18/01/2012 by info.

In an exclusive interview conducted for the BMF’s membership magazine, Motorcycle Rider, Mike Penning MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, reveals himself as a motorcyclist keen to tackle the issues facing motorcycling today.

The wide-ranging interview, conducted by the BMF’s Government Relations Executive Chris Hodder, covered rider testing, the red tape challenge, type approval regulations and Britain’s strength in Europe.

The Minister, having first started riding motorcycles as an Army despatch rider, currently owns a 900cc Ducati Monster and a Royal Enfield and despite his own riding being limited these days, said he saw motorcycles as “an enormous benefit for the environment because of their ability to keep moving, give off less emissions and cause fewer traffic problems than a car.” He was however concerned at the “number of riders inappropriately dressed for riding” and that was one of the reasons that he was passionate about training and educating riders.

Tackled over the thorny problem of rider testing and licensing, the Minister said that he fundamentally disagreed with the previous administration’s knee-jerk reaction to the European legislation on testing. “I keep referring to a single test and I still think that’s the best idea. We have to create a test that gives people the skills to enjoy their future riding and ensure that they are safe with other people on the road” he said.

On the test itself Mr Penning said that while he was frustrated at how long it has taken to get to the present revisions, “getting it wrong would be devastating to the industry, motorcyclists and, indeed, Britain. It’s not so much about getting people on to two wheels, but rather getting people to stay on two wheels - and stay safe,” he said. “In fact, one of the only television advertising campaigns I’m doing this year is focused on motorcyclists, because I’m committed to their safety” he added.

Tackling red tape had also been a priority he said and streamlining the SORN arrangements by removing annual renewals was just a start, adding that his red tape challenge (www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk) makes it easy for people to submit suggestions.

On European issues he said he had permission from the Prime Minister to “push back as strongly as possible” on anything he didn’t like and on the Commission’s latest Type Approval legislation he said he would do just that.

Questioned on our standing within Europe since the finance veto, the Minister said that all that will happen is that the European Parliament will realise that when we say no we mean no. “I get on very well with my European counterparts, but they know exactly where I stand” he said.

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18/10/2011 by info.

HARLEY-Davidson has reported continued strong improvement in earnings and dealer retail sales in the third quarter of 2011 and through the nine months of the year-to-date, compared to 2010.

The company says that third-quarter operating income from Motorcycles and Related Products grew 78.0 percent on higher shipment volumes and operating margin improvements, with operating income from its Financial Services segment grew 21.9 percent due to continued improvement in credit performance, compared to the third quarter of 2010.

Retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles are said to have grown by 5.1 percent worldwide in the third quarter (to 61,838), led by a 5.4 percent rise in the US, with first nine-month retail sales up 4.9 percent (worldwide) to 194,829.
“We are pleased with our sustained progress and we continue to realize strong momentum in the transformation our business,” said Keith Wandell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Harley-Davidson.

“Two years ago we embarked on our strategy to focus solely on the Harley-Davidson brand, provide the flexibility required in today’s market and make Harley-Davidson lean, agile and more effective than ever at delivering remarkable products and extraordinary customer experiences. Today, we continue to see the positive results of the course we have charted,” Wandell said. “The changes underway in manufacturing, product development and retail capability…

“Involves a tremendous amount of highly complex, challenging work across every part of the organization. While much remains to be done, we are well down the road and everyone involved deserves much credit for bringing these changes to life.”
Dealers sold 42,640 new Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the third quarter in the US, a 5.4 percent increase. In international markets, dealers sold 19,198 new Harley-Davidson motorcycles during the third quarter, an increase of 4.4 percent compared to the year-ago period.

Through nine months US retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles increased 4.7 percent to 127,930 units, with international, retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles increasing by 5.2 percent to 66,899 units. During the same period industry-wide US heavyweight new motorcycle (651cc-plus) retail unit sales are said to have increased 3.7 percent, again pointing to an above market performance.

Revenue from Motorcycle Parts and Accessories (P&A) totaled $235.7 million during the quarter, up 7.6 percent, and revenue from General Merchandise, which includes MotorClothes Apparel and Accessories, was $69.3 million, up 8.2 percent compared to the year-ago period.

www.harley-davidson.com

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15/10/2011 by info.

