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Feb 13

115-year-old Motorcycle dealer to ride into the sunset

By General Posts

by Warren Scott from https://www.heraldstaronline.com

WINTERSVILLE — John and Kim Neidengard said preparing for the Feb. 27 closing of their 115-year-old family business is a bittersweet experience.

After selling Harley-Davidson motorcycles and related gear to hundreds of area residents, they are looking forward to spending more time riding together on the road and visiting their adult children and grandchildren.

But the couple of 23 years said they will miss seeing their regular customers, working with others to organize poker runs that have raised thousands for charity and carrying on a legacy culminating in the state’s oldest family-owned Harley-Davidson dealership.

Kim admitted she became a motorcycle fan after meeting John 28 years ago, noting his love of cycling started at an early age.

“I worked here probably since I was 12,” said John, who noted it was common for children in family-run businesses to help out “as soon as you were old enough.”

“As soon as I graduated from high school, I went to full time,” he said, adding he never thought of doing anything else.

John said in that regard, he was much like his father, John F., who had worked for his father, G.H. Neidengard, a machinist who opened the family’s first motorcycle shop at 137 South Third, Steubenville.

John said G.H. was a friend of the first Steubenville man to own a motorcycle and quickly fell in love with them.

Early motorcycles were little more than bicycles with motors, noted John, but they offered low-cost transportation at a time before Henry Ford’s Model T made automobiles affordable to most people.

They also were a form of entertainment, as motorcycle enthusiasts participated in hillclimbs and races that, in the days before radio and television, drew many spectators.

John said the first shop was quite large, with second story apartments available for rent and garage bays rented to the city for its vehicles.

Before it was torn down, a former employee salvaged and restored the first wooden step leading to its parts department. It and photos of G.H. and his family, including a very young John F., are displayed in the current location in Wintersville.

After taking over the business in the late 1930s, John F. built the store on Canton Road in 1978.

John said of working for his father, “I was here practically every day and I just absorbed what I saw him doing.”

Kim said her husband, as a teen, immersed himself in motorcycles in the same way some enjoy sports. She added there’s a story of him falling asleep while assembling a bike at the store.

“I just liked what I was doing and wanted to see it done,” said John, adding “What do they say? If you love your job, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

“Like anything, it’s had its ups-and-downs,” he said.

John noted his grandfather and father struggled through the Great Depression and World War II, when many materials used in motorcycles were reserved for the military.

“My father had to find used tires to sell,” he noted.

The Neidengards said their most pleasant memories of the business will be the many bike runs they sponsored, with help from many members of the local chapter of the Harley Owners Group, to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Wounded Warrior Project.

They noted Harley-Davidson Inc. is a strong supporter of both charities.

Begun in 1996, the annual MDA runs raised more than $500,000 for the cause, while two runs for the Wounded Warrior Project netted more than $25,000.

The Neidengards noted about 1,300 bikers turned out for the 2002 MDA run, while others drew more than 1,000.

They expressed appreciation to the many participants, including some who planned vacations around them, as well as their many customers over the years.

“We realize the business couldn’t have gotten where it is if not for all of our customers over the years and their loyalty,” said Kim.

Since announcing the closing in late January, the Neidengards have been visited by many long-time patrons.

Among them was Bruce White of Weirton, who said when he was a teen, John’s father offered tips on maintaining his bike and lent him tools.

“John worked very hard for his father,” said White, who added he will miss the shop after coming there for nearly 60 years.

Bill Donahoe of Steubenville said he’s purchased bikes there he used to win regional racing competitions in 1989 and 1990.

“Everybody knows Johnny. He’s a good man,” Donahoe said, adding, “They’re great people. I hate to see them go.”

Jan 24

Harley Davidson’s plan to take iconic motorcycle brand into transportation’s future

By General Posts

by Joe D’Allegro from https://www.cnbc.com

  • Harley-Davidson unveiled a new 2021 lineup featuring several advances in engineering, electronics and styling, and its first rival to BMW and Honda “adventure” bikes.
  • Hog motorcycle sales peaked 15 years ago and have dropped 40% since.
  • But as it cuts costs, total number of models and geographies under a new CEO, and looks to electric motorcycles and e-bikes, Harley could be in for a smoother stock market ride.

