National News

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson saw its third quarter sales in the U.S. dip 8.1 percent this year compared to a year ago, with worldwide sales down 6.9 percent from 2016. However, in releasing its Q3 results today, the company noted that overall motorcycle sales in the U.S. were off 9.2 percent …

SEATTLE – A detective in the King County Sheriff’s Department in Washington has been suspended after he was recorded pulling a gun on a motorcyclist during a routine traffic stop on Aug. 16. Rider Alex Randall was wearing a helmet camera and had just pulled up to a stoplight on …

Lost in the hyperbole this week of Harley-Davidson’s announcements of new 2018 models – “boasting show-stopping style and plush comfort” with its touring bikes – was the absence of any mention of a model that debuted in 2001 and continued in various forms through the 2017 model year. Missing from …

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson tonight rolled out its 2018 model lineup that includes nine 115th anniversary models. The company also announced that the 2018 slate includes eight “all-new Softail models” and five new touring models. Among the tourers are three limited-edition CVO models and new blacked-out Street Glide Special and Road …

MILWAUKEE – It’s getting to the point that there’s barely a space where an ad cannot be placed. Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson has announced a new multi-year deal whereby its iconic bar and shield logo will appear in the form of a patch on the uniforms of Milwaukee Bucks’ players, beginning with …

MILWAUKEE – After laying off some 200 production workers last October, Harley-Davidson plans to eliminate another 180 permanent positions this fall in the wake of weakening sales of its motorcycles, the “Journal Sentinel” newspaper reports. The company said Tuesday that U.S. sales in the second quarter of 2017 were down …

HARWINTON, CT – Wintertime is normally the slow news period when it comes to motorcycles, not summer when new models are out, when rallies and shows are being staged, and when new roads and eateries are being discovered. Winter is the time for trial balloons and cockamamie suggestions, not summer. …

MILWAUKