American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 226 May 2018 | Page 6

HARLEY
IN BRIEF
Harley-Davidson was up to 3rd place
in market share terms in Germany for
the first two months of 2018, albeit
on low volumes so far, having sold
834 units for a 9.52 percent share –
placing it above players such as
Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Ducati
and Triumph. Its top sellers so far in
2018 are the XL 1200 X and Street
Bob. However, all manufacturers are
eating BMW’s dust – the unstoppable
Munich machine scored a whopping
30.84 percent market share YTD.
Established in 1987, Frontier
Harley-Davidson in Lincoln,
Nebraska, has been sold by
owners David and Deborah
Fischer to Nebraska and Iowa
car dealer Steve Hinchcliff (H & H
Automotive).
Harley was the leading road bike
brand in market share terms in
Australia in 2017 (8,903 units sold),
ahead of Honda and Yamaha; its top
sellers were the XG500 (1,182 units -
the second bestselling road bike
overall in Australia in 2017) and the
FXSB (1,150 – the third bestselling
road bike overall).
Harley’s brake manufacturer
Brembo (Italy) saw revenues
grow by +8.1% in 2017 to
€ 2,463.6 million, with EBITDA up
by +8.2% and net profit up by
+9.5%.
EagleRider has passed a “significant
milestone” after a year of its dealer
rentals partnership with Harley, having
signed its 100th Harley dealer to the
program. Harley’s Director of Retail
development Anoop Prakash said
“our alliance with EagleRider is an
important component of our objective
to build two million new riders in the
U.S.”
The Muscular Dystrophy
Association has honored Harley
as “one of its outstanding
national partners” for its 38
years of fundraising and support
at its 2018 Clinical Conference at
Arlington, Virginia. Harley, its
dealers and its customers have
raised over $103 million for
research into the disease in that
time.
J&P Cycles is to make Harley’s 115th
anniversary celebrations at Milwaukee
(Aug 29 - Sept 2) a stop on its Mobile
Tour - one of nine stops for 2018 that
should see the company getting in
front of more than a million
enthusiasts. Having kicked off the tour
at Daytona in March, further
upcoming events include its own Iowa
Rally in June, Sturgis, Delmarva,
Biketoberfest and the Lone Star
Rally in Texas.
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Matt Levatich goes on to say that “our
view of the highly competitive global
motorcycle market is grounded in a
realistic assessment of risks,
opportunities and capabilities needed to
inspire ridership and grow our business.
Our data-driven insights compel us to
enhance and accelerate our strategies to
ensure we deliver on our long-term
objectives as we build the next
generation of Harley-Davidson riders.”
Continuing its “building riders” thesis,
Harley states that as it “continues to
make progress building the next
generation of riders,” it has “increased
its reach and impact during the first
quarter through a wide range of efforts.”
The efforts cited include adding to the
“long legacy of its Sportster motorcycle
line with the introduction of the Iron
1200 and Forty-Eight Special models,
the latest in a line of 100 high-impact
motorcycles the company expects to
introduce by 2027”; continuing to
“grow the appeal of motorcycling by
debuting Harley-Davidson Snow Hill
Climb at X Games Aspen alongside ski,
snowboard and other action-sports
competitions” and that it “increased
brand access by adding new
international dealers and new apparel
and lifestyle boutiques in popular
shopping areas in China and India” and
“welcomed riders and non-riders to
celebrate freedom as the company
recognizes 115 years of continuous
motorcycle manufacturing in 2018”.
Fans were “invited to join the global
freedom movement on social media
and join celebrations in Prague in July
and Milwaukee over Labor Day
weekend.”
Harley also sees its investment in a
“collaborative agreement” with Alta
Motors as “supporting Harley-
Davidson’s commitment to lead in the
electrification of the sport of
motorcycling to reach new customers in
new spaces.”
Still claiming that reducing
manufacturing capacity is a good thing
and a practical step towards growth, the
company went on to say that