As a tradition-minded 118-year-old motorcycle manufacturer, Harley-Davidson may not seem ideally situated to prosper in a rapidly changing world where vehicles are increasingly electrified, self-driving, and shared. But the iconic company could be better positioned than many stock market investors betting on transportation suspect.

The company’s U.S. bike sales peaked at more than 260,000 way back in 2006, and have since dropped about 40%. Demographics are part of the story, and it is a well-charted one, in the stock price and broader narrative about Harley’s consumer market. In 1985, the year before Harley went public, the median motorcycle owner was only 27, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. By 2018, the median age had risen to 50. But the iconic “HOG” brand is turning itself around under the leadership of president and CEO Jochen Zeitz, who took the helm last year after drawing praise for a turnaround engineered at European consumer brand Puma.

Zeitz, and other new executives pushed the “Rewire” initiative, which has driven the manufacturer to exit international markets with low potential to focus on 36 high-growth-potential areas in North America, Europe and Asia. The company also laid off 700 employees to trim costs. It closed out 2020 by entering into a distribution agreement with Indian motorcycle maker Hero and spinning off its electric bicycle operations to a new firm where it holds a minority stake.

“We think they are on the right track,” noted Garrett Nelson, senior equity analyst at CFRA Research. He praised Harley’s late-October agreement with Hero as beneficial to both parties. “Harley gets access to Hero’s existing distribution network in India and Hero benefits from the sale of additional motorcycles at its dealerships,” he said. “It’s a trade-off. Harley surrenders some of the margin for access to the distribution network in the fast-growing market.”

He added that Harley should pursue similar opportunities with other established players to widen its exposure in faster-growing Asian markets.

Harley in a Tesla world

With the new financial strategy in place, Harley’s is now looking ahead. On February 2, it will introduce its plan for 2021 to 2025. Called Hardwire, the new plan is “grounded in desirability,” according to the company, though it has not released details.

Next month Harley also is unveiling the Pan America, a large adventure-style motorcycle meant to be at home both on- and off-road. It is the company’s first foray into the adventure bike market in which competitors like BMW and Honda already have a large presence. The recreational market has become a more intense focus for consumer brands as a result of shifts driven by the pandemic.

Nelson also was cautiously optimistic about the manufacturer’s prospects in an increasingly electrified future. The LiveWire, Harley’s sole current electric motorcycle, shows promise, but the company has been somewhat slow bringing it to market since its release in late 2019, he said.

“More of a concrete strategy on the electric bike, the Livewire, will be necessary,” Citi analyst Shawn Collins said, but he added that EVs remain a longer-term rather than immediate financial priority. “EV cycles are a rounding error at the moment,” he said of the sales.

The LiveWire retails for nearly $30,000, making it one of Harley’s more expensive motorcycle offerings for the 2021 model year, which range from $9,500 to $49,000.

“Over time, we are bullish on the opportunity, given that we think lithium-ion battery costs are going to continue falling in the coming years and electric vehicles are going to be heavily subsidized by the new administration,” Nelson said. “We expect the cost of electric vehicles to reach parity with internal combustion engine vehicles by the middle of this decade, as battery costs continue to decline.”

Harley-Davidson’s share price is at a 52-week high — like many companies in this extended bull market — but remains well below its all-time peak.

The company’s iconic brand remains attractive, even as its financial fortunes have fluctuated.

“Harley-Davidson is the most valuable motorcycle brand on the planet,” wrote Craig Kennison, a senior research analyst and director of research operations at Baird, in a recent research note. Harley’s strong brand, scale, and loyal customers give it an advantage over competitors, in his view. Meanwhile, Harley’s new leadership has put in place operational changes that should drive growth in 2021, Kennison said, including streamlining its product portfolio, reducing dealer inventory 30%, and instituting ongoing annual costs savings of $115 million. “We increasingly like the investment case for Harley-Davidson,” he wrote.

There may be more cost-cutting to come, according to Nelson. He said Harley should look to further shrink its global footprint to focus on markets that are the most profitable with the greatest long-term growth potential. But shrinking the overall footprint does not mean less focus on overseas consumers.

Revving up profits

“Right now, they are spread too wide,” Nelson said. “Between 2006-2019, the company grew its non-U.S. exposure from 22% of total unit sales volumes to 42%. We think they need to continue growing this percentage out of necessity because we believe its North American market is in secular decline.”

