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HARLEY-DAVIDSON TO
CUT JOBS
“Harley-Davidson, Inc., will
significantly cut shipments of motorcycles to dealers and trim more than
700 jobs this year as it confronts a steep reduction in U.S. sales,”
reported The Wall Street Journal. The company also scaled back its
earnings expectations for the remainder of 2008 due to the challenges in
the economy, the paper explained. The Journal continued by saying,
Harley-Davidson plans to ship between 23,000 to 27,000 fewer motorcycles
this year than in 2007, putting the total dealer deliveries in 2008 to
no more than 307,500 units. “The company will implement temporary
plant shutdowns and adjustments to daily product rates, which will
result in a reduction of about 370 unionized employees, or about 6.5
percent of that workforce, it explained, adding the company will also
cut about 360 non-production jobs, or 10 percent of that segment of
workers.
HELMET HOUSE POSTS
RECORD 2008 SALES
Helmet House announced record sales for
the first four months of 2008. “April 2008 sales results exceeded
April 2007 results by almost 13 percent, also a record for the
company,” stated Director of Marketing Richard Kimes, who continued,
“These results have also outpaced 2008 growth projections for Helmet
House.” Tour Master and Cortech have exhibited remarkable growth for
the company over the past six years, as well as the first four months of
2008, Kimes explained. The company’s TCX boots are said to have
reported strong sales growth after its positive reception at the Dealer
Expo. “The Helmet House collection of brands continues to be
complemented by their highly rated customer service scores,” he added.
HONDA ISSUES
MOTORCYCLE RECALL
American Honda Motor Company reported it
has issued a recall of three of its motorcycles, the 2006-2007 VT600,
2007-2008 VT750 and 2007-2008 VTX1300. “The affected units have an
improperly manufactured fuel valve diaphragm and the fuel valve may drip
fuel,” Honda explained, and in the presence of an ignition source,
dripping fuel poses a risk of fire. Honda said it recommends owners of
these motorcycles to stop using their vehicles and to contact their
local Honda dealer for a free repair. The recall is said to affect
almost 40,000 motorcycles.
MC ADVANTAGES TO
DISTRIBUTE BAKER DRIVETRAIN
MC Advantages announced it will now be
distributing the All-American line of Baker Drivetrain products to all
MC Advantages dealers. “Baker represents innovation and determination
in the V-Twin market,” said MC Advantages General Manager Kent Reed.
“We are proud to add Baker to our product offerings — they cut no
corners and accept no substitutes. Their drivetrain products are the
real deal,” he stated.
NICHOLS & HAP
JONES MERGE
In a letter to customers sent out
mid-May, it was announced that Hap Jones and Nichols Motorcycle Supply
have been merged into one, single distributorship, located in Alsip, IL.
The letter stated, “By combining Nichols and Hap Jones, we are
building a stronger company that will be a leader in providing customer
service and great products.” The new NHJ Powersports will be shipping
out all orders from the Chicago area facility, according to the letter.
ESPOSITO DEPARTS
GLOBAL
Frank Esposito has reportedly exited
Global Motorsports/Custom Chrome, after being let go by new and former
owner/founder, Nace Panzica, on April 21. Esposito told MI it came as a
complete surprise and was a “huge disappointment.” The company was
purchased/settled out of bankruptcy on March 6, 2008, by an organization
in Korea, by the name of Dae-Il, in conjunction with Mr. Panzica.
KAWASAKI’S NA
SALES UP 5%
“Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ sales in
North America rose for a fourth consecutive year,” announced an online
news source. The site explained Kawasaki’s North American sales for
all of its divisions for its fiscal year that ended Mar. 31, 2008,
totaled over $2.9 billion, which is an increase of about 5 percent over
the year prior. “Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ consumer products and
machinery division, which includes powersports, had more than $4.3
billion in sales, a 29 percent rise from the prior year,” the site
added.
