I bet the Motor Company makes more on accessories, clothes, and licensing than they do on their bikes. They sell an image, I suppose that's what you refer to when you say that cruiser riders aren't shopping for performance.
So anyway, when you say that HD's decline was less than the market's as a whole, how much of that can be attributed to people buying their friends and husbands a Harley______ (fill in the blank)?
Hey thats why I buy those $5 Harley shirts in Mexico. I bet they do make more on the accessories. Nothing against the bike I would love to have one someday, but why does one have to wear head to toe Harley stuff? Is it mandatory when you sign on the dotted line at the dealership? The brand is in your face on display everywhere you go because of the merchandise. This is half the reason why it so popular. Advertising is the key and they do that well.
...
So anyway, when you say that HD's decline was less than the market's as a whole, how much of that can be attributed to people buying their friends and husbands a Harley______ (fill in the blank)?
Easy. The report was for motorcycle unit shipments.
Easy. The report was for motorcycle unit shipments.
Well good for you then.
Seriously though, this IS a sportbike forum. You gotta expect a little bit of guff.
So, true story, I was just at the grocery, walking down the aisle and I look over at the racks of beef jerky, by boyfriend loves the stuff, and what do I see? Harley Davidson frikkin' beef jerky! After all this talk I thought that was just too funny. Only they call it "Road Fuel". It is true that marketing is the key to success--HD are the masters, no doubt.
Seriously though, this IS a sportbike forum. You gotta expect a little bit of guff.
No prob Indy. Ex-Hoosier here... Indy (NE Side), Crawfordsville, and Muncie.
Bike agnostic here. Can see value with them all. Some don't, some throw out blantant untruths, some confuse lifestyle with the bike, some dig themselves a hole as their closedmindedness becomes totally apparent. Perhaps most unimpressive is riders of any make or class of bike, believing all should ride look like them, ride like them, think like them. What a boring world that would be. Zzzzzzz.
And FWIW, you should see how I defend sportbikes and non H-D's to the Harley faithful, some who are just as biased as some here. As I noted at the beginning, there's some ironic, separated-at-birth, commonality.
This is what makes debating an issue on a forum so annoying : as soon as a number of people make an obviously valid point--in this case that H-D bikes are archaic, overpriced and their owners are OFTEN posing d!cks--
The three-page ranting "point" could only be considered "obviously valid" if you assume your position to be true. For those looking at the situation objectively, it's just a three-page rant, and an invalid one at that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nomo
the sensitive crowd chimes in with a supposedly rational (read : 'politically correct') counterpoint . FWIW , I ride a cruiser in addition to a sportbike . Yeah , I sound like a moron , a racist one at that . Great comparison .
Nothing sensitive about it. I'm not even calling you insensitive, let alone racist. I'm calling you ignorant. The big clue was in the comparison- KKK to mensa, not KKK to UNICEF/Peace Corps/etc.
Harley-Davidson reported a net income of $187.6 million or 79 cents a share down 2.5% from $192.3 million or 74 cents a share in the prior period despite revenue rising 11% to $1.31 billion, from $1.18 billion in 2007. The impact of the economic slowdown was felt most acutely at retail as US dealers’ new motorcycle sales declined 12.8% compared to a year ago. As a result, the firm has taken important steps to significantly reduce shipments for the rest of this calendar year and reduce the workforce. It now plan to ship 23,000 to 27,000 fewer Harley-Davidson motorcycles in 2008 than it did in 2007
It is true that marketing is the key to success--HD are the masters, no doubt.
You've got it backwards. That they are lucky enough to have a target market is the key. Marketing doesn't do squat unless you have a bunch of dumb saps who already think they "need" your product. Harley is just lucky that there exists a "need" for ego-boosting appurtenances. The genius is in the bikes. Not that they appeal to me though - just a few modded ones do, but not enough to buy one.
__________________ "...let us not ignore the truth among ourselves, that we are the aggressors and they defend themselves. The country is theirs, because they inhabit it, whereas we want to come here and settle down."
David Ben-Gurion (the father of Israel) "When fascism comes to America it will be draped in a flag and holding a cross." Sinclair Lewis I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands. One nation, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.
Harley MUST be getting desparate, one of my employees just FINANCED a new Harley with ZERO DOWN (he has a FICA score of probably 475!) But the kicker was when he told the dealer he not only didn't have a valid M/C endorsement, but didn't even have a valid drivers licence, the salesmans response was, "no problem, as long as you wear a helmet when you ride it off the lot, we're cool with it...."
-Rocky-
__________________
ROCKYMT
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."
And when I walked into the local new stealership they wanted 25k for a 14k bike. I told the guy no wonder they had a bunch.
+1000!
-Rocky-
__________________
ROCKYMT
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."
By BRENT BURKEY For The Evening Sun
Article Launched: 06/19/2008
Harley-Davidson is laying off workers at its Springettsbury Township facility next week beginning Monday.
Rebecca Bortner, a company spokeswoman, said Wednesday the temporary layoffs are in addition to Harley's planned shutdown from June 30 through July 3.
The number of layoffs for the week beginning Monday was not immediately known.
Renee Henry, a worker at the plant for eight years, said she and other employees were informed about the layoff last week. Most, but not all, of the workers got the notice, she said.