Harley’s issue is about the top line, or revenue from motorcycle sales, and Citi’s Collins said into its earnings and February investor day how management talks about increasing the top line will be a key to continued investor confidence. “Lots of people have faith in Zeitz, but he has a high bar,” Collins said. “There is no simple answer. … The top line has been horrible.”

The biggest problem for Harley is well known: the brand has had trouble appealing to younger riders.

Younger consumers have shown an aversion to purchasing motorcycles for safety reasons, and vehicles in general due to the rise of ridesharing, as well as financial and urbanization trends, according to Nelson, and Harley’s domestic demand has been waning for well over a decade.

“Harley at one point was unstoppable, in the 80s and 90s and even through most of the 2000s,” Collins said.

The Citi analyst noted Harley competitor Indian Motorcycle, owned by Polaris, has had success bringing in a new audience, and Zeitz has shown his ability to work “marketing magic” when he oversaw the turnaround at Puma, which had lost consumers to Nike and Adidas. “His job is to try and insert the magic back into Harley so a younger person wants to buy one. That’s what he has his eye focused on for the next three year to five years,” Collins said.

“Harley-Davidson has known for a while that it needs to reach younger customers,” said Dennis Chung, the production editor at Motorcycle.com. “The problem is that demographic doesn’t necessarily want the same things in a motorcycle that Harley-Davidson’s older base values.”

A lot will hinge on the next generation of Harley-Davidson’s popular Sportster lineup of mid-sized cruisers, according to Chung. “There is definitely value in the classic Harley styling, but it needs to be balanced with modern design and modern technology,” he said.

The Sportster lineup has been in continuous production since 1957, and is one of Harley’s oldest model lines.

One way Harley-Davidson is responding to a more tricky consumer market is by shifting its focus from growing market share on an absolute basis to increasing brand exclusivity. The Rewire plan was an acknowledgment from management that blanketing the globe in a search for new sales wasn’t the way to go.

“Instead of trying to increase its sales volume, Harley-Davidson is now trying to earn more profit from each sale, even if it means selling fewer bikes,” Chung said.

Harley-Davidson recently reported a 39% increase in net income in the third quarter of 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, even though its global retail motorcycle sales in the third quarter of 2020 were down 8% compared to the prior year.

North American sales did grow in the third quarter for the first time in a long time, Collins noted, and there are broader trends in place that could benefit Harley. Sports and recreational vehicles sales are growing as a result of Covid and that tailwind could cross over to the motorcycle market as well.

“They do have the No. 1 brand in the market with 40% market share and the brand is unlike any other,” Collins said.

The European market, meanwhile, is growing and the new adventure bike Pan America should do well in that region.

The decision to reduce its product line by roughly 30% seems like a smart and necessary move because of overlap.

“A lot of Harley’s products are very similar. Eliminating some of the lower-performing products creates a more streamlined product portfolio, which helps reduce costs,” Chung said.

The company dropped a handful of models from its 2021 U.S. lineup – the FXDR 114, Low Rider, Breakout, Street Bob 107, Deluxe, Street 750, Street Rod, and Roadster.

As the company offers fewer models, it sells a range of accessories and customization options. This way, buyers can individualize their bikes in details such as paint, luggage, seats, stereo systems, brake upgrades, and other areas.

Collins said Zeitz understands the opportunity in bike parts and Harley lifestyle accessories, and while these are not strategies that can turn the business around at the top line level, they are important pieces in a more comprehensive plan to maximize revenue while keeping costs down and generating higher profits. He recently pegged as much as 15% upside in Harley’s stock ahead of next month’s earnings and investor day, writing in a note to investors that he continues to be encouraged by new management’s decision-making.

Even with a trimmed portfolio, the manufacturer still offers two dozen different motorcycles, mostly concentrated in the cruiser and touring market segments, as well as a trio of three-wheeled bikes.

“We believe Covid-19 has given Harley the opportunity to press the reset button on its strategy and refocus effort back on its core consumer, one which we believe holds the key to higher profit margins,” stated Morningstar senior equity analyst Jaime Katz in a November report. She praised the Rewire initiative as a means of balancing restoration of the firm’s core business and entry into new markets. Prioritizing profitability over scale should also refocus Harley on the success of high-margin parts and accessories and general merchandise segments.

