Harley-Davidson Softail Motorcycles in Fort Jones, page #30

Moto blog

Harley-Davidson Closing Australian Cast Wheel Subsidiary

Harley-Davidson is closing its cast wheel and hub producing subsidiary New Castalloy, deciding to outsource production to third-party suppliers. Based in Adelaide, Australia, New Castalloy produces about 1,450 wheels and 500 wheel hubs per day for Harley-Davidson. That work will be transferred to outside suppliers by the middle of 2013.

Afghan Heroes tribute Harley MT350

The above Harley-Davidson MT350 has been created in honor of the UK soldiers killed over the last ten years in the Afghanistan conflict. This particular MT350 was previously used by British forces in Afghanistan and will now act as a memorial for the charity Afghan Heroes. The tribute was created by Paul Ferguson and Martin Turner, and now features the name of each fallen serviceman or woman, accompanied by their age and the date they were killed in action.

Harley’s Ed Krawiec is 2011 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Champ

Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines rider Ed Krawiec is the 2011 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion. Krawiec clinched the title with a second-round win at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway that eliminated Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana Jr., the only rider in the field with a chance to overtake Krawiec for the championship. Krawiec advanced to the final round and lost to his Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines teammate Andrew Hines, who finished the season third in points. More from Harley-Davidson on Krawiec’s win: “I think this is really a statement on the season, to end it with an all-Harley final and the championship, and with Willie G.

Harley-Davidson’s New Facebook App Allows Fans to Shape H-D Marketing

Harley-Davidson has advanced its “crowdsourcing” marketing strategy to the next phase.  The Motor Company announced today Fan Machine, a new app for its Facebook presence. The app is a conduit for fan-submitted marketing ideas.

Harley-Davidson Recalls 250,000 Motorcycles for Rear Brake Light Switches

Harley-Davidson is issuing a recall for 250,757 units from its Touring, CVO Touring and Trike line from model years 2009 – 2012. The rear brake light switch on the models in question may become degraded due to the heat from the exhaust systems. This may affect brake light function and may result in a brake fluid leak.

Harley-Davidson Reports Q3 2011 Results

As expected, Harley-Davidson reported a net income of $183.6 million over the third quarter ended Sept. 25, 2011, a 106% increase from the $88.8 million reported in the same quarter of 2010. Harley-Davidson reported sales revenue of $1.23 billion, a 13.4% increase from the $1.09 billion reported in the same quarter of 2010.

Forbes Expects Harley-Davidson to Announce Gains for Q3 2011

In anticipation of Harley-Davidson announcing its third-quarter performance in 2011 Forbes.com expects Harley will reveal its third straight quarter of sales growth. The article says that financial analysts expect “earnings of $0.76 per share, up 47.4% from the same quarter of last year.” Additionally, an 18.8% gain in revenues is expected. Interestingly, the article refers to Harley’s motorcycles as “luxury items,” and as such sees Harley’s increased sales and profit as a possible harbinger of an improving U.S.

US Highland Making a Comeback

US Highland appears to be making a comeback, announcing plans to begin processing new orders and having discussions with several OEMs for the use of the Oklahoma company’s powertrains. The Tulsa-based company did not mention which OEMs it is working with, though US Highland says the discussions could result in sales of over 20,000 units per year. The company is developing fuel injected V-Twin engines in 750cc, 950cc and 1050cc displacements and Singles in 350cc, 450cc and 507cc displacements.

Harley-Davidson Opens Latin America Office in Miami

Harley-Davidson opened a new regional headquarters in Miami, Fla., to house the company’s Latin America operations. The new Harley-Davidson Latin America headquarters supports the Motor Company’s subsidiaries in Brazil, Mexico and other countries in Central and South America. Harley-Davidson projects international sales to exceed 40% of the company’s revenue by 2014 with the Latin America office a prime area of growth.

Zero Enters South American Market

Zero Motorcycles has signed a distribution deal with the Brazilian dealer network Grupo Izzo, bringing its electric motorcycles to first Brazil, and soon across South America. Brazil is one of the world’s fastest growing markets for motorcycles, a market Zero hopes to tap with its new distribution deal. Grupo Izzo is based mainly in Brazil with 11 locations, but has plans to expand into other South American countries.