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Harley Davidson seeks federal bailout
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January 23, 2009 at 10:39 pm #2488eonParticipant
http://www.motorcycle.com/news/harleydavidson-seeks-federal-bailout-87855.html
You should’a bought a Honda
Actually, reading between the lines in the article it sounds like they are just after cheap money for their financial arm. Might be more serious than that though, time will tell.
January 23, 2009 at 11:13 pm #15954boulevardboyParticipantWhat would America be without Harley Davidson motor bikes?
January 23, 2009 at 11:49 pm #15955MunchParticipantLOL…..not the first time its come close. AMC bought em out a while back… luckily kept the badge… then the family managed to get it back.
January 24, 2009 at 12:42 am #15959Sangria7ParticipantMaybe they shouldnt charge so much for their bikes.
Dont get me wrong, I like Harleys but their price is not competitive with Yamaha, Honda, or Suzuki.
HD have been depending on their name and sales niche to keep them afloat and not keeping up the market demand on bike style and overall costs.
Damn I wish the government would bail out the common folk…
January 24, 2009 at 1:11 am #15962eonParticipantIt seems to me they rely too much on brand image and patriotism. They certainly have the whole ‘lifestyle’ thing going on but I would prefer to have better/cheaper products than your competitors.
I found the following article interesting.
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa032.html
It’s a bit long and dry but some interesting info in there. In summary, from 1972 to 1982 HD went from having 100% of bikes over 1000cc to less than 15%. They were about to go bust so they got Ronnie Raygun to introduce tariffs of 50% for Japanese bikes over 700cc (did this create the 600cc class bike?).January 24, 2009 at 1:16 am #15963SantaCruzRiderParticipantShould be hoarding cash instead. Still not sure how they’re going to leverage an Italian sport bike — technology and image are even a worse fit than the whole Buell thing. Nothing against the bikes, but it’s like having Lotus, Kia and Hummer under one umbrella.
And unfortunately, cruiser sales are sucking wind for lots of manufacturers. Dual-sports and look-alikes are where it’s going — embrace the future!
(disclaimer: I don’t own a DS bike, but sure wish I had room for one)January 24, 2009 at 1:19 am #15964SantaCruzRiderParticipantUnder 600cc bikes were known as ‘tariff-busters’
January 24, 2009 at 1:27 am #15965eonParticipantPiaggio owns Aprilia (and Moto Guzzi and Vespa). HD bought MV Augusta.
But yeah, they spent $109M just a few months ago to buy 100% of an Italian sportsbike company (and pay of $70M of it’s debt) and now they are looking for taxpayers money?
January 24, 2009 at 1:53 am #15966megaspazParticipantit’s somewhat amusing… but not as amusing as the pr0n industry asking for a bail out a bit ago.
January 24, 2009 at 2:35 am #15970MunchParticipantI was wondering… was it the industry asking for the bail out… or the last guy that got to do a scene with whatever popular….. girl is?
January 24, 2009 at 3:28 am #15972briderdtParticipant…that a company that didn’t have to import their bikes into the US (shipping overseas) would at least be competetive. If they can’t figure that out, then I say the market should determine whether it survives or dies.
January 24, 2009 at 5:56 am #15973briderdtParticipant…there’s only one Harley (and only made one year) that remotely interests me. And that was because it was made with rear controls. No wonder it didn’t sell well… I guess that’s what Buell is for.
Sure, it’d be sad if the marquee went the way of the dodo bird, but the same can be said of a lot of iconic brands that have become extinct as well. Bail them out? Sorry.
January 24, 2009 at 3:51 pm #15974Sangria7ParticipantQuieter? LOL jk
January 24, 2009 at 4:11 pm #15975SantaCruzRiderParticipantThanks for setting the record straight eon. I get my Italian superbike exotics confused — part of my brain obviously lumps them into the bikes-I-can’t-afford category.
But hey, maybe this summer I can pick up a new Augusta at a govt. liquidation sale!!!January 24, 2009 at 4:17 pm #15976eonParticipantThis company may or may not fold but I cannot see the brand being gone for too long. Look what happened to Triumph.
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