Posted on 07/27/2010 8:18:00 PM PDT by wwcj
Harley-Davidson Inc. said Tuesday it expects the global market for motorcycles to remain challenging this year as more consumers opt for lower-priced used motorcycles instead of new ones.
Chief Executive Officer Keith Wandell said he expects Harley's shipments to be down 5%-10% from 2009, while the preference for used motorcycles and the weaker world economy have pushed year-to-date retail sales down 40% from the company peak in 2006...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Shut down a factory, cut back on the number of dealers to support and eliminated LOTS of unneeded positions. It was really pretty simple.
What you’re missing is the idea of creating a macho image based on a bad 1920s design for a long-stroke engine which is 45% adiabatically efficient compared to the normal 98% for Japanese bikes and at 1200 cc’s and seemingly about 10,000 lbs produces about as much power as everybody else’s 350s.
yep, guess you’re right.
would it be a good idea to get into the market of manufacturing motorcycles right now?
what’s your idea of a dream bike?
I’d guess they laid off all their highest paid employees, outsourced more production to third world countries, sold WAAAAAY more harley-davidson clothing(all made in southeast asian sweatshops via child labor), got into the credit card business, and sued a ton of people for copyright enfringements.
any source on this. i would like to read it.
“What you’re missing is the idea of creating a macho image based on a bad 1920s design for a long-stroke engine which is 45% adiabatically efficient compared to the normal 98% for Japanese bikes and at 1200 cc’s and seemingly about 10,000 lbs produces about as much power as everybody else’s 350s.”
And this (Harley) folks is why we keep losing chicks to the metric geeks.
Not everything is about efficiency lady.
Wow are you clueless.
Harleys get better gas mileage than anything else out there of comparable displacement. This dingbat doesn’t know what the hell she’s talking about.
you’re shattering my respect for the american made power horse. I’ve been looking at the S&S engines out of wisconsin.
Yeh, makes me want to trade in Road King Classic on that more efficient Yamaha Boulevard.
metrics are for nerds.
Ah, and such a lovely name. A box of rocks has nothing on you.
Yes, wake up from your slumber and join the global party of this exploding economy...Oh yeah!!
sold both my Harley’s just over a year ago. oops!
You can barely walk into a Harley Emporium anymore without dropping a hundred $
ain’t happening around my house.
What YOU are missing is that HD is only partly about motorcycles. Read their corporate Vision Statement. They’re about creating a lifestyle, enabling individuality, and promoting freedom. And they do it better than anyone in the business.
And no, I’m not a Harley owner.
Harley again warns that production could leave Wisconsin
Harley-Davidson Inc. expects to decide within weeks whether it will keep factories in Wisconsin or move production elsewhere, the company chairman said Tuesday. The decision will depend on the outcome of labor negotiations that begin this week with the United Steelworkers of America and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, chief executive Keith Wandell said in an interview. Harley will negotiate with the unions for a combined contract that takes effect April 1, 2012. The Milwaukee manufacturer of heavyweight motorcycles intends to make decisions about the future of its plants in Menomonee Falls and Tomahawk, so the contract talks must be wrapped up soon. "If we can't come to an agreement, then we are going to have to move the operations," Wandell said. "It is going to take us a little bit of time to build a factory and those kind of things."
an excerpt..check link out for more
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