“It’s okay to be in a shrinking market, if you’re improving the profitability of the products you sell,” Katz told CNBC.

May 04

Harley-Davidson Dealerships Ranked #1 in 2020 for Responding to Website Customers

By General Posts

from https://www.oaoa.com

Associated Press |

MONTEREY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 4, 2020–

Harley-Davidson dealerships ranked highest in the 2020 Pied Piper PSI ® Internet Lead Effectiveness ® (ILE ® ) Industry Study, which answers the question, “What happens when motorcycle or UTV customers visit a dealer website and inquire about a vehicle?” Dealerships selling Indian motorcycles were ranked second.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200503005001/en/

2020 Pied Piper PSI – Motorcycle / UTV Internet Lead Effectiveness Industry Study (USA) – Ranking by Brand (Graphic: Pied Piper)

The study was completed before the appearance of the coronavirus pandemic, but in the aftermath of the pandemic dealer response to website customers has become even more critical.

Pied Piper submitted customer inquiries through the individual websites of 6,012 dealerships between July 2019 and February 2020, asking a question about a vehicle in inventory, and providing a customer name, email address and local telephone number. Pied Piper then evaluated how the dealerships responded by email, telephone and text message over the next 24 hours. Twenty different measurements generate dealership Internet Lead Effectiveness ® (ILE ® ) scores, which range from zero to 100. 13% of dealerships nationwide scored above 70, demonstrating an extensive and effective website-response process, while 36% of dealerships scored below 30, showing failure to personally respond in any way to their website customers.

The study found widespread industrywide improvement from 2019 to 2020, with the industry average ILE score increasing from 33 to 42. Brands which led the industry in improvement over the past year were Indian, Harley-Davidson, Polaris and Yamaha. Only three of thirty-three brands failed to increase their score from 2019: Club Car (Ingersoll Rand), Cub Cadet (MTD Products) and Arctic Cat (Textron).

Nearly all of today’s customers first use their smart phone to shop before ever visiting a dealership in person. Pied Piper finds that most dealers today understand that responding to web customers is critical to sales success, but there is still plenty of variation in dealership behaviors. “The key to driving improvement in both web-response behaviors and sales,” said Fran O’Hagan, President and CEO of Pied Piper, “is to show dealers what their web customers are really experiencing. It’s often a surprise.”

PSI ® Internet Lead Effectiveness ® (ILE ® ) Industry Studies have been conducted annually since 2011. The 2020 Pied Piper PSI-ILE Industry Study (U.S.A. Motorcycle/UTV) was conducted between July 2019 and February 2020 by submitting customer internet inquiries directly to a sample of 6,012 dealerships nationwide representing all major brands. Examples of other recent Pied Piper PSI studies are the 2020 PSI-ILE U.S. Auto Industry Study (Toyota brand was ranked first), and the 2019 “PSI for EVs” U.S. Auto Industry Study (Tesla brand was ranked first for selling in-person). Complete Pied Piper PSI industry study results are provided to vehicle manufacturers and national dealer groups. Manufacturers, national dealer groups and individual dealerships also order PSI evaluations—in-person, internet or telephone—as tools to measure and improve the sales effectiveness of their dealerships. For more information about the fact-based Prospect Satisfaction Index ® process, go to www.piedpiperpsi.com.

Apr 27

Yamaha Motorsports Launches “Deliver Your Ride” Program

By General Posts

from https://motorcycles.einnews.com

Program Supports Dealer Deliveries of New ATV, Side-by-Side, Motorcycle, and Snowmobile Products to Customers’ Homes Where Possible

/EIN News/ — MARIETTA, Ga., April 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, launched an all-new “Deliver Your Ride” program supporting Yamaha dealers that are able to complete vehicle purchases remotely and then deliver the product directly to customers. The new program includes ATV, Side-by-Side, motorcycle, and snowmobile products, and is available nationwide wherever dealers can legally and safely participate.

“Yamaha is working hard to support our dealer network and their customers during these difficult times,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s Motorsports group marketing manager. “It’s not business-as-usual for anyone, yet we know people may still want to buy and enjoy new Yamaha products where possible and appropriate based on their local laws and regulations.”