Henry said she wasn't surprised.
"We knew it was coming," she said.
Harley said in April more layoffs like the one it ordered for four days in fall 2007 - when the Springettsbury Township facility shut down to cut production - were on the table for the future.
The company's first quarter 2008 earnings, released April 17 were down, showing particular weakness in the North American market.
The company also said in April that it would permanently cut about 300 workers from the Springettsbury operation, in addition to another 70 production workers in Milwaukee and elsewhere.
Harley also plans to cut about 360 nonproduction workers company wide.
The company said it hopes to make most of the workforce reductions with early retirees.
Harley spokesman Bob Klein said Monday potential retirees were receiving information about an early retirement package in Springettsbury Township, but to the best of his knowledge, no offers had been made.
The June 30 to July 3 shutdown is to allow for the company's annual line changes to make new motorcycles for the next model year.
Tom Boger, business representative for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 175, could not be reached for comment.
Henry said she is worried financially about not working for two weeks. But she is single and said those with families are probably more worried.
"It gets a little tight around the belt," Henry said.
The company's first quarter 2008 earnings released April 17 were down, showing particular weakness in the North American market.
Accompanying the earnings release, the company also said in April that it would permanently cut about 300 workers from the Springettsbury operation, in addition to another 70 production workers in Milwaukee.
Harley also plans to cut about 360 nonproduction workers companywide.
The company is hoping to make most of the workforce reductions with early retirees.
Harley spokesman Bob Klein said Monday potential retirees were receiving information about an early retirement package in Springettsbury Township, but to the best of his knowledge, no offers had been made.
The June 30 to July 3 shutdown is to allow for the company's annual lines changes to make new motorcycles for the next model year.
The number of layoffs for the week beginning Monday were not immediately known.
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Harley-Davidson Inc. shares rose 7% on Thursday after the motorcycle maker reported a second-quarter result that wasn't as bad as Wall Street had expected considering the state of the U.S. economy.
Harley's stock (HOG) closed up $2.55 to $38.73, but it's still down 36% for the full year.
Harley posted a profit of $222.8 million, or 95 cents a share, down from $290.5 million, or $1.14 a share, a year earlier, with customers struggling against record-high fuel prices, tighter lending standards and a persistent housing slump.
Sales declined to $1.57 billion from $1.62 billion.
But the damage could have been much worse, according to analysts polled by FactSet Research who on average were looking for earnings of 75 cents a share on sales of $1.4 billion.
"The numbers were definitely better than expected," Edward Jones analyst Robin Diedrich said. "Overall, they weren't really that good, but investors were certainly fearing the worst."
Another silver lining came from shipments, with Harley sending out 80,326 motorcycles to its dealers during the quarter, topping the company's earlier targets but still marking a decline of 15.6% from a year ago.
An 11.2% rise in international retail sales helped ease the pain of an 8.7% slip in the key U.S. market. Overall, retail sales fell 3.6%. The decline in the U.S. came even as demand for heavyweight bikes grew, resulting in a market-share hit in Harley's biggest market
"The company did not resort to the same kind of pricing promotions that some of its competitors did," Diedrich added. "Harley has a very high-quality management team with lots of experience, and too much discounting can destroy the brand."
Looking ahead, Harley said it expects to ship between 74,000 and 78,000 Harley bikes in the third quarter and also stood by its full-year targeted range of 303,500 and 307,500 units.
"We expect U.S. economic conditions and ongoing consumer concerns to continue to create challenges at least through the end of the year," CEO Jim Ziemer said, according to a company news release.
The company projected a per-share profit of $3 to $3.18 a share for 2008. Wall Street previously had forecast a profit of $3.05 a share.
Shit....wait until next year...that stock will be halved, put a fork in the whole HD/Chopper fad, it's done....my local shop is trying to promote them as fuel efficient to spur sales..
Thanks for posting this stuff Gambler!!
__________________
THERMAE FRONT MOUNT RADIATORS NOW IN STOCK!
Honda RC51 Carbon Fiber Fenders, Huggers and Tail Cowls, Billet Top Triple clamps, original Honda accessories and LOTS MORE!!
TYGAUSA.COM (775) 293-TYGA M-F 9-6 Pacific
Check us out on FaceBook!
eh all the guys that ride harleys are up by calgary. they wear helmets and outnumber all other makes combined by 2-1. yes they are against the norm but they had average over 25000 miles on their bike for each one i talked to. around michigan your lucky to see one with over 5000 miles that is less than 2 years old.
i will say something though. on my trip across the continent the only accident i saw was a harley the ditch with life flight on the way
__________________
HE WHO DIES WITH THE MOST TOYS WINS
Mr.RC45 usually makes an appearance on Ducati Island... we look around for any of that V4 love...
This response has prompted me to begin the search for a RC45... basket case or other wise.... it mgiht years from now thats its completed but the 1st to know will be you Larry.
I bet they do make more on the accessories. Nothing against the bike I would love to have one someday, but why does one have to wear head to toe Harley stuff? Is it mandatory when you sign on the dotted line at the dealership? The brand is in your face on display everywhere you go because of the merchandise. This is half the reason why it so popular. Advertising is the key and they do that well.
Well good for you then. 
Linear Mode
