Harley-Davidson

Black Star 110 Is What Happens to a Harley-Davidson in Germany

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com There’s no official data on the number of custom shops around the world in the business of remaking Harleys, but rest assured there’s plenty of them. Some spit out new models several years apart, but there are others, far fewer, that work around the clock on making the already incredible machines even better. Germany-based Thuderbike is part of the latter category. Having started life in the 1980s as a repair shop for mainly Japanese bikes, Thunderbike turned its sights on products of American behemoth Harley-Davidson, and spat out the first custom bike based on a Milwaukee-made machine in 2003. Since then, many others have hit the roads, most of them customized at the request of the owners. The latest project Thunderbike was involved in is the Black Star 110, a build that started life as a Harley-Davidson Softail Slim S, transitioned to a custom form the company calls Black Apple, and then settled into the shape you see in the gallery above. The bike was commissioned by a customer about nine months ago, and was ready for a photoshoot at the end of April. The result is according to Thunderbike “one of the most radical bikes in our 18-series Softail Collection.” It rides on differently-sized wheels (21-inch front, 23-inch rear) and, with the exception of the fuel tank and the fork, which received only minor upgrades, features extensive modifications. The front and rear fenders are new, as are the swingwarm and the turn signals. There are other handlebars than the ones you would see on the stock Harley, new footpegs, and new mirrors. The paint job on the motorcycle is unique as well and comes with Harley lettering on the fuel tank and the Black Star 110 name beneath the saddle. There is no word […]

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

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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

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Harley’s New Rewire Strategy Is A Bad Idea

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by Justin Hughes from https://www.rideapart.com Why refocus the brand on capturing a rapidly shrinking demographic? Earlier this week we reported on Harley-Davidson’s latest change in direction: to abandon some of their more ambitious ideas and focus on growing the core brand, with their core bikes, in the US. While models like the LiveWire, Bronx, and Pan America are already far enough down the pipeline to continue, beyond that we can expect nothing more than cruisers, baggers, and tourers from Harley for the foreseeable future. That’s too bad. As an amateur radio operator, I have often heard the derogatory joke that the average age of one who participates in the hobby is “dead.” Sadly, that is beginning to apply more and more to the average age of a typical Harley rider. There are always exceptions. I’ve had my radio license since I was 15, and I’m actually considering an 80s or 90s Harley for a future project bike. But even I have a bit of gray in my hair and beard, something you will see in the vast majority of Harley enthusiasts. We’re only getting older. From the investors’ perspective, I get it. They’re not in it for the bikes or the culture. They’re in it for the money, and especially these days the money isn’t there. Shareholder Impala Asset Management has been arguing for a while that a change in direction is needed, and chose to act during the recent management shakeup at Harley. While we hoped this might be good for Harley, it looks like they have chosen to take what it sees as the safe path, prioritizing short term profit over the long term survival of the company. Given the crazy economic condition of the world right now, maybe that’s the right choice for now. It’s not like

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Twisted Cycles Has Select Pre-Owned Harley Davidson Anniversary Models Currently Available

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from https://www.sfgate.com Twisted Cycles has three pre-owned Harley Davidson Anniversary models available for purchase at its Texas locations in Dallas and Lubbock. These models include a 2013 Harley Davidson CVO™ Ultra Classic Electra Glide, a 2008 Ultra Classic Electra Glide and a 2008 Road Glide. The most recent of the three motorcycles available is a gray 2013 Harley Davidson CVO™ Ultra Classic Electra Glide 110th Anniversary model. Its mileage sits at 17,888 miles and is priced at $17,995 with a potential $500 dealer discount. Customers can find the model at the dealer’s Lubbock location. Another anniversary model available is a black 2008 Harley Davidson Ultra Classic Electra Glide. The model was built for the company’s 105th anniversary and receives up to 92 ft.-lbs. of torque. It can be found at the dealer with just 8,166 miles on it for a price of $12,995. The last anniversary model the dealer currently has is an orange 2008 Harley Davidson Road Glide Anniversary, which was also built for the company’s 105th year in existence. The motorcycle has 61,037 miles on it and is currently listed at $11,995. Those interested in giving it a test drive can find it at the dealer’s Lubbock location. Those interested in any unique model can find them at either Twisted Cycles locations. The Lubbock lot can be found at 2401 South Loop 289 or contacted by phone at (806) 687-7300. Meanwhile, the Dallas location can be reached by phone at (214) 937-5959 or at their location at 7700 S Interstate 35E. To schedule a test drive, customers can also find the dealer online at https://www.twisted-cycles.com/.