The new Deliver Your Ride initiative was announced to Yamaha dealers on April 17, 2020, as a temporary program and Yamaha is working diligently with dealers to assist with the implementation. Interested customers can contact their local Yamaha dealer or visit YamahaMotorsports.com to determine availability in their area. This is a voluntary program and Yamaha is encouraging each dealer to determine the feasibility based on their local laws and capabilities.

For details regarding all Yamaha products, visit YamahaMotorsports.com. Connect with Yamaha on social media via @YamahaMotorUSA or @YamahaOutdoors.

Dec 22

Honda Benly e electric scooter to go on sale in Japan from April 2020

By General Posts

Honda has announced that its electric scooter Benly e will go on sale from April 2020. The e-scooter will first go on sale in Japan, then in other global markets, says the company in a release.

The scooter will be priced between 7.37 lakh yen and 7.48 lakh yen.

Honda aims to sell around 200 units of the scooter per year in the Japanese market.

The electric scooter targets corporate customers, mainly logistics providers.

The scooter will be available in four different variants. It will be powered by dual electric batteries that can be detached easily and easily swappable as well.

As the two-wheeler manufacturer claims, this electric scooter can be used for last-mile pick-up and delivery services.

Dec 20

At 70, Honda hits a milestone of 400mn motorcycles

By General Posts

Honda currently produces a wide range of motorcycles, from 50cc commuters to 1,800cc models, at 35 facilities in 21 countries.

Japanese automaker Honda has produced 400 million units of motorcycles globally since it had begun production in 1949 with its maiden Dream D-Type bike.

According to the company, it achieved 100 million-unit milestone in 1997, and 300 million-units in 2014. In 2018, Honda exceeded an annual production of 20 million units for the first time in its history, and enjoyed strong support from customers in the Asia region and worldwide, it said.

Honda currently produces a wide range of motorcycles, from 50cc commuters to 1,800cc models, at 35 facilities in 21 countries.

Honda was founded in 1948, and began mass-production of motorcycles at its first overseas production facility in Belgium in 1963. Since then, Honda has expanded its production globally in accordance with its fundamental principle of producing locally where there is demand.

Honda will continue to construct its development and production structure to meet rising demand, it said.

Takahiro Hachigo, Chief Executive Officer, Honda Motor said, “For 70 years, Honda has provided to customers worldwide motorcycles that make life easier and enjoyable. As a result, we have achieved our 400 million-unit milestone. I am grateful to all of our customers, and everyone involved in development, manufacturing, sales and service of our products. We will continue to do our best to provide attractive products that meet the needs and dreams of our customers worldwide.”

Honda would strive to realize its 2030 vision, to serve people worldwide with the “joy of expanding their life’s potential,” he added.

Oct 07

Harley struggles to fire up new generation of riders with electric bike debut

By General Posts

by Rajesh Kumar Singh from https://www.reuters.com/

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Harley-Davidson Inc (HOG.N) is betting on electric motorcycles to attract the next generation of younger and more environmentally conscious riders to reverse declining U.S. sales.

But as Harley ships its first “LiveWire” bikes – priced at $29,799 – to dealers, there is little evidence the 116-year-old brand is catching on with new young customers.

The problem lies mostly with this “super-premium” product’s price. The bike costs nearly as much as a Tesla Model 3, and aims for a market that does not really exist: young, “green” and affluent first-time motorcyclists.

The sleek sport bike has been available for preorder in the United States since January. However, the bulk of the orders are coming in from existing and old riders, according to interviews with 40 of the 150 dealerships nationwide that are carrying the bike this year.

The dealers Reuters spoke with account for little over a quarter of LiveWire dealerships and are spread across Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, California, Nevada, New Jersey and New York.

Harley has for years failed to increase sales in the United States, its top market accounting for more than half of its motorcycles sold. As its tattooed, baby-boomer base ages, the Milwaukee-based company is finding it challenging to woo new customers.

In 2018, Harley posted the steepest sales decline in four years in the United States. U.S. sales are tipped to fall again this year.

Harley Davidson’s U.S. Retail Sales

Grappling with an ageing customer base and the waning charm for its big bikes, Harley has failed to post sales growth in the United States – its biggest market – in the past four years.

The heavyweight motorcycle maker’s stock price has declined by 42% in the past five years. By comparison, the S&P 500 Index .SPX has gained 47%.

