The Powersports Industry & M/C Roadracing

That's a shame.....to be honest it has been a couple of years since I last went to the IMS @ the Javitz in NYC.


I guess it would be nice if as sales and interest continued to decrease if prices dropped with them, but unfortunately that's not how things work.

 

I think the last time I came up for one was 2016. Typically its freezing, snow on the ground but once you get inside the pent up energy is crazy.

 

This was presented July 28, 2022

On May 19, 2022, Harley-Davidson halted production at its plants in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, and York, Pennsylvania. The shutdown was scheduled to last two weeks, potentially crippling the Motor Company’s Q2 2022 performance. Despite the hiatus lasting longer than the two-week estimate, Harley still reported a $215.8M profit in this year’s second quarter.

According to Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz, the manufacturer closed production facilities and suspended vehicle shipments due to brake hose supply issues. Harley addressed the holdup and resumed production in early June. During that time, the Bar and Shield’s lower operating expenses and tariff reductions on steel and aluminum in the European Union helped the firm turn a profit.

“And despite the macro uncertainty, (Foreign Exchange Market), and inflationary pressure, and supply chain issues, we expect to deliver on our Hardwire ambitions,” stated Zeitz. “We believe that the Hardwire strategy is working. We're making significant progress in transforming our business and now it's the time to elevate our ambition beyond the current environment.”

Harley continues to contend with resource shortages, shipping delays, and inflation, but the brand is passing off those costs to customers. On average, prices on new and used Hogs have increased by 1.3 percent. Apparently, Harlistas don’t mind the modest price hike either, with the MoCo claiming that post-pandemic demand for leisure activities and road trips stabilized its motorcycles sales.

Still, the company posted a five-percent decrease in sales due to its inventory backlogs and extended restock intervals. In turn, those sliding sales led to a four-percent drop in revenue, which amounts to roughly $1.47 billion. Fortunately, reduced operation costs and a lucky break with the E.U. offset the production and sales woes.

“We continue to work through the knock-on effect of this action,” concluded Zeitz. “We've ramped up production, and we believe that we'll be able to make up for the lost production throughout the remainder of the year.” Harley, ultimately, turned a profit in Q2 2022, but the brand isn’t out of the woods yet. We’ll see if they can make up for lost sales in Q3 2022.

 

Polaris reported this July 26, 2022

Second quarter sales were $2,063 million, up eight percent compared to last year
Second quarter reported diluted earnings per share from continuing operations was $2.34, down five percent versus last year; adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations was $2.42, down seven percent versus last year
Primary drivers in the quarter were improved operational performance, strong pricing and stable demand supported by a healthy consumer while still seeing supply chain challenges constraining dealer inventory, as well as continued inflationary pressures
Retail Sales for the quarter were down 23 percent versus last year, primarily driven by supply chain challenges; North America ORV retail was up 13 percent sequentially

 

Found this and I'm not sure what's going on but...

On Friday, Tucker president and CEO Marc McAllister told company employees that he was planning to update the sales and marketing functions to create a "more focused organization" and laid out the company's long-term strategy of becoming an "outfitter for powered, outdoor adventure."

"Now is a natural time to review the structure of our sales and marketing functions. We need to start with strategy, and I believe that moves us to a focused sales and marketing organization operating under a strong leader," said McAllister. He did not identify candidates for the role and he advised employees that the search was underway.

Tucker's former VP of Sales Brad Turner left the company for a new position earlier this month.

McAllister also used the meeting to expand on the company's strategy of becoming an outfitter for powered, outdoor adventure. "We ARE a company that is built on adventure. Powered adventure. Usually that power comes from internal combustion, sometimes it's from electricity, and sometimes it's human power. We have products that support the owners of motorcycles, UTV's ATV's, watercraft, and snowmobiles…it's our products that make our customer's adventures even better," said McAllister. “But customer demands are evolving and we need to evolve to meet those changing customer needs.”

"To be successful, we are taking steps to ensure we have the right products and the right partners with us going forward. We will be parting ways with some brands that are familiar and taking on new brands that are focused on innovation and enhancing our customer’s experience." "We will work closely with our dealer partners and, with them, we'll create a stronger online and brick-and-mortar presence, helping us meet customers where THEY are at."

Tucker frequently conducts employee town hall meetings to share business updates and strategic activities.

 

Clear as mud.

 

Just a guess...
Brad- left with a fat ass severance.
Marc- Look, we're gonna let some of you go (w/no severance) as we transition over to more apparel and some stupid electric shit.
We will be going with only "socially equitable" companies moving forward as we cut ties with the others.

 

Yep

 

I worked for them when they were the best after market distributor and now they are...

 

Speaking in managementspeak?

 

I keep hearing they lost Arai so that might be one of the 'parting ways with familiar brands' but who knows. Its tough to see because they ruled for a long time but have made so many massive mistakes and they are paying for it. I wish them the best, if they go under it won't be a good thing for the industry.

 

Looks like the rumors were true.

 

what does this mean... "right products & partners"??? Are these new brands the PRC child labor using type? Are the new brands principals formerly of established brands??
Do we get to see the pros/cons list of why established brands are being dropped?? Is it price related?

 

I figured Arai and Tucker would have parted years ago. So that leaves just Sammy Tanner and JD Walter here in the US with Arai?

 

Who knows what's going on? But I think the writing is on the wall after years and years of doing weird things with even the house brands.

 

Word on the street is that a new distributor will he announced in the next couple weeks.

 

wait until the fuel/fire issue in the 2013-2022 model snowmobiles, decimate this brand. they have a do not sell, do not use order to dealers and customers right now. Ski

 

And I think I know who its going to be

 

Yeah it’s been a strong rumor for a long time now but I don’t have confirmation yet.

 

I don’t know others’ thoughts, but, ~$1K helmets don’t exactly turn very quickly. I wouldn’t want to be the distributor of that type of product line.