Harley earnings up
#11
Unit sales of bikes are down, but overall revenue is up 15%. Earnings are up about 67% over the same period last year. I'd have to look at the 10Q to see if this reflects a genuine improvement in productivity, or a non-recurring charge from last year. In either event, contrary to what some were predicting (hoping for?), it's positive news for HOG.
#12
IF unit sales are down, there is nothing positive about that. Accountants can only pull tricks out of their hats for so long when sales are going down year over year. HD has made it's own problems for years. Their pricing has gotten ridiculous in the past few years in my opinion. That can't be good for unit sales. There ARE other manufacturers out there. They DO have competition. The Faithful do have limits to what they will endure.
#13
HD does have an advantage over Indian with the Softtail line. The midsize cruiser is perfect for folks that don’t like or want a 900# bike (like me).
Last edited by triumph900; 10-24-2018 at 07:39 AM.
#14
Oh please, the "U.S. labor is expensive" argument needs to go away. German labor isn't cheap either and they build some amazing motorcycles.. and then have to ship them to the U.S.
HD needs to catch up finally with their competition. They've been resting on brand loyalty for the last few decades and that well is drying up.
HD needs to catch up finally with their competition. They've been resting on brand loyalty for the last few decades and that well is drying up.
#15
Oh please, the "U.S. labor is expensive" argument needs to go away. German labor isn't cheap either and they build some amazing motorcycles.. and then have to ship them to the U.S.
HD needs to catch up finally with their competition. They've been resting on brand loyalty for the last few decades and that well is drying up.
HD needs to catch up finally with their competition. They've been resting on brand loyalty for the last few decades and that well is drying up.
#16
BMW’s are just as expensive. One advantage Harley has is resale value, they tend to hold value better than other brands. If Harley dropped prices by 5k it would impact that, then you would have a bunch of pissed of owners. All they really need to do is build some modern bikes at competitive prices, I hope that’s the plan with the street fighter and such. Most manufacturers have multiple lines of bikes (cruisers, sport, adv), Harley really only has one.
HD won't be able to make cheaper bikes so they need come up with a good bike for the money (value). Better bikes will have to include up to date technology. If you look at the BMW adventure bike it has technology HD doesn't offer on any model currently.
The adventure bike community it totally different from the group buying baggers.
It will be a major culture change for HD. The new CEO seems to understand the challenge. Let's see how it goes.
#17
#18
Not only was H-D down 13% year over year, the entire industry was down 10% year over year, HDs market share has held steady at just over 50%. The fact that they’re able keep the company profitable in a shrinking market, HD isn’t going anywhere. They’re shrinking the company down to the size of the market. I’m more worried about the market shrinking, it’s sad that people don’t seem to be interested in this amazing activity we all love so much.
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Mark Faulkner (10-26-2018)
#19
#20
So it's no wonder the market is shrinking and saying we still have the biggest part of a shrinking market to try and say its all OK is just dumb, IMHO. The accountants spin to keep the stock prices from going down the tubes like it did back in 2008. Time will tell but so far, it's not looking so good.
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