This year is the 35th anniversary of the Clyde Fessler founded Harley Owners Group ( H . O . G .). Willie G and Nancy Davidson were members # 1 and 2 . The first chapters were created in 1985 after total membership reached more than 60,000 ( H . O . G . didn ’ t start in Europe until the early 1990s , and boy , do we here at AMD know a story about that !). The first H . O . G . event in Europe was a rally in Cheltenham in the UK at which some 3,500 enthusiasts appeared from nowhere . These days H . O . G . is the world ’ s largest manufacturer supported membership club with an estimated 873,00 current and active members worldwide ( some 12 % are Ladies of Harley ), with some 1,300 H . O . G . chapters .

Germany is said to have some 24,000 current and active H . O . G . members , with 2,700 in Austria - again , some 12 % are Ladies of Harley .

Harley owners in Germany can now extend the standard fouryear unlimited mileage warranty to five years for a modest fee of between $ 200 and $ 300 for the extra 12 months , subject to model . New Harley buyers in Germany additionally get a first year “ Harley Assist ” breakdown cover for free . A factory warranty is now also available in Germany for appropriately maintained pre-owned Harleys .

H-D was in fifth place in market share terms in Germany for the first six months of the year , having sold 7,198 units for a 10.06 % in-class share (+ 20.47 % in unit sales over the first half of 2017 ); putting it ahead of the likes of Yamaha , Ducati , Suzuki and Triumph . Top sellers were the Street Bob , Fat Bob , XL 1200X and Breakout 114 . No surprise , but BMW is market share leader in its home market .

<<< Continued from cover network . Whilst they are making every effort to assure its long-standing dealers , they clearly see their legacy dealer footprint as being as much of an obstacle to the skin-shedding that the company clearly needs to conduct as it is to being an opportunity for it to move forward . Either way , Harley has responded to the pressure it has been under from many investors , analysts and commentators , to say nothing of urban dwelling potential ‘ New-Gen ’ consumers to start finding a way to take the brand “ downtown ” that is not limited to PG & A and aftershave . In new product terms , Harley says its mission is to “ keep current riders engaged and inspire new riders by extending heavyweight leadership and unlocking new markets and segments .” In terms of addressing dealer performance , Harley states quite openly that it believes it needs “ stronger dealers ” who will “ drive a performance framework to improve dealer financial strength and the Harley-Davidson customer experience .” Speaking to dealer geography and to better embrace the buying transaction habits of the new consumers it needs to engage with , Harley says it is to invest in “ broader access ” and to “ meet customers where they are ,” and facilitate how they want to engage with a “ multi-channel retail experience . “ We expect this plan will result in an engaged , expanded Harley-Davidson community with a more diverse rider base , along with industry-leading

Harley ’ s first Adventure Touring motorcycle ( since 1903 at least !) will be the ‘ Pan America ’ 1250 , planned for launch in 2020

“ Our existing world-class dealer network is an integral part of the company ’ s accelerated strategy and critical to overall success ”

margins and cash flow ,” says Levatich . “ Leveraging our industry-leading design and strong manufacturing capabilities , Harley-Davidson plans to offer its most comprehensive line-up of motorcycles , competing in many of the largest and fastest growing segments with a full portfolio of motorcycles across a broad spectrum of price points , power sources , displacements , riding styles and global markets . “ The highlights will include extending the company ’ s leadership in heavyweight motorcycles by continuing to develop improved , more technologically advanced Touring and Cruiser motorcycles that will keep existing Harley-Davidson riders engaged and riding longer . “ Introducing a new modular 500 cc to 1250 cc middleweight platform of

We need stronger dealers who will drive a performance framework to improve dealer financial strength and the Harley-Davidson customer experience

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H-D was in fifth place in market share terms in Switzerland for the first six months of the year with 809 units sold for a 8.54 % share . KTM is motorcycle market share leader .

Earlier this year , EagleRider , the motorcycle rentals and travel specialist , announced that it had nearly tripled its rental locations .