| Author | Message | ||
     A_s_r |
http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?artic le=41505 http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/06/harley-davidson -announces-sale-of-mv-agusta-to-claudio-castiglio/ From the autoblog article:
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| A_s_r |
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| Wolfridgerider |
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| Macbuell |
That company is run by complete idiots. First taking a loss on Buell for no intelligent, logical reason and now this. | ||
| Spiderman |
Hell if I knew they were giving away a whole motorcycle company I woulda took both MV and Buell. Hell I woulda gave em a few Euros for shits&giggles! | ||
| Hughlysses |
Has anyone at HD ever given any kind of response as to WHY they bought MV Agusta in the first place? WTF were they thinking? Like others have said, imagine what they could have accomplished if they'd dumped $109M into Buell, not to mention the hundreds of millions they pissed away to close Buell down ASAP.  | ||
| Reepicheep |
LOL. MV Agusta, which is in truth worth negative money (can't give it away without paying down a bunch of liabilities). So HD pays money to keep it alive and "sell" it. Buell had a line of suitors offering significant millions of dollars, and no outstanding debt, and yet was "shut down" rather then selling it. Glad I sold my HD stock.  | ||
| Tpoppa |
I thought I remember hearing that HD bought MV to gain access to their European dealer network. Probably thought those XR1200's would be flying off the shelves. | ||
| Reepicheep |
My guess is very expensive Italian hookers. But I hope I am wrong. | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
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| Stirz007 |
Tpoppa - that was my understanding as well. Did the two articles mention what they got for MVA (or more to the point, how much did they lose?) - I didn't see it, could have messed that tidbit. | ||
| Mqracing |
Quote from Autoblog article: "No actual financial data has yet been announced, but rumors from Italy have it that the Italian businessman isn't actually paying anything more than a single symbolic euro for the storied motorcycle manufacturer and may even be getting some additional financial support from Harley-Davidson for the foreseeable future." I'm so pi$$ed off... I can't type sraight... what a$$hats HD management is... incredible... just incredible. MSL | ||
| Whatever |
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| Hughlysses |
My guess is very expensive Italian hookers. But I hope I am wrong.  That would be more understandable than most of their recent "business" decisions. | ||
| Trackdad |
FOMG!!!!!!! Wan(nabe)dell getting another bonus???? | ||
| A_s_r |
This kinda $h!t should be featured on Really!?! | ||
| Whatever |
OMG! The thought just occurred to me that they could have sold BMC to Erik Buell for one dollar and it would have saved them over 100 Million to shut it down... can't say I am very surprised though... what a bunch of morons... | ||
| Dalton_gang |
Charlotte, you really should forward that thought to hd! | ||
| Ourdee |
hd winding up with MV Agusta. It's like the guy that went out drinking. The next morning he rolls over and can only think,"who is she". It sure was some kind of party. | ||
| Ulynut |
This makes me think that I could be a really great CEO. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I have the title for Court's new book on HD: "How the guy who manufactured light switches pissed away the American dream company." Wandell is the hole opening up underneath of HD.  | ||
| Ulynut |
So, MV was in the red, to the tune of millions of dollars. H.D.I. buys MV, pays off the debt, AND THEN GIVES THE COMPANY BACK?!! Hey Wandell...you want to invest in a small drilling company? | ||
| Rex |
HD buying MV Agusta could have been a good deal. MV is a pretty cool motorcycle. Great Name, Dealer network around the world, a complete motorcycle cycle that is currently selling, No build a new bike, wait two years to bring it to the street, the factory, etc. was there. At the time, it was only 100,000,000, Look what it costs to do a start up company. The Handlon boys spent that and never really came up with a bike, others have tried, but it expensive. Look how much HD spent to come up with the XR 1200..... At the time they bought it, the money was flowing and it looked like a pretty good investment, I would think. But times changed and money was short...what can I sell quick.... Too bad they didn't sell the Buell motorcycle company to one of the suitors with money in hand, or like mentioned above sell to Erik and they could have saved all of the money they spent closing Buell. A lot of big business mumbo jumbo on HD's part. some bad decisions at least to our group. I am sure HD would say otherwise. | ||
| Brumbear |
I wonder if Harley wants to buy my forklift company? | ||
| Just_ziptab |
A single symbolic Euro?Got to be more to it than that. | ||
| Danger_dave |
>>I wonder if Harley wants to buy my forklift company?<< Can you engineer another GFC? Pull the rug out from under the market and you might be in with a show. Their 'fail' is they didn't see the meltdown coming. Prior to that they were making sense - attract a younger market - expand range - inject capital into the flagging Italian. Seemed like a sound long tem strategy. The upshot of the world ecomoney tanking will be felt for a while yet. | ||
| Danger_dave |
ecomoney was a typo but it's too good to change. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
reminds me of the two old guys that wreck Eddie Murphys life in Trading Places for a 'dollar' bet. | ||
| Danger_dave |
>>>reminds me of the two old guys that wreck Eddie Murphys life in Trading Places for a 'dollar' bet.<< I remember when Dan Amichee hosted a circus program | ||
| Anonymous |
DD, actually you are incorrect, as you do not have enough information. You like to defend H-D to the death, but this deal was doomed from the start. It was sub-moronic, and the economic collapse only JATO'd the end that was pre-ordained. If the truth were out, there is no facepalm big enough. |