AMA APPLAUDS WA
GOVERNOR
“The American Motorcyclist Association
praised Washington State Gov. Christine Gregoire’s line-item veto of a
measure that would have banned all construction of new trails or
facilities for offroad motorized recreation for at least a year,”
reported spokesperson Peter terHorst. He told us the measure would have
prohibited the state’s Department of Natural Resources from building
or expanding trails or facilities for offroad recreational vehicles
until July 2009. “We are very gratified that Gov. Gregoire recognized
the unfairness of this measure, which would have cut off funding for
offroad motorized recreation while continuing to collect taxes and fees
from offroad vehicle users,” stated AMA Western States Representative
Nick Haris.
BERNARD LI - R.I.P
“Bernard Li, 62, founder of Eagle One
Car Care Products, tragically passed away Saturday May 3rd as a result
of injuries received in a single motorcycle accident on Highway 260,
just outside Springerville, AZ,” stated spokesperson Doug Dwyer. The
accident reportedly happened at approximately 10:30 in the morning and
the cause is unknown, as there were no witnesses. “Barney, to his
friends, was a lifetime motorcycle enthusiast and entrepreneur. In
addition to his highly successful Eagle One Company, Barney also created
Wheels of Fortune Motorcycles, a Yamaha dealership in Carson, CA,”
described Dwyer. Li dreamed of recreating the Vincent Motorcycle brand
and had developed several prototypes of the icon, he added.
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HARLEY ADDRESSES DUNLOP STRIKE
New Harleys ride on Dunlop tires (until
an owner might opt to replace them with another brand), and those
tires come from the Goodyear-Dunlop plant in Tonawanda, NY, where
1,100 United Steelworker union employees have been on strike since
October and remained so as of press time, according to news sources. The
Niagara Gazette cites United Steelworker union sources in
reporting the plant was staffed by replacement workers. Paul James,
product communications manager for Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee, says,
“We're monitoring the situation closely and we expect to continue to
meet our needs with Dunlops. There's no way of knowing the length of
the strike. We're definitely looking at our options. But at the moment
Dunlop out of Buffalo continues to meet our OE needs.” James also
addressed the replacement tire situation. “We've fallen behind on
replacements for some models,” he stated. “We're working hard to
address this situation, as well. If dealers are concerned, they should
know Dunlop is meeting our needs.”
The Bush administration took strides
recently to deny North Korean strongman Kim Jong Il his Harleys.
Multiple news agencies reported Washington recently pulled the plug on
the shipment of many high-end goods to the isolated Asian country. The
list of now-banned items includes Harley-Davidson motorcycles, iPods,
cognac and Rolex watches. The targeted items are said to have had
little chance of finding the homes of common North Koreans. Harleys
were the only bikes named in the widely circulated reports, inferring,
perhaps, Kim is a Hog man. Harleys, cognac and Rolexes - sounds like
an interesting People's Party Congress. It's a shame the Great
Dictator can't vent his anger at the gym - shipments of exercise
equipment also are now banned.
AMA PONIES UP FOR CRASH STUDY
The American Motorcyclist Association
(AMA) has committed $100,000 in matching funds to help fund a
comprehensive nationwide study of motorcycle crashes, the organization
reports. The AMA states there is $2.8 million in federal money waiting
for motorcyclists and organizations to match and the total will fuel a
new safety study. But until the private sector matches the
government's $2.8 million, the study funds will not be released,
according to the AMA. The $100,000 contribution is the AMA's first
payment into the matching program, according to the group.
Contributions to “Fuel the Fund” can be made at www.fuelthefund.com.
Wisconsin has given Harley-Davidson
$4.5 million in tax credits to support the motorcycle maker's
Wisconsin expansion, which includes the planned addition of 200 jobs,
news sources report. Milwaukee-based Harley received the credits in
exchange for its pledge to invest $300 million over the next 3 years
on plant expansion and workforce training, according to Wisconsin
Governor Jim Dale. The new hires will, however, come aboard at a new,
lower pay rate as part of a deal the firm struck with its Milwaukee
United Steelworkers of America union, according to sources.
