Gee,
Guess who's data is hosed again..........!?!?!
Motorcycle market roars ahead
By Christopher Bowe in Chicago
Published: April 20 2001 15:41GMT / Last Updated: April 20 2001 21:17GMT
Number one US motorcycle seller Harley-Davidson recently delivered strong first quarter results in the face of the US economic slowdown.
The company's first quarter net income rose 15 per cent. Earnings per share rose 26 per cent while revenue jumped 13 per cent. Shipments of its signature Harley motorcycles were up 10 per cent to 54,154 units.
Harley is not alone. Motorcycle makers have roared ahead in the US market despite the economic weakness spreading around them.
Analysts say Honda and Yamaha of Japan also continue to fare well in the US. A spokesman for Yamaha said overall unit sales - of all types including off-road bikes and street bikes - rose at least 20 per cent in the first quarter this year.
That is not to say that motorcycles are impervious to recession, analysts say. But companies like Harley are seeing only a slight dip in demand.
Dealers' waiting lists for new Harleys have shortened somewhat. According to a JP Morgan survey, an average wait for a Harley in the US is now about 10 months, down from its high of about one and half years.
"Obviously, if things get ugly, they're going to get hit," said Dean Gianoukos, analyst at JP Morgan. "But so far they're doing well."
Harley's strategy is to keep the bike's mystique alive with limited production and waiting lists. Once left for dead in the early 1980s, Harley built itself back up to being a dominant company in its sector, leveraging its rough-and-ready image and powerful brand. The brand is so powerful that the company claims to be the only one that customers are willing to have tattooed on their bodies.
In addition, part of its success has been leisure and lifestyle purchases by baby boomers - now between the ages of late 30s and late 50s - who have also thrived on a booming economy and stock market.
"I have been thinking for some time that Harley would be affected by the plunge in the Nasdaq," said Don Brown, industry analyst at DJB Associates in Irvine, California. "There is no sign of that yet."
Certain factors such as compressed leisure time, favourable demographics, and expanding ridership - particularly among women - have helped the motorcycle industry grow.
"People don't have a lot of time anymore," said Mr Gianoukos. "So it's sort of a quick vacation."
Irrespective of the cloudy forecasts in other sectors, the motorcycle industry expects solid growth. Harley has raised its product forecast this year. DJB Associates estimates overall motorcycle shipments to grow about 11 per cent to 711,000 units this year.
John
.
Guess who's data is hosed again..........!?!?!
Motorcycle market roars ahead
By Christopher Bowe in Chicago
Published: April 20 2001 15:41GMT / Last Updated: April 20 2001 21:17GMT
Number one US motorcycle seller Harley-Davidson recently delivered strong first quarter results in the face of the US economic slowdown.
The company's first quarter net income rose 15 per cent. Earnings per share rose 26 per cent while revenue jumped 13 per cent. Shipments of its signature Harley motorcycles were up 10 per cent to 54,154 units.
Harley is not alone. Motorcycle makers have roared ahead in the US market despite the economic weakness spreading around them.
Analysts say Honda and Yamaha of Japan also continue to fare well in the US. A spokesman for Yamaha said overall unit sales - of all types including off-road bikes and street bikes - rose at least 20 per cent in the first quarter this year.
That is not to say that motorcycles are impervious to recession, analysts say. But companies like Harley are seeing only a slight dip in demand.
Dealers' waiting lists for new Harleys have shortened somewhat. According to a JP Morgan survey, an average wait for a Harley in the US is now about 10 months, down from its high of about one and half years.
"Obviously, if things get ugly, they're going to get hit," said Dean Gianoukos, analyst at JP Morgan. "But so far they're doing well."
Harley's strategy is to keep the bike's mystique alive with limited production and waiting lists. Once left for dead in the early 1980s, Harley built itself back up to being a dominant company in its sector, leveraging its rough-and-ready image and powerful brand. The brand is so powerful that the company claims to be the only one that customers are willing to have tattooed on their bodies.
In addition, part of its success has been leisure and lifestyle purchases by baby boomers - now between the ages of late 30s and late 50s - who have also thrived on a booming economy and stock market.
"I have been thinking for some time that Harley would be affected by the plunge in the Nasdaq," said Don Brown, industry analyst at DJB Associates in Irvine, California. "There is no sign of that yet."
Certain factors such as compressed leisure time, favourable demographics, and expanding ridership - particularly among women - have helped the motorcycle industry grow.
"People don't have a lot of time anymore," said Mr Gianoukos. "So it's sort of a quick vacation."
Irrespective of the cloudy forecasts in other sectors, the motorcycle industry expects solid growth. Harley has raised its product forecast this year. DJB Associates estimates overall motorcycle shipments to grow about 11 per cent to 711,000 units this year.
John
.
.......According to the Great Pumpkin, ".....You're in .....iHub....., Charlie Brown....."!!!
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