Harley-Davidson in China

[bigdamo]

268 Harleys sold in one year.I wonder how long they will put up with that.

[MJH]

estimate 8 million in gross sales.

[MJH]

You would need to sell two thousand of these at $4,999.00, rough guess to match that gross sales amount.

[ZMC888]

The rules are purely excuses, these journalists fail to see the big picture.

China must be a country that all aspire to the same values for reasons of 'harmony'. That means you must aspire to owning a black car, taking wealthy people to restaurants, drinking baijiu, playing golf, smoking expensive cigarettes, keeping a mistress or two, owning an expensive phone and generally living the Chinese version an 'executive' lifestyle, because that's what the people who run the country like and have. Anyone who doesn't like this idea is trying to damage China, and this is clearly unsafe.

[MJH]

Lifan partners with MV Augusta, who holds the Aermacchi name, MV was Harley in 2009.

I would think Lifan has the technology to make the horizontals, however the engines would need to go through mechanical re-engineering to modernize them. It would be interesting to examine how much would be required to change them to modern? Challenging I suspect.

That’s a risk that many will not take…. in assembling teams that can do such tasks effectively and proficiently, would be challenging as well.

If they remake the Sprint it could bring about other models, I like a bike that is light and easy to maneuver, but also I need a larger wheel base and a higher then average seat height 32-33”. I also like good fit and finish as well as full instruments that are durable and well made, metal is preferred over plastic. Quality is in the materials used, perceptions should be formed on valid measures. These are in the process in forms of variances and tolerances.

To make a quality product all aspects have to be detailed, to ensure entrance into the market, never advertise with false words and or empty promises, the goods must speak for themselves and support must embrace that and in how it all happens, and in being resourceful when it does not.

[MJH]

力帆空軍聯隊

[Lao Jia Hou]

268 Harleys sold in one year.I wonder how long they will put up with that.

Yeah, I was wondering that too!

Well, Jialing has issued a press release that it wants to become the Harley-Davidson of China. Hmmmm, protective trade barriers might remain in place until that happens .... I doubt I will be alive to witness it.

I have also found it interesting that Harley has increased its bike prices in China for 2012 (although the USA prices have remained constant, and the rmb is strengthening). On the other hand, it appears that BMW has dropped at least its base 650cc price.

A sense I get from HD's publications is that it is switching its attention to India.

[felix]

They could have brought back the M50 in china,

Hahaha! Good one MJH. Have you ever spoken to people here? Do you actually live in china? Update your location or something. Bringing back a bike like that would really do wonders for 'farmer vehicle' image that motorcycles have in china.

[euphonius]

Errrr, speaking of Harley-Davidson...

Harley to recall more than 308,000 motorcycles
(AP) – 1 day ago
DETROIT (AP) — Harley-Davidson Inc. is recalling about 308,000 motorcycles to fix a switch problem that can cause failure of the brake lights and possibly even the rear brakes themselves.
The company said in documents filed last week with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that brake light switches can be exposed to too much heat from the exhaust system. The heat can cause the brake lights to fail, and the problem also can cause fluid leaks and the loss of rear brakes, the documents said.
The problem affects Touring, CVO Touring and Trike motorcycles from the 2009 through 2012 model years. They were built between June 6, 2008 and Sept. 16, 2011.
Harley says it will notify owners of the recall. Dealers will install a rear brake light switch kit free of charge.
The recall affects about 251,000 motorcycles in the U.S. alone, with the balance in other countries.
Harley said it noticed the problem in June of 2010 when it got a report of a Trike model motorcycle that lost its rear brakes due to the problem. The company began investigating, and in July of 2010, it sent investigators to a dealership in Louisiana to inspect another bike that was involved in a crash. Harley has not determined yet if the problem caused the Louisiana crash, which injured one person, company spokeswoman Maripat Blankenheim said Monday. She did not know how seriously the person was hurt, but said Harley is not aware of any other crashes or injuries.
Harley said in the documents that there have been no more reports of the problem occurring since July of 2010.
The company also said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it expects the recall to cost $10 million to $12 million, which will be charged as an expense in the fourth quarter.
Shares of Harley-Davidson rose $1.22, or 3.2 percent, to $38.82 in afternoon trading Monday.
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[MJH]

Back in the 1960s, the people at AMF who owned Harley Davidson was starting to notice that those tiny bikes from Japan were starting to make inroads into the American motorcycle scene. They weren't stealing sales from Harley- yet- but they sure were selling a lot of bikes, and it might not be a bad idea for HD to get some of those sales. Problem was that tooling up for what was a speculative venture would cost a lot of money. Harley made big, OHV, 4-stroke engines, and the new craze was for small, lightweight bikes- mostly 2-stroke. So instead of designing new bikes from scratch, Harley contracted with Aermecchi of Italy to supply a series of motorcycles emblazoned with the Harley-Davidson badge. Above is one of the first- the 1966 M50, a 50cc 2-stroke bike.