Price Barrier
When Chief Executive Officer Matt Levatich announced LiveWire’s launch last year, his hope was the ease of riding motorcycles with no gears or clutch would help attract young and environmentally conscious urban riders.

In an interview with Reuters in February 2018, Levatich said the bike would help address Harley’s demographic problem.

“It is more about the next century than the last century,” he said at the time.

The preorders, thus far, have belied those hopes, according to the dealers.

“It is appealing to a demographic that is already riding,” said Gennaro Sepe, a sales manager at a Harley dealership in Chicago. His store has received four preorders for the bike. All of them are from existing riders.

Harley declined to comment on LiveWire preorders.

The motorcycle maker is not the only company investing in battery-powered transportation.

Tougher emissions rules in Europe, China and the United States are forcing auto companies to switch to electrified models. A survey of U.S. millennial motorcyclists, published in February by the Motorcycle Industry Council, found 69% of the riders interested in electric motorcycles.

Harley’s dealers said they are getting inquiries from young customers, but are struggling to translate them into sales. A key reason: LiveWire’s retail price.

“Interest is very high,” said a sales manager at a New Jersey-based dealership, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to media. “But once you get to pricing, interest is thrown out of the window.”

Over half of young college graduates in America, whom Harley is courting with battery-powered bikes, are saddled with student loans that entail average repayment of $200 to $300 per month.

Harley is not offering any discount or incentives to push the sales, either, the dealers said.

In an interview with CNBC television in May, Levatich called LiveWire “one of the best engineered products on the market” and said it was worth its price.

Gary Jon Prough, general sales manager at a dealership in Countryside, Illinois, said the vast majority of millennials cannot afford the bike as LiveWire is targeted at young and affluent customers with incomes above $100,000 a year.

Tesla’s Way

To drive up sales, Prough and other dealers expect Harley to go Tesla Inc’s (TSLA.O) way: launch more affordable battery-powered vehicles after creating a buzz with the premium model.

Tesla’s first electric car cost over $100,000, but prices came down with subsequent models. Its Model 3 now comes with a base price of $35,000 and was instrumental in lifting its vehicle deliveries to a record level in the latest quarter.

Traditional Harley Davidson entry-level bikes cost about $6,900.

The motorcycle maker has plans to bring out four more electrified models in the mid-power, low-power, e-bicycles and kids’ two-wheeler segments by 2022.

But unlike Tesla, Harley does not enjoy the true first mover’s advantage.

California-based Zero Motorcycles is already selling electric bikes in the United States with retail prices ranging from $8,500 to $21,000. Its top-end bike – SR/F – is similar to LiveWire, but costs nearly $9,000 less.

Still, Bob Clark, a dealer for Zero’s bikes in Chicago, says he has not yet sold one SR/F to riders under the age of 35. All three electric bikes he sold to young riders this year were in the $10,000 price range.

“Young riders are environmentally conscious, but are also very price-sensitive,” Clark said.

It is not just pricing. LiveWire’s limited range is also hampering its sales.

The bike can travel 146 miles (235 km) in the city or 95 miles in combined city and highway riding per charge. An ordinary household outlet can provide an overnight charge, while Level 3 direct current fast chargers stationed at Harley dealers will fully charge the bike in 60 minutes.

This renders LiveWire less effective for longer-distance rides, limiting its appeal among rural riders who prefer touring bikes.

Seven Harley dealerships told Reuters they have not even bothered ordering the bike, which would require investing in a Level 3 charging station and training staff.

An Ohio-based dealer, who had initially signed up for LiveWire, said he pulled out at the last minute as he was not sure of the bike’s demand in his area.

Delayed Arrival

A delay in LiveWire’s arrival in stores has left the dealers in the Midwest and the East Coast with hardly a month to aggressively push the bike before the snow season sets in. Winter generally means a lull for motorcycle sales.

When dealers began taking preorders, the delivery was expected in August, but was later shifted to September. On Sept. 30, the dealers Reuters spoke with were still waiting for the first bike.

In a Twitter post on Oct. 2, Harley said the bikes are starting to arrive at authorized dealers. The tweet also carried a picture of the first LiveWire that was “rolled off the line” at its York, Pennsylvania, facility in late September.

With the demand rather limited, the dealers said, Harley has decided to keep the supplies tight in order to protect the bike’s brand value and prevent any price-discounting pressure. The dealers said they are all expecting to receive less than 10 LiveWires this year.