ZIPPER’S MAXFlow Stage I air cleaner upgrade kit includes a specially designed, washable, pleated fabric filter made from multiple layers of surgical-quality cotton gauze material that traps dirt while providing increased flow. The element, which is 5⁄8in deeper than the factory performance filter it is designed to replace, is said to yield over 60 percent more surface area than the Stage I filter. The kit includes required longer mounting hardware.

One version of the kit has been designed for use on Twin Cam engines equipped with H-D Screamin’ Eagle Stage I air cleaner and the standard Twin Cam cover, which makes 360-degree contact between the cover back and the rubber gasket on the filter.

A second option is an upgrade kit for Evo style covers. While similar to the Twin Cam version, this option is designed with the filter tapering outward towards the air filter cover, allowing use of 8in diameter EV-style round covers. It can be used on Evolution or Twin Cam engines if the appropriate EV-style cover is used. The specially designed 7in outer diameter filter is said to increase air flow while reducing intake turbulence.

ZIPPER’S PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS
Elkridge, Maryland, USA

www.zippersperformance.com

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18/02/2011 by info.

Victory has been drawn towards India following the vibrant success of its competitor, Harley Davidson, which has sold an average of more than two units from its line-up of 12 models every three days this calendar year.

Market sources said Victory is close to completing its market analysis in India and will introduce models that would best suit the country. The company is keen to participate in next year’s biennial Auto Expo held in New Delhi to showcase its products.

A formal launch by the company will be announced by the second half of next year. To test market response, the company will start importing the bikes initially before setting up an assembly plant to cut costs.

Harley Davidson has managed to bring down its entry point price to Rs 5.5 lakh from more than Rs 7.5 lakh after it built an assembly plant in Bawal, Haryana — the third plant in the world after the US and Brazil. It has also started accepting bookings for the SuperLow and Iron 883, produced from the plant in Haryana.

To discourage imports and encourage local manufacturing activity, the Indian government has kept the import duties high, which effectively doubles the price of a model when it lands in showrooms.

A local assembly operation will bring down costs by a minimum of 30 per cent and can go up on the basis of the level of localisation or components which are sourced locally. A completely knocked down operation means parts will be brought to India and assembled here.

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09/02/2011 by info.

Following on from our earlier post about the troubled times some H-D dealers are having……  The decline in large-capacity motorcycle sales on both sides of the Atlantic is putting an increasing number of Harley-Davidson franchised dealers out of business.

In the US, 36 Harley dealerships closed their doors last year, and Harley-Davidson chief financial officer John Olin say that he doesn’t expect the trend to abate this year. Here in the UK, three Harley outlets folded in the final two months of 2010 and more are reportedly struggling.

Commenting to analysts on the situation in America, Olin recently said: “This contraction was expected and in line with our desire to modestly consolidate our dealer network in response to lower overall volume since the economic downturn took hold.”

But Olin also claimed that dealers have been coping with lower inventory of new machines by selling more pre-owned stock. “Used bike sales in the dealer network were up double digits through November,” he added. “Despite dealers’ efforts to improve revenue and manage cost, their profitability has been impacted in the downturn. But we believe the US dealer network in aggregate remains profitable.”

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01/02/2011 by info.

Dockgate 20 Motorcycles Ltd, the parent company of the Dockgate 20 Harley-Davidson and Thames Valley Harley-Davidson dealerships located respectively in Southampton and Slough, has definitely gone belly-up.

Richard Hawes and Julia Branson, of leading acountancy group and insolvency specialist Deloitte, were appointed as joint administrators of the company on 23 December 2010.

In addition to the above, following the recent closure of its London Harley outlet in Walthamstow, the Pendragon automotive group’s bike division is consolidating in the West Midlands.

The company is adding a Stoke-on-Trent Harley store to its pair of Stratstone Harley operations in Birmingham and Wolverhampton and Stratstone Triumph dealerships in Leicester and Wolverhampton.

Pendragon’s Walthamstow branch was folded after the opening of a Harley-Davidson franchise adjacent to the Lakeside shopping mall at Thurrock in Essex, which pinched much of its business. The Lakeside Harley dealership is owned by another competing automotive chain, the Jardine group.

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01/02/2011 by info.

