News Briefs

The 95th edition of the FIM International Six Days Enduro will be staged at Rivanazzano Terme, Italy, on Aug. 31 - Sept. 5. 2020. The longest running world championship in motorsport, the 2019/94th edition in Portugal saw a win for the U.S. Women's World Trophy team with the American XC Gear team taking the Club division and the U.S. Junior World Trophy team finishing runners up. The USA last won the World Trophy title in 2016 - its first ISDE world title.

Motorcycle racing legend and AMA Hall of Famer Dick Klamfoth has passed away, aged 91. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Klamfoth began riding motorcycles at the age of 14. He won the DAYTONA 200 on a Norton in his first outing in 1949 and following that up with additional victories on the beach course in 1951 and 1952. From 1954 to 1961, Klamfoth made his mark on the GNC, finishing in the top 10 each year and scoring five national Half-Mile wins on his BSA. Klamfoth's record of three DAYTONA 200 victories held for nearly 50 years, but the "King of the Beach" will be synonymous with America's most historic motorcycle race forever.

The AMA has named Brit Hayley Bell as its 2019 Motorcyclist of the Year. Founder of the Women Riders World Relay, the AMA says it is recognizing her activism in calling attention to the needs of women riders and for creating a worldwide connection among them. The WRWR has members in 84 countries and seeks to demonstrate to motorcycle manufacturers and makers of riding gear that "female riders are a formidable and growing market that deserves their attention."

Polaris has appointed Victor M. Koelsch to its newly created role of Chief Digital Officer. The new role is a response to "technology and customers’ digital expectations evolving faster than ever," with Koelsch owning the digital strategy for the company.


The H-D share price was $32.76 as this edition went to press (2/25/20), having been $34.84 a month prior and $37.19 at the start of the year. Its 12-month high was $41.04 (April 2019), with a 12-month low of $30.39 (August 2019 - immediately following a MY2020 announcement that included the availability of the LiveWire).

 

Harley has approved a cash dividend of $0.38 per share for the first quarter of 2020 on Feb. 19, 2020. This represents an increase of +1.3% from its fourth quarter 2019 dividend of $0.375 per share. The dividend is payable March 20, 2020 to the shareholders of record of the company's common stock as of March 5, 2020. The board has also authorized the company to repurchase up to an additional 10 million shares of Harley-Davidson, Inc. common stock. This authorization is in addition to the existing share repurchase authorization approved in February 2018. As of the end of 2019, 8.2 million shares remained on that share repurchase authorization.

 

The championship round of the J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show series staged on the final weekend of the 2019/2020 IMS tour (Chicago, February 9) saw Jordan Dickinson (Union Speed & Style, Monticello, MN) crowned Ultimate Builder with 'SourKraut', the 1947 Knucklehead with which he scooped 8th place in the 2018 AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building at INTERMOT Customized in Cologne, Germany. Full report in the next AMD Magazine edition.

As at the start of February 2020, it is rumored that Harley's distribution center in Belgium had not received a single container of Harley PG&A since December 2019. For some time, AMD Magazine had been receiving reports from authorized dealers in Europe that DMS issues were preventing them ordering or successfully receiving their PG&A orders - even of service items and replacement parts. It would appear that the problem was systemic, affecting logistics as well as dealer front ends.


Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, B&B, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news