A TV ad with a sexy and busty young lady and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. You’d think it’s for Harley, oil, mechanics, motorcycle cleaning service .. a bar maybe.
Nope, nothing to do with motorcycles. It’s for a hairdresser, and it’s from Down Under.
Claudio and Giovanni Castiglioni, through their family holding company, have repurchased one hundred percent shares of MV Agusta Motor SpA from Harley Davidson. Once again the historic brands MV Agusta and Cagiva return to the Castiglioni fold.
We’d heard the rumors and now it’s official. has announced that it has sold the brand to Claudio Castiglioni and his wholly owned holding company, MV Agusta Motor Holding, S.r.l. For those who aren’t exactly up on their boutique Italian motorcycle history, Castiglioni is the same man H-D and had been serving as company chairman ever since.
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 for the storied motorcycle manufacturer and may even be getting some from Harley-Davidson for the foreseeable future.
Couple those reports with the realization that H-D payed $109 million for MV Agusta just two years ago and subsequently spent big money to revamp the Italian manufacturer’s product lineup and it’s easy to see that the Milwaukee-based company is coming out the biggest loser in this exchange.
Harley is showing no (official) hard feelings, though. “MV Agusta is a proud brand and we wish Mr. Castiglioni and the company’s employees well,” Harley-Davidson President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Wandell said in a statement. Feel free to peruse the official press release .
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[Source: Harley-Davidson]
originally appeared on on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:57:00 EST.
2010 Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight – Click above for high-res image gallery
Harley-Davidson is looking to cut its labor costs any way it can, even if it takes leaving Wisconsin. The Associated Press is reporting that the 107-year-old company has gone as far as to scout out other (likely southern) states in an effort to reduce its labor costs. Company CEO Keith Wandell says that the company will likely come to a decision in the next month or two, adding that Harley is open to tax incentives that will help keep the motorcycle facilities in the state of Wisconsin. Among the chief concerns of Harley-Davidson executives is the production schedules at its factories. Harley corporate wants to align production with seasonal demand, but as of yet, the union isn’t too keen on the idea, so it’s possible that the threat to move is posturing.
Meanwhile, the city of Milwaukee is already struggling to keep jobs in a down economy and the loss of 1,630 high-paying jobs would be a monumental blow to the community. The city already lost the headquarters of Miller Beer back in 2008, and Schlitz left the city in the 1980s due in part to labor strife. Harley-Davidson also brings tens of thousands of visitors from around the world, bolstering the local tourist economy. But although management is looking into moving its factories, it will reportedly keep its headquarters in the beleaguered city.
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[Source: ]
originally appeared on on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:01:00 EST.
Shoppers at dealers across North America will be faced with the choice of three new models this year, as the 2011 lineup marks the release of the Sportster SuperLow, XR1200X and Road Glide Ultra. This hat trick of new releases increases Milwaukee’s total offerings to an impressive 32 unique (that is… as long as you want a V-twin and two or ) models.
If your confidence is in need of inspiration, as H-D words it, than the new SuperLow may be just what you’re looking for. Sporting a design and build that highlight ease of handling and a low stand-over height, the SuperLow may drag pegs through the turns, but it should also help keep confidence high at stoplights. The second model, named the XR1200X (which we ) claims to “hone Sportster performance to its very limit” offering standard adjustable suspension, floating front brake rotors, and a high compression version of the 1200cc Evo engine packaged in the . The matte-black finish of the engine and drive components complete the no-nonsense look of the XR1200X.
Rounding out the new releases is the Road Glide Ultra, which has its sights set further on the horizon while wielding a frame-mounted fairing. The new cockpit encases a four-speaker Harmon Kardon Audio system (with iPod connection), as well as a cruise control feature, amongst other luxuries. More touring amenities include the King Tour Pack, luggage carrier and standard ABS… we expect Route 66 has another thing coming.
Four new will be available in limited quantities for the 2011 model year, several of which we recently had an opportunity to put through their paces, so stay tuned for the imminent full ride reports on all the new bacon from hog-central Harley-Davidson. For now, you can see more pictures and read the press release
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[Source: Harley-Davidson]
originally appeared on on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST.
2010 Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight – Click above for high-res image gallery
The in the company’s Sportster segment, sits at a cross-cultural intersection in the cyclemaker’s lineup. It apparently represents the spot where bikers meet skateboarders. It seems that the stripped-down looks and functional-jewelry design of the Forty-Eight is well appreciated by skaters who don’t like their rides to make any extraneous fuss.
The bike is only one small part of what some call a larger trend, that of skateboarders increasingly moving into the world of bikes. It isn’t that skateboarders want to be bikers but, according to a skate shop owner, “We’re just wired a certain way. For some reason the death and danger are just a part of us.” And you don’t have to look any further than a motorcycle to find death and danger.
Harley has used the rendezvous to help market the Forty-Eight, including hiring skaters like Heath Kirchart and Matt Ball to appear in its promotional materials. The Milwaukee firm isn’t targeting skateboarders only with this bike, but they certainly want to welcome them to the family. Said a Harley rep, “There’s no question that there are huge parallels there between bikers and skateboarders.” Tip of the cap to Alex!
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[Source: ]
originally appeared on on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:58:00 EST.
Say it ain’t so! How could main manufacturing base be anywhere but Milwaukee, Wisconsin? It would be like a Toledo without (or ), Detroit without . A Gotham without Batman. In other words, inconceivable!
But here we are anyway, with The Motor Company reporting that it is considering its options at both its powertrain operations in Milwaukee and at its Tomahawk, Wisconsin plant. Why? Simple: money. According to H-D, it could save millions of dollars per year by changing locations due to reduced costs associated with labor contracts and scheduling flexibilities. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, though, has pledged to do whatever necessary to keep Harley right where it’s at.
Of course, it seems more likely that Harley-Davidson is using these rumors as a tactic to get the upper-hand on the upcoming union negotiations. Still, with on the line, anything seems possible – up to and including the (very remote, we’d guess) threat that H-D motorcycles could be manufactured overseas. Stay tuned.
[Source: via ]
originally appeared on on Mon, 03 May 2010 09:00:00 EST.
Harley-Davidson is a little too much into their style, so they rarely come up with a bike that is truly bad to the bone. But most of their ideas are taken one step further by people such as Mike Wilson of and Sandy Kosman of , who have teamed up to build what they call the Harley-Davidson XR124.
They’ve taken Harley’s sportiest ride, the XR1200 and made it look, sound and feel more appealing for the younger crowd, while still retaining the bike’s original style. In other words, they’ve mounted an S&S 124 cubic inch Evo engine on a twin shock rubber mount frame with a Buell XB12 front end (meaning upside down fork, front fender and six-piston caliper). The aluminum tank and rear fender were ordered from Evan Wilcox.
These guys aren’t just bike assemblers, so they’ve built their own exhaust and wheels. Overall, the thing weighs less than 500 pounds, which should make it flickable, while the power-to-weight ratio should make things at least very interesting.
As with most successful tuner projects, this bike looks like it was actually made like this by the manufacturer, but we can only wish H-D would build such a bike.
originally appeared on on Friday, 16 April 2010 12:50 EST.