US-based Victory motorcycle and Polaris ATV manufacturer Polaris Industries has plenty to boast about in its 2010 fourth-quarter and full-year financial results. Dollar-sterling forex translations were made at the rates applicable on 31 January.

In the final quarter, Polaris achieved record sales, up by 31 per cent year-on-year to £386.1m. Operating profit rose by 13 per cent to £48.8m and net profit for the quarter increased by 24 per cent to £34m - also both records.

For the full 12 months of 2010, yet another record revenue figure was up by 27 per cent on 2009, at £1.24bn. Allied to rigorous cost-cutting, this yielded a 34 per cent boost to operating profit at £137.8m and a 46 per cent increase in net profit to £91.8m.

Although by far the biggest slice of the Polaris business is side-by-side and quad-style ATVs, its Victory motorcycle arm also did well. Victory sales were up by eight per cent in the fourth quarter to £12.9m and put on 55 per cent to £50.9m over the full year - despite the US heavyweight cruiser market still being in retreat.

For 2011, Polaris is forecasting a year-on-year sales increase of up to 11 per cent, with net profit potentially up by as much as 20 per cent.

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25/01/2011 by info.

Harley say they “feel good” about 2010 results that confirm shipment target met as retail sales and losses continue to stabilize
In their financial reporting for the final quarter and full year of 2010 Harley-Davidson say that retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the fourth quarter were nearly level with the year-ago period, decreasing 1.0 percent worldwide and 0.2 percent in the U.S.

For the full year, worldwide retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles decreased 8.5 percent overall compared to 2009, with domestic U.S. retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles down 11.7 percent against a heavyweight motorcycle market that was off 14.6 percent. In international markets, retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles decreased 1.9 percent for the full year compared to 2009, with dealers selling 222,110 new Harleys in total, 143,391 of which were sold in the U.S.

“We feel good about our 2010 results,” said Keith Wandell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Harley-Davidson, Inc. “Through the hard work of a lot of very dedicated and talented employees and dealers, we have made strong progress at transforming our business to be leaner, more agile and even more effective at delivering great products and customer experiences.

“In 2010, we expanded our international footprint, saw improvement in our motorcycle segment results driven by the restructuring of our operations and returned Harley-Davidson Financial Services to solid profitability. A strong, financially sound Harley-Davidson is key to our ability to invest in the business and grow. While there is still hard work ahead and we remain cautious in our outlook, I am confident that we are positioning Harley-Davidson to succeed and deliver value,” Wandell said.
Commenting on the firm’s brand performance in relation to its ability to develop future-facing customer demographics, Wandell went on to say that “in the U.S., we are the market share leader in new on-road motorcycle sales, not only to Boomers but to young adults, women, African-American and Hispanic riders. In Europe, we moved into the number two market share spot for heavyweight motorcycles in 2010 [behind only BMW]. For 2011, we plan to build on our position as one of the strongest brands in the world”.

The underlying trends in Harley’s performance show that the company strengthened its position continuously throughout 2010, suggesting that, with losses diminishing and sales declines stabilizing, the company should emerge into a modest return to profitable growth in the first half of this year (subject to amortizations).

The fourth quarter 0.2 percent domestic US decline in retail sales occurred against a 14.8 percent drop in industry-wide U.S. heavyweight motorcycle (651cc-plus) retail unit sales.

Revenue from Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the fourth quarter of 2010 was $697.8 million, up 26.4 percent compared to the year-ago period, the Company shipping 44,481 Harley-Davidson motorcycles to dealers and distributors worldwide, compared to 35,938 motorcycles in the fourth quarter of 2009. Revenue from Parts and Accessories totaled $149.4 million during the quarter, up 3.3 percent.

The Company’s financial services unit (HDFS) was a key contributor to 2010 earnings, with operating income from financial services of $181.9 million for the full year, including $43.5 million in the fourth quarter. Operating income from motorcycles and related products was $378.8 million for the full year. The operating loss of $6.8 million for the fourth quarter was a substantial improvement from the $221.8 million quarterly loss reported a year earlier.

