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Chrisrogers3
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 10:02 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Harley-Davidson posts 4Q loss, first in 16 years

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/HarleyDavidson-posts -4Q-loss-apf-3371006582.html?x=0

"It has been laying off employees, closing factories and discontinuing or selling unwanted brands."

Why must I read this stuff on a friday morning just to piss me off for the rest of the day. It almost makes it seem the writer of this article blamed Buell for Hardly losing so much money.
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Vampress
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 11:20 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Aaww my heart bleeds.
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Whatever
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 11:24 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I feel bad for their employees... but I still hope the MoFo goes down the shitter...

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Spiderman
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 11:31 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I do not hope the MoCo goes down the pooper, (more people do not need to loose their jobs cause some rich butt heads need to get richer quicker) I do hope the Board of Directors all get infested with fleas and lice then all drink the KoolAid down somewhere in a compound down in south America, then people without their heads in their asses take over. Understand that 32 models of motorcycles in the economy is not a good idea! Then re establish Buell, update the H-D line a tad, realize this isn't the 'waiting list' days and price their bikes reasonably....
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Vampress
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 11:34 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Oh...I feel bad for the (in excess of) 2000 peoples lives they have just totally redesigned horribly. But HD...pffft!
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Sphere79
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 11:39 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I'd rather they just stay the hell away from Erik Buell and vice-versa from here on out. I know it's the difficult path, but I'd rather see Erik attempt to build a new brand from scratch than have to deal with H-D / H-D dealers again. It's bad enough I may have to get the occasional part from one, though I will always try American Sport Bike or an independent shop first.
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F_skinner
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 12:17 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

"Chief Financial Officer John Olin blamed the market share on aggressive discounts by competitors. Harley is not interested in discounting its bikes -- which generally run between $10,500 and $36,000 for its 2010 lineup -- because it weakens the brand, Olin said in an interview.

"You gotta pay full price for a Harley," Olin said."


Or you can get a better bike for half the price. Great choices.

There are three things wrong with that statement by John Olin.
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Court
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 12:40 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Geniuses .... Bring in two guys who know nothing about the business.

Run off the experienced folks.

Paralyze those who remain with fear of further layoffs.

Sell 700# motorcycles to 115# people for $50,000 on one of Honda's strongest markets.

Sell for "MSRP only".

Geniuses.
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Oldog
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 12:42 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I would like to see them truly FIXIT
but the siuts in charge are @#$%@#$%! clueless.

HD is an Icon and IF the mofoco takes the pooper plunge there will be fewer places to get parts for the Buells

I'm with Spidy on this, Fleas and all.
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Doughnut
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 12:43 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Harley is not interested in discounting its bikes -- which generally run between $10,500 and $36,000 for its 2010 lineup -- because it weakens the brand
Just Buell
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Oldog
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 12:46 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I guess not selling bikes strengthens the brand..
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Not_purple_s2
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 01:01 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Maybe they're trying the Cartmanland "You can't come" method of marketing.

"So many bikes at Harleyland, but you can't ride!"

Actually, that's the wave they've been riding for over a decade now. But that dog don't hunt in this economy.

(Message edited by not_purple_s2 on January 22, 2010)
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Unique_id
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 01:11 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

F_skinner, you took my quote! : ) I just read that paragraph and was going to post it here as you did.

What kind of business strategy is that?!
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Buellhusker
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 03:14 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

this is what the management at Harley looks like



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Steve_mackay
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 03:45 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Bite your tongue!
Forgive me if I like HD right now. They've given me a bunch of work in the past few months.


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Larryjohn
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 05:58 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Holy crap. I cannot believe the company that is willing to wh@re its name to any and every piece of crap item on the market today is worried about weakening its brand. I mean come on you will put your name on any piece of craplastic, leather, pleather, chrome trinket/sticker/truck out there and you worry about your brand image?

To me HD has become synonymous with "Turbo" from the 80's. Remember when you could buy shoes that said "Turbo" on them? Or you could buy a turbo radio or any other item that had nothing to do with turbo, but it was a cool name at the time. Replace Turbo (or your choice of fleeting period catch word) with HD and that is what the brand has become. A fleeting catch word to put on cheap shoes and radios to entice dumbasses to buy worthless crap. After a while it backfires because your name is associated with cheap crap.

So will the cheap crap kill the image of HD's motorcycles or will the motorcycle's image be strong enough to keep the masses buying cheap crap? To me it's playing with fire with your brand.
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Cataract2
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 06:25 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I'm tearing up over this.
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Cityxslicker
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 06:48 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Working in reverse with the analogy....
The NEW Harley Davidson OMNI, yes the dawn of a new day in motorcycling, harkening back to our grand traditions, and building with todays new technology.... We give you the same old tired shiate with bold new graphics and retro colors....

or did I just cut copy and past that out of the press release about the '48?

Admit it, the OMNI Turbo was the death knell for fivestar mopar motors for a very long time.
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Brumbear
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 07:43 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Full-Year and Fourth-Quarter Results
For the full-year from continuing operations: revenue was $4.29 billion in 2009 compared to $5.58 billion in 2008, a 23.1 percent decrease; income was $70.6 million in 2009 compared to $684.2 million in 2008, a decrease of 89.7 percent; and earnings per share decreased 89.7 percent to $0.30 in 2009, compared to $2.92 in 2008. Full-year results from continuing operations primarily reflect the effects of lower motorcycle shipments, restructuring and Buell product line exit costs, and non-cash charges related to Harley-Davidson Financial Services.
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46champ
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 10:24 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Why am I getting the feeling that at least part of a certain $125 million dollars is going into some slush fund.

(Message edited by 46champ on January 23, 2010)
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Cyclonedon
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 - 11:42 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Geniuses .... Bring in two guys who know nothing about the business.

Run off the experienced folks.


Court, Bob Nardelli did the same thing to the Home Depot as their CEO. It cost the company $207 million dollars to get rid of him! Money well spent I might add!

Maybe Harley-Davidson should do the same.
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