The federal Department of
Transportation reported 51 percent of U.S. motorcyclists now wear
helmets, up from 48 percent in 2005. The statistics were broken down
by region, with helmet use in the West rising from 50 to 72 percent
and in the Northeast from 42 to 47 percent. The Midwest's helmet use
fell from 53 to 50 percent, as did the South's, from 49 to 45 percent.
The DOT only counted helmets that comply with agency standards.
CALIFORNIA DEALERS TAKE ON REGULATORS
The California Air Resources Board (CARB)
has begun meeting with members of the California motorcycle industry
in an effort to reduce emissions from motorcycles, according to the
California Motorcycle Dealers Association (CMDA). The CARB goal is to
reduce motorcycle emissions by half by 2013, CMDA reports. The CMDA
notes the emission efforts cover every industry or enterprise that
emits detectible emission levels: “For motor vehicles, that means
tightening up on the existing engine emission standards, reducing or
eliminating permeation leaks from gas tanks and engine connections
that carry gas, oil and other liquids and eliminating emissions
control tampering that leads to exceedances of the manufacturers'
certifications that are approved by CARB before new model
introductions.” The CMDA asserts tampering with emissions gear has
been illegal “for over two decades.” Don't look for the industry
to sit on the sidelines throughout the regulatory efforts to clean
California's air. “The CMDA has served notice that we are going to
be part of the process, not just an idle observer,” the group
asserts, stating further, “There is no guarantee we will prevail,
but we have been moderately successful in the past in mitigating CARB
overregulation.” Among the factors the CMDA cites as contributing to
California's air woes - notably in the Los Angeles area - is the
region's explosive growth, which carries with it the side-effect of
smog “in a number of ways, and not just motor vehicle use.”
The American Motorcyclist Association
(AMA) Board recently embraced 50 new recommendations from the AMA
Congress regarding rules for the more than 4,500 organized road and
competition events on the group's annual calendar, according to the
AMA. Many of the new rules are small, involving name changes and what
the group calls “minor changes” to its National Championship Poker
Run Series. The new rules will also make it easier for clubs to hold
National Championship Enduro competitions, the AMA says. The Congress
recommended immediate elimination of separate displacement limits for
2- and 4-stroke engines, but the Board did not endorse this move,
calling instead for a go-slower approach that might see these
“sweeping changes” enacted over a 3- to 5-year period. The Board
and the Congress also disagreed on some 2-stroke competition rules,
minimum purses and allowing more displacement in the 90cc ATV racing
class. Before ruling, the Board listened to input from its Riding and
Racing Committees.
Enduro Africa has bought 104 Yamaha
motorcycles for use by “biking charity riders for health,”
according to Internet sources. The riders have taken to the roads of
Zimbabwe in an effort to raise money for health workers there, reports
say. Enduro has also fronted nearly $100,000 to help eventually find
doctors to ride the 104 bikes on their rounds, according to sources.
Visit www.enduroafrica.com
for more information.
One of the coolest stunts in the Mission:
Impossible franchise was the stoppie in number 2. The trailer was
practically a stoppie highlight reel - Tom Cruise, of course, leaning
hard on the front brake. Now, without the blue smoke and mirrors of
Hollywood, Craig Jones has broken the stoppie world record. Jones,
along with co-rider Wing Chui, reportedly traveled over 330 yards (305
meters) on the front wheel of a Buell Firebolt XB12R in England. Web
reports say Jones took the bike to over 120 m.p.h. before he slammed
on the front brake and lifted the rear wheel into the air.
DUCATI'S MODEL HAS MUSCLE
The Ducati 1098 was named “Most
Beautiful Motorcycle of the Show” at the Milan EICMA motorcycle
show, according to Internet sources. The MV Augusta Brutale 910R and
the Yamaha YZF-R1 followed the Ducati in the voting, said Web sources.
Ducati says the 1098 is equipped with the most powerful twin-cylinder
production engine in the world, its new 160hp Testastretta Evoluzione.
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