Motorcycle News
2009 Buell 1125CR - Quick Take
2009 Buell 1125CR
2009 Buell 1125CR
The Buell 1125CR is new for 2009 with naked styling and clubman-style handlebar give a respectful nod to the nostalgic era of café racers. A 146-hp liquid-cooled V-Twin engine is geared for acceleration.
Sophisticated technology. The 1125CR, Erik Buell’s 21st century interpretation of the classic café racer, is a new motorcycle that defies convention and expands the street fighter category in the direction of superbike performance.
Click here to continue...Harley Davidson news - will the sales slump continue into the 2009 and 2010 model years?
The Kansas City Business Journal reports:
In the wake of lower first-quarter earnings despite higher revenue compared with last year, Harley-Davidson Inc. said Thursday that it will temporarily close some plants, reduce daily production and cut about 730 jobs.
Forbes, BusinessWeek, and many other business journals are all reporting similar news. How will this affect the 2008 year sales, and what will this do to the 2009 model line-up?
Update July 17, 2008
Harley's net falls 23% in second quarter 2008:
Click here to continue...Harley-Davidson Inc., the iconic motorcycle-maker struggling with a weak U.S. economy, said its second-quarter profits fell 23% amid a steep drop in domestic sales.
Shipments of motorcycles didn't fall as much as the company had forecast in the spring, however, and results were better than Wall Street analysts had expected.
[snip]
Shipments of motorcycles fell 15.6% to 80,326. The reduced volumes hurt the company's operating margin, which fell to 20.1% from 23.9% a year earlier.In April, Harley-Davidson said it will significantly cut shipments of motorcycles to dealers and trim more than 700 jobs in response to a steep reduction in U.S. sales.
Harley-Davidson said then it plans to ship between 23,000 and 27,000 fewer motorcycles this year than in 2007, putting the total dealer deliveries in 2008 at no more than 307,500 units. The company maintained that forecast Thursday.
Source: Wall Street Journal, July 17, 2008
2009 Harley-Davidson Models Certified for Sale In California
Here's the scoop from a recent CARB certification document for the various Harley-Davidson models. From the documents I've found, it appears that the following 2009 models are certified for sale in California. We'll be updating this page as we find more information; please come back from time to time and see what's new!
Models covered so far: 883 and 1200cc Sportster, V-Rod, and 1584cc models (Street Rod, Rocker, Street Bob, and more!)
Click here to continue...Harley-Davidson buys MV Agusta for $109 Million
What a long, strange trip it's been: MV Agusta Owned by Harley-Davidson...
Harley Buys MV Agusta
So it looks like it's official - Harley-Davidson announced that they are acquiring MV Agusta.
Click here to continue...In a move to gain access to a broader, growing customer base in Europe and the U.S., motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson Inc. agreed to purchase MV Agusta Group, an Italian motorcycle company, for about $109 million.
California to cagers: Hang up and drive!
The California "hands free" cell phone 'laws' take effect today - cagers aren't allowed to use a cell phone unless the driver is using a hands-free device.
Personally, I don't see this as having a major impact on safety. But it certainly will drive sales of Bluetooth and other wireless devices.
Now, if I want to use my cell phone while riding my sportbike through the twisties, I guess I'll have to upgrade to the latest cell phone technology - my old trusty Nokia isn't Bluetooth-compatible.
Nice to see the California legislature has all that time on their hands.
Harley-Davidson's management looks forward: What are the 'next generation' of buyers looking for?
Traditional styling, traditional colors, traditional customers: But is tradition enough?
Lots of talk about the future here. Lots of conjecture. From the sound of it, Harley Davidson management is looking for new places to sell, and new people to sell to. A new generation of buyers...
Click here to continue...Any changes will not happen quickly enough to compensate for the slide in domestic sales. The group is finding other ways to compete, splitting marketing into two, one concentrating on traditional, more mature Harley customers, as epitomised in last year’s Hollywood movie Wild Hogs, and the other aiming at young men and women riders.
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