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Ladies of Harley will still celebrate even though Female Ride Day moved to August

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from https://medicinehatnews.com International Female Ride Day was scheduled for this Saturday, and while COVID-19 has pushed the date all the way back to Aug. 22, the local Ladies of Harley motorcycle group will still be celebrating this weekend with a safely-distanced ladies’ ride. The trip is scheduled to begin at Badlands Harley Davidson at noon and will take roughly two hours with a socially-distanced pit stop planned for Echo Dale Park. Anyone attending is encouraged to park at least six feet away from other bikes.

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Harley-Davidson shifts strategy, to focus on core markets

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from https://www.livemint.com The company’s shares climbed after the motorcycle maker’s new acting chief executive officer laid out plans to cut costs The stock had plunged 49% this year through Monday’s close Harley-Davidson Inc. shares climbed after the struggling motorcycle maker’s new acting chief executive officer laid out plans to cut costs and complexity and focus on the company’s strengths. The stock rose as much as 17% after the unveiling of a strategy dubbed “The Rewire,” which Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said could make Harley one of few manufacturers to grow profits in the coming years. “It is clear to us that HOG will be less adventurous in terms of trying its hand at segments and markets where the brand faces extremely low chances of success with high up-front costs and high risks of brand atrophy that could threaten the company’s long-term survival,” Jonas, who rates the stock the equivalent of a buy, wrote in a report Tuesday. Jochen Zeitz, a board member and former CEO of sporting-goods maker Puma SE, took over as acting CEO at the end of February. He’s dialing back his predecessor’s turnaround plan to focus on expanding U.S. ridership, iconic profitable bikes such as the Adventure Touring and Streetfighter models, and electric motorcycles. Those goals echo the demands of an activist investor, Impala Asset Management, that reached an agreement calling for Harley to add an independent director to its board later this year. ‘Achievable Plans’ Harley “has become accustomed to over-committing and under-delivering; we need to set achievable plans and realistic goals,” Zeitz said during the earnings call. “It is clear that our strategy needs to be refocused to better align with our capacity and capabilities and also updated given our new reality.” Harley shares were up about 12% as of 11:53 a.m. in New

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Harley-Davidson cuts dividend, halts buybacks to preserve cash

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by Ankit Ajmera from https://www.reuters.com (Reuters) – Harley-Davidson Inc (HOG.N) slashed its dividend and halted share buybacks on Tuesday to boost its cash reserves as global lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic hit motorcycle demand in the first quarter. The company has $1.47 billion in cash and is in talks with big U.S. banks to get $1.30 billion in loan to ride out the crisis, it said, adding it would focus on its core U.S. market to prop up sales. Harley shares, which have lost nearly half of its value so far this year, jumped as much as 17% in morning trading after the company rolled out its cash preservation plan. “Harley continues to struggle with declining sales, but it continues to generate respectable free cash flow and we consider shares fairly valued at current levels,” said CFRA Research analyst Garrett Nelson. To boost sales, the company also said it will “de-emphasize” on some unprofitable international regions. The shift in strategy for the company that symbolized the counterculture movement of the 1960s comes as it struggles to woo the next generation of younger riders with its electric and more nimbler bikes in the United States. Sales have been declining for the past five years in its largest market as its baby-boomer fan base ages. To make matters worse, the pandemic has further dented demand as Americans stay at home to curb the spread of COVID-19. “We are at critical time in our history that requires significant changes to the company,” said acting Chief Executive Officer Jochen Zeitz, who took helm in February and is best known for turning around the Puma brand. Zeitz’s plan to move the launch of new models to early part of the first quarter from August to better align with the start of the riding season

