National News

MUNICH – It was only a month ago that BMW revealed that it plans to get back into the cruiser market. The German manufacturer dropped its last cruiser – the R 1200 C – in 2004, but now feels the time is right to put its feet forward. Last week, …

MINNEAPOLIS – Indian Motorcycle has started a rental program that will enable riders to hop aboard an Indian for either a short jaunt or a multi-day excursion, but bikes will initially only be available at nine dealerships nationally. None are in the Northeast. In announcing its rental program this week, …

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson saw its year-to-year Q1 sales drop 4.2 percent in the United States and 3.8 percent worldwide. The company sold 28,091 motorcycles in the U.S. from January through March (down from 29,309 in 2018) and 49,151 worldwide (down from 51,086). In releasing its first quarter statement this morning, …

MUNICH – No matter that it already makes exceptional touring, adventure and sport bikes, BMW seems to have a serious case of cruiser envy that it just can’t shake. Included in a BMW press release earlier this week was the news that the German manufacturer will make a stab at …

MILWAUKEE – Union workers at Harley-Davidson factories in Wisconsin have approved a new contract offered by the company that includes a 14 percent wage increase over five years. According to a story by Rick Barrett in the “Journal Sentinel” newspaper, the deal also includes “a signing bonus, no changes to …

If it seems like gas prices are always changing, it’s because they are. But some days are better to purchase gas than others, according to a new study done by the fuel savings app GasBuddy and revealed today in a “USA Today” story. On average nationally, Monday is the cheapest …

MILWAUKEE – Union workers at Harley-Davidson plants in Wisconsin reportedly “overwhelming rejected” the company’s offer on a new contract Monday, but are continuing to work under a short-term extension of the previous pact. That contract, which was ratified in 2010 and went into effect in 2012, would have expired Monday. …

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson workers at factories in Wisconsin are expected to vote on a new contract Monday. The existing seven-year contract, which was ratified in 2010 and went into effect in 2012, was scheduled to expire today but was extended for one day. Union employees spent time last week outside …

BOLOGNA, ITALY – Sales of Ducati motorcycles dropped nearly nine percent in the U.S. in 2018, the company announced today, with global sales down five percent in the over 500cc market. Ducati sold a total of 53,004 motorcycles last year, down from 55,871 in 2017. Nonetheless, Ducati topped the 50,000 …

IRVINE, CA – Get out the Grecian Formula. The median age of motorcyclists keeps getting older, according to data released this afternoon by the Motorcycle Industry Council.  The median age of riders in 2018 was 50 years old, up from 47 years old in 2014 and 45 years old in …

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson sold 15,104 fewer bikes in the U.S. in 2018 compared to 2017, a 10.2 percent drop, according to a full-year earnings report released this morning. U.S. sales totaled 132,868 last year, down from 147,972 in 2017. The company still commands a 49.7 percent share of the 601+cc …

IRVINE, CA – A record number of households in the U.S. now have a motorcycle parked in the garage, according to a new Motorcycle Industry Council survey. The trade association said Wednesday that eight percent of households had at least one bike in 2018, “the most ever recorded in decades …

It was a year ago that “Baggers” magazine went away, folded into “Hot Bike” magazine by Bonnier Corp. Now, “Hot Bike” is gone as well, another victim of the waning print industry. Gone, too, is the “Motorcyclist’s Post,” the long-running regional magazine that served the northeast. Its current issue is …

BERLIN – Sales of BMW motorcycles were up slightly in 2018, the company announced this morning, with 165,566 models being delivered. That represents a worldwide increase of 0.9 percent. The company sold 164,153 units in 2017. “We achieved a sales record for the eighth time in succession. I would like …

It’s a coincidence to be sure – two companies in the same field using the same words to promote an identical product. In this case, it’s a teaser line touting battery-power motorcycles. “The Future Is Electric” proclaimed Harley-Davidson in its website introduction earlier this week of its new LiveWire model. …