West Michigan motorcycle company lands $10 million federal loan to help meet big demand
Posted By: mlive on January 28, 2026. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
Buell Motorcycle Co. has been approved for a $10 million federal loan to help ramp up production of its Super Cruiser, a bike that blends the design of a classic American cruiser with the power of a European superbike. Bill Melvin, CEO of the Cascade Township-based company, said the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) loan will help his company buy tools, manufacturing equipment and make facility upgrades as it seeks to boost production.
Production of the Super Cruiser, which retails for $26,000, launched in October 2025 after the company received 6,000 preorders.
“We’ve got a huge backlog of customer orders and demand,” said Melvin. “We’re working with our suppliers to increase production. And also that includes some expansion in the factory to prepare for that and do the ramp up that’s been going on over the last two years and will continue for the next five years.”
The EXIM provides financing to U.S. companies that provide goods and services across the globe. Buell’s loan is part of the bank’s Make More in America initiative, which was launched in 2022 by former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Melvin says there’s demand for the Super Cruiser in the U.S. and abroad.
Buell Motorcycles was launched in 1983 by Erik Buell, a former motorcycle racer and Harley-Davidson engineer. Melvin acquired Buell’s name in 2020, years after the company was acquired, and later axed, by Harley-Davidson amid the Great Recession. Today, Buell has about 60 employees. An additional 162 workers are expected to be hired at its Cascade Township headquarters over the next two years. Melvin, who grew up in the Grand Rapids area and attended Forest Hills Public Schools, says landing the EXIM loan is significant because finding $10 million in financing through a private bank would have been challenging.
“We are essentially right at the beginning of our significant growth,” he said. “So the export bank steps in when traditional banks kind of tap out.”
He added, “We’re a vehicle company that competes with Ducati, Harley Davidson, Indian, BMW Motorcycles, and we’re doing it on a very conservative West Michigan budget. So to have that government support is very helpful because it’s at a critical, important point for us because our growth is happening right now.”
The $10 million EXIM loan follows a $972,000 Michigan Business Development Program grant the company was awarded in May 2025 by the Michigan Strategic Fund, or MSF. The MSF is the public funding arm of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
After production of the Super Cruiser began in October 2025, the company began delivering the first models to customers by December of that year. The company’s 2026 production is expected to be 25 times higher than last year’s total, though Melvin declined to specify the exact production target.
“Our new bike is the hottest bike for 2026,” he said. “So there’s obviously a lot of riders in the US that are excited. But also there’s a global following for Buell that’s getting very excited for the product.”
Melvin said Democratic and Republican lawmakers helped Buell as it applied for the federal EXIM loan. He said that included U.S. Reps. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids; Tim Walberg, R-Tipton; and Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland.
“There’s been a number of Michigan supporters that have helped keep the ball moving,” he said.
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