The rumors are that the April 12 announced 975T engined second new Sportster range model will be followed in short order by a 975/965S Pan America. Apparently there have been brief H-D website appearances of upcoming accessories that referenced an RA975.
H-D has started the year in 7th spot in market share terms in Germany, with 725 new units registered in January and February 2022. The Sportster S is its top seller with 138 units sold, making its first appearance in the charts as the 16th most popular motorcycle in Germany so far this year. H-D has two more models in the Top 50 best sellers YTD - the Street Glide Special in 48th spot (79 units), and it's a big fat welcome to the party for the Pan America in 49th spot (78 units sold YTD).
According to the FCAI, the motorcycle sales boom in Australia appears to have peaked - motorcycle, scooter and ATV sales were down by -10.7% in Q1 of 2022 (24,338 units). Off-roaders were the strongest segment, accounting for 39.6% of the available market, but at 9,644 units were down by -17.2%; road-going motorcycles (9,723 units) were up by +12% and were 39.9% of the available market.
Indian Motorcycle is in 14th spot in market share terms for the first two months of 2022 in Germany with 144 new units registered there for a 1.18% market share. BMW is market share leader in its German home market with seven models in the top 20 - the R 1250 GS being the best seller in Germany so far in 2022.
Founded in 2009, Big Island H-D (Kailua, Hi) has closed its doors effective immediately, with customers being referred to Pacific Harley-Davidson instead.
In pursuit of retirement after 30 years of Harley dealership ownership, Shelton and Sharon Davis have sold their Shelton's H-D of Smithfield and Goldsboro, Nc., stores to Carson Baker of Baker American Cycles (Fayetteville, Nc.) with the Smithfield outlet now renamed as Bulldog H-D.
Yamaha Motors' President Yoshihiro Hidaka has gone on the record to state that, in his view, the priorities of the market should be Biofuel first, EV second, saying that "CO2 may be treated as a 'Bad Thing', but I believe that the engine itself is not." Those remarks came in a magazine interview and followed the news that Yamaha and, initially, Kawasaki are to invest heavily in exploring the potential of hydrogen power for PTWs. Honda and Suzuki are expected to come on-board with the research effort before too long.
Sweden's Trelleborg Group has agreed to sell its Wheel Systems unit, incorporating its entire global Trelleborg off-road tire business, to Japanese tire giant Yokohama Rubber for $2.3bn in a deal that will more than double Yokohama's existing $970m off-road tire sales. Yokohama will absorb Trelleborg tire plants (ten of them) in seven countries - China, Czech Republic, India, Italy, Serbia, Sri Lanka and the USA. The brands sold include Maximo, Cultor, Interfit and, the best known in the motorcycle market, Mitas - which Trelleborg has only owned since 2015.
BRP has reported record 2021 full year revenues of CAN $7,647.9m (+28.5%) and has outperformed FY22 guidance with EBITDA of CAN $1,462.1m (+46.4%), resulting in diluted EPS of CAN $9.92 (+ CAN $4.53/+ 84% per share). Q4 revenues were CAN $2,347.5m (+ CAN $532.4m/+29.3%). The company reported NA market share gains in Snowmobile, SSV and PWC. Altogether BRP will return CAN $726m to shareholders through share repurchase and dividend payments, has started SSV production at its third facility at Juarez, Mexico, and confirmed that it is to launch a range of Cam Am branded electric motorcycles in 2024.
Sources: AMD, IDN, FT, Reuters, PSB, MPN, BDN, MCN, AP, Bloomberg, MSNW, Electrek, electricmotorcycles.news, RideApart.com, Motor1.com, Cycle World, motorbikewriter.com