Posted on 01/23/2010 3:23:00 PM PST by opentalk
Harley-Davidson, the motorcycle maker, reported a fourth-quarter loss Friday, its first quarterly shortfall in 16 years, hurt by restructuring costs and the sluggish economy. Harley-Davidson has come under pressure over the last year as the tight credit markets and the weak economy led consumers to shun purchases of its high-end, heavyweight motorcycles. The company has been reorganizing its business through layoffs, factory closures and closing or selling unwanted brands.
Harley said shipments of its bikes to dealers in 2009 fell 27 percent, to 223,023.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Oh my.
What ever will mid-life-crisis, Viagra-swilling, chaps-uniform-wearing, obese, men with receding hair lines do?
A lot fewer 60 + year olds and baby boomers will be hittin the road after Obama gives their Soc Security and Medicare to illegals and Haitians he wants to flood in.
Lots of baby boomers and some seniors voted for this. I know seniors who foolishly voted for the Muslim.
Probably will be in the soup line when they depression really kicks in toward the end of this summer.
FL has 13+% unemployment but they let the illegals keep flooding in.
Probably will be in the soup line when they depression really kicks in toward the end of this summer.
FL has 13+% unemployment but they let the illegals keep flooding in.
It's Bush's fault...
I switched to pilates in '07, but then again I was a Ducati rider.
Is it true when Harley Davidson needed new machine tools they chose Japanese made lathes, mills, drills, saws, etc.?
Maybe even have the wife ride along.
I don't see the downside, never did.
I picked up a slightly crashed one for 1800 and restored it, runs smooth, gave it to The Wife for christmas.
Total less than 4 k invested.
They got overrated for a while, as people had more money than they could wipe their azz with.
.Still, for diehards, the price is in the affordable column now, and all the better.
Ignorant
Harleys range from 7k up. And no they aren’t inferior. They are actually a better deal than imports now that the dollar has tanked.
I dont know about the other guys but Im gonna sell my Harley and lay down and die
Looks gay,communist,and African.
Absolutely, I used to work there in engineering in the early '90's. I don't think I ever saw an American machine tool even though Kearney and Trecker was dying nearby - but in their defense the Japanese now totally control the market.
Keep in mind the Japanese claimed that their machine tool industry was still recovering from WWII until the '80's and no American firm could set up distributorships or buy a Japanese company.
“Is it true when Harley Davidson needed new machine tools they chose Japanese made lathes, mills, drills, saws, etc.?”
As opposed to what? There are almost no U.S. made machine tools. U.S. manufacturing has been regulated, taxed and unionized out of existence decades ago.
I can tell most of the posters here do not own or have ever ridden a Harley.
Ride Safe
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