For 2010 as a whole the Company shipped 210,494 Harley-Davidson motorcycles, in line with its target range of 207,000 to 212,000 motorcycles. Full-year 2010 shipments were 5.6 percent lower than 2009, when the Company shipped 223,023 units. Revenue from Harley-Davidson motorcycles for the full year was $3.14 billion, a 1.2 percent decrease compared to 2009. Full-year P&A revenue was $749.2 million, a 2.4 percent decrease from the year-ago period.

www.harley-davidson.com

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25/01/2011 by info.

MILWAUKEE (January 21, 2011) - Lean as wire, hard as iron and dark as a tar road at midnight, the new Blackline motorcycle is a Harley-Davidson Softail model pared to the bone. A rebellious creation of the Dark Custom movement, the Blackline celebrates three fundamental elements of motorcycling: mechanical beauty, internal combustion, and the long black line of the road ahead.

The Blackline balances allegiance with rebellion, discarding previous conventions of color and chrome for a Dark Custom look that’s honest, functional and attainable. Visual elements of the original bobber movement are combined with the raw, hand-hewn style embraced by today’s young builders. The Blackline throws new fuel on a fire that burns across generations, an unquenchable desire to ride.

Lean and Tight
The rear fender is bobbed high-and-tight over a slim, 144mm tire that emphasizes an authentic hardtail profile. The compact headlight and speedometer are tucked low into the wide, FX front end, and there’s just enough shine to make the black parts look blacker. Black-rimmed laced wheels complete a look that’s tough, tempered and undeniably Harley-Davidson.

The styling spotlight shines on a Big Twin engine dressed in black and silver, and on a fuel tank shaved smooth and low. Aboard the Blackline, the rider hugs the frame on the lowest two-up seat ever offered by Harley-Davidson, and reaches high for new Split Dragª handlebars that bolt right to the top triple-clamp.

The Softail chassis utilizes rear suspension control provided by coil-over shock absorbers mounted horizontally along the frame rails below the powertrain, where they are out of sight. So while the swingarm section replicates the lines of a vintage hardtail frame, the Blackline delivers suspension performance and handling that are thoroughly modern. The internally counter-balanced Twin Cam 96Bª engine is rigid-mounted within the frame, creating a solid connection between rider and the power that moves the motorcycle to enhance the emotional experience of riding.

Key features of the 2011 Blackline include:

* NEW Powertrain styling - Powertrain is finished in gloss black powdercoat on the rocker box covers, the crankcase, the     outer primary cover, and the transmission side cover. The cylinders are silver powdercoat with machined highlights. The     derby cover and timing covers are chromed.

Rigid-mounted, counter-balanced Twin Cam 96B™ V-Twin engine with Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI), rated     at 89 ft. lbs. peak torque at 3250 rpm.

* 6-Speed Cruise Drive® Transmission.

* NEW Round air cleaner cover in brilliant chrome.

* NEW Black Denim powdercoat frame and swingarm.

* NEW Profile Laced Aluminum wheels with black anodized rims. Front wheel is 21 x 2.15 inches; rear wheel is 16 x 3 inches.     Dunlop® D402 tires are MH90-21 front and MU85B16 rear.

* NEW FX front end with black powdercoat triple clamps and black painted fork lowers.

* NEW Split Drag™ internally-wired handlebars mount directly to the top triple clamp.

* NEW Asymmetric five-gallon Softail fuel tank is clean on the left side, with a low-profile fuel fill on the right. Die     cast “Blackline” trim panel flowing down the center of the tank is just high enough to cover the fuel pump hardware.

* NEW Analog speedometer on a triple-clamp mount that also holds indicator lights. LCD screen on the speedometer includes     low-fuel warning and “miles to empty” display function.

* NEW Bobbed rear fender with combination stop/tail/turn lights in black housings, and a new composite license plate holder     and light module that mounts on the lower edge of the fender.

* NEW Raw forged rear fender supports are finished in Black Denim powdercoat.

* NEW One-piece, two-up seat and passenger pillion. Laden rider seat height is 24 inches, the lowest two-up seat offered by         Harley-Davidson. Gap between the nose of seat and fuel tank exposes the top of the frame.

* NEW 5.75-inch diameter headlamp in gloss black shell.

* Polished forward foot controls.

* Over/under chrome shotgun exhaust.

* Optional Security Package with Anti-lock Braking System and Smart Security System

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07/01/2011 by info.

This would certainly keep your ass warm in winter…..

Check out the video…

Steam Powered Bike - The Video

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