did not pay much attention to names I guess, other than R E Ward and Dick Bell. | ||
| david anderson (Davidanderson)
Registered Member Username: Davidanderson Post Number: 202 Registered: 2-2004 Posted From: 4.226.213.249 Rating: N/A |
Si! I was there. I was at the back row next to the RV by the factory wall. Josh Marquez' eagle (the white one) was about 7 spaces away from mine. I was the only bus with DOT bumpers. David | ||
| Donald Lee Schwanke (Dontx)
Registered Member Username: Dontx Post Number: 293 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 70.115.181.175 Rating: N/A |
You give me credit for knowledge I don't have. What the heck is the difference between a DOT bumper and a plain ol bumper? | ||
| Luvrbus (Luvrbus)
Registered Member Username: Luvrbus Post Number: 29 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 71.113.222.217 Rating: N/A |
I have a lots of photos of all the Eagles in the parking lot i will post as soon as i get back home next week |