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Harley-Davidson finance exec to take over global sales function

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from https://www.newsbreak.com Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson Inc. has promoted Larry Hund to chief commercial officer of Harley-Davidson Motor Co., giving him responsibility for the motorcycle maker’s global sales function. Larry Hund is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, Inc. A 30-year financial services veteran, Hund held a wide range of executive roles throughout his career. Upon joining HDFS in 2002, Hund served as Vice President of Operations and Chief Financial Officer and was also Interim Chief Operating Officer from July 2006 to January 2007. Hund left HDFS in 2007 to join a start-up finance company and rejoined HDFS in June 2009. Earlier, he spent 17 years at Heller Financial, Inc., and in the six years prior to Heller’s purchase by GE Capital served as Executive Vice President and Controller. Hund is a Certified Public Account, earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Chicago’s Loyola University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Financial Services Association.

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Redneck Mafia Has Its Way with a Harley-Davidson FXSTI, This Is the Result

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com For years on end, the Specialty Equipment Market Association event in Las Vegas was the place where all the mechanical and engineering wonders of our time came out to play. On two, three, four or more wheels, vehicles that sometimes take years to build are shown for the first time at the aftermarket show. The event is generally known as SEMA, and on the floor of the 2018 show, among the countless other incredible builds, was this strangely shaped 2004 Harley-Davidson FXSTI Softail. If one can still call it that. The bike was on display on the stand of Coker Tires, a Chattanooga-based company in charge of making vintage-style tires based on various famous brands of our age. In charge of reinventing the motorcycle this way was a garage called Redneck Mafia, and the fact that they built it for a tire company show. Extremely large Coker 600-16 bias ply tires wrap the two wheels of the motorcycle, blending perfectly with the completely reworked, Sunset Bronze Mica body. Metal accents on the fuel tank, wheels and of course the large engine further enhance the bike’s coolness and coldness. A lot of custom parts went into making the motorcycle what it is. They include, among others, the internal throttle and foot controls, the air breather, exhaust and belly pan, fork legs, suspension and the headlight assembly. The last time we heard of this motorcycle, known in the industry as the El Rey, was during the Mecum Houston auction about one year ago. Somehow, the bike ended as a display in a dealer’s location in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, since then. They are now selling it again, this time not at an auction, but directly. The asking price for the motorcycle is $16,000. Full details on this Redneck

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1946 Harley-Davidson WL Puts On Red and Black Warpaint

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com Harley-Davidson may have been born in the early 1900s, but it was not until the Second World War that the name became synonymous with the near perfect two-wheeled machines. And it was all due to a war-fighting motorcycle called the WLA. Derived from the civilian pre-war WL, the WLA was made in vast quantities (some 90,000 units were produced) and was seen in action on battlefields across the world. The machine was so suited for the task that G.I.s simply fell in love with it, and their love lasted for years. Such an impact the WLA had on the American soldier that in the years that followed the end of the war these bikes became the most customized motorcycle in America, often at the hands of the people who actually rode them in battle. Trying to build on the success of the machine, Harley reverted production of the WLA back to the civilian WL, advertising it as a true war hero, and earning these bikes a place both in the post-war police departments and in the hearts of civilians. As a result, to this day garages across the U.S. keep rolling restored versions of these WLA successors out their doors. One fine example is the 1946 WL we have here. Made in the first year of peace after the war, it still uses the same 45ci V-twin engine that proved its worth the hard way. The engine has been restored, of course, and complete with the stunning red and black frame and body, is waiting for a buyer as part of the Eddie Vannoy collection auction in June. “You’ve got to take your hat off to the Harley-Davidson 45. It was the hero on the battlefields of Europe and the South Pacific, it has broken

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