James Hardiman, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, reckons Harley would sell between 400 and 1,600 LiveWires in the first year. That is not even 1% of the 228,051 bikes it sold worldwide last year.

“This is going to be largely a rounding error certainly this year and even next,” Hardiman said.

Sep 25

5 Seattle-area motorcycle dealerships close unexpectedly

By General Posts

by Suzanne Phan from KOMO News

SEATTLE – Five motorcycle dealerships in the Puget Sound region closed unexpectedly last week and now customers are scrambling to figure out how to get their bikes back.

The NobleRush dealerships include two in Lake City, one in Redmond and two in Auburn.

Employees have even been working without pay to help out their loyal customers.

On Tuesday afternoon, several people were at a Seattle dealership with trailers to tow away their motorcycles. One man paid for repairs before they were finished.

Another motorcycle owner, Tim Nelson, was worried about his motorcycle when he got no answer from Ducati Redmond for the past week. At one point he thought, “I’m going to call the police because it’s being held captive there, basically.”

His motorcycle was at the business for service when word got out about the closures.

“I didn’t even know it had happened until I read it on Facebook,” said Nelson.

Nelson and others are left wondering where to go next.

“It’s hard enough to get a Ducati serviced. But now, with even fewer places to take it, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” said Nelson.

“This affects a lot of people,” added Tom Mehren.

Mehren is the publisher of “Sound Rider”, a monthly online motorcycle magazine.

“I feel bad for the 100+ of people that lost their jobs; I feel bad for the motorcycling community,” said Mehren.

None of the customers got an explanation by phone or online about why the five shops suddenly closed.

“It happened abruptly. You went on the website. There’s nothing on there that said, ‘sorry, we’re out of business,’ ” said Mehren.

We reached out to the owner for comment but got no response.

“We had somebody that owned too many motorcycle shops who did not understand the dynamics of the business,” said Mehren.

For now, many customers are worried, others are stuck.

“Some people are worse off than me. They paid cash for their motorcycles and don’t have them,” said Nelson.

Several customers said Tuesday that employees came in on their own time to help customers pick up their bikes and merchandise.

Mar 17

Dollar and Thrifty Customers, Find Out If You Are Eligible for a Refund of Florida Rental Car Toll Fees

By General Posts

NMA E-Newsletter #531

In September 2014, the National Motorists Association sent a letter of complaint to then-Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi about predatory practices by rental car companies in the state related to toll service charges. The NMA letter included a petition calling for reform and compensation signed by several hundred association members.

The Consumer Protection Division (CPD) of the Florida Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation and agreed with our assessment of systemic abuses of motorists. The CPD previously notified the NMA that it had reached a settlement with Avis, Budget, and Payless, a fact that we documented in NMA E-Newsletter #461 and in a national email alert to members in November 2017. Eligible claims against those three rental car companies had to be filed by January 7, 2018.

Laura Boeckman of the CPD recently notified the NMA that an out-of-court settlement has been reached with the Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group in which DTAG has agreed to make significant changes in how the toll fees it charges are disclosed to customers. It also agreed to provide refunds of its toll fees and PlatePass charges to eligible consumers who were charged fees by Dollar or Thrifty between January 1, 2011 and January 7, 2019.

If you rented a vehicle in Florida from Dollar or Thrifty during that time period and incurred toll fees and/or PlatePass charges from either of those agencies, you may request a refund by submitting a claim form. The form and information about the settlement can be found here. Please note that refund claims must be submitted by July 7, 2019.

In her letter to the NMA, Ms. Boeckman noted:

“We share the concerns you and your organization expressed in your previous correspondence to us and are seeking to ensure that individuals that may have been charged these toll fees and PlatePass charges by Dollar or Thrifty during the above-noted timeframe and without proper disclosure have an opportunity to seek refunds. We therefore ask that you assist us by sharing this information with your members so that as many eligible consumers as possible can apply for refunds before the July 7, deadline.”

We’ll take that a step further. Share this NMA e-newsletter with others in your social and business networks. Everyone who was victimized by the toll-service practices of Dollar or Thrifty in Florida during the prescribed period should seek restitution per the settlement negotiated by the Consumer Protection Division of Florida’s Office of the Attorney General.