More Harley-Davidson management changes
- Thread starter TK4
- Start date
Dirty Frank
Well-known member
Lots of doom and gloom about the future of the industry and sport.
Just the new CEO making their changes. Why not, I don't think they could do much damage.
I think what HD enthusiasts really have to worry about is the company being taken over by private equity in 2-3 years
I think what HD enthusiasts really have to worry about is the company being taken over by private equity in 2-3 years
“As we reimagine our future, we are returning to what makes Harley-Davidson uniquely powerful. These changes set us up to deepen our connection to riders and dealers, accelerate data-led and tech-enabled engagement, and unlock the full potential of our operations.”
Blah blah blah blah
Blah blah blah blah
As a small miracle, he didn't toss AI into his word salad.
TK4
Well-known member
Nothing about 'synergy' ?
I just checked, HD market cap is currently $2.55B.
Polaris' market cap is $3.83B...!
damn.
Only two periods during the last quarter-century where their share price has dipped so low was the Dotcom bubble bust in 2000 and the GFC in 2008, where the falling tide lowered everyone's valuations.
I'd say $2.55B is still a pretty big swing for any kind of leveraged buyout, but maybe not for a larger outfit such as an automotive (American?) company looking to get into the motorcycle business on the cheap, or just to get rich selling T-shirts and mugs and cosplay branded pirate gear...
But to your point, if the share price continues to plummet and the valuation reaches $1B or less? Then yeah, I can totally see the vultures swooping down to pick at the bones!
Definitely not AI, otherwise the press release would have generated the text as Harley—Davidson...
IYKYK
I can see a link. Where are people spending their money today?
A generation or two ago purchases were pragmatic. Now there is a huge shift to spending on entertainment, YOLO etc. Dining out is mostly entertainment. Huge bucks for sports live events at $$$ a seat. Full spectrum cable would insure a couple of bikes.
Going out for a coffee and snack @ $10 a head instead of home brewed Folgers and a cookie at $1.00.
Few people ride because it's practical. It's usually just a more entertaining way to get somewhere you really don't need to be.
The psychology of selling entertainment is different from selling industrial equipment where the bottom line is the cost of producing a widget.
Harley's problem is exacerbated by their technology issues. Retro isn't for everyone.
Having a Cadillac luxury barge used to be the sign of success. Now it's a sports sedan or pickup.
The rah, rah, rah, built in the USA, even with Trump rhetoric, doesn't carry the weight it once did. Production costs can be reduced by getting stuff made, sorry, more stuff made in China. HD becomes Charley Davidson.
Good luck Mr H-D CEO. What is the more gut wrenching task?
Changing H-D or changing the clientele?
Harley-Davidson uniquely powerful.
I guess if you want a really loud, powerful, expensive paperweight.
Dirty Frank
Well-known member
I agree with him that the bushing is WAAAAY overpriced and it IS gouging.
But....
The price is set using a number of factors.
I doubt very much that they made "millions" of them. As he said, it's likely a unique to HD sportsters part. At some point in the lifecycle of the model, HD likely determined that demand for this part was relatively low, and as we all know that MOST HD's don't rack up a lot of miles over their life. So Harley probably didn't create a huge inventory of them. That's probably why the dealer he talked about had to source them from multiple places.
Harley likely uses a formula that identifies the part as low demand, low inventory and adds a premium to the price. On top of that, I get the feeling that the MoCo isn't a fan of the do-it-yourselfer's and non-dealer repairs, so they add another premium to the part price to discourage it some more.
Still there isn't really a justification for such high pricing. As a comparrison, a cam bushing for my Norton Commando is 19.11 (CDN) from Walridge Motors.
TK4
Well-known member
There was a time while Mr. Honda was alive that he promised to have replacement parts available forever, even if it meant remanufacturing them. Sadly, about 20 years ago that policy came to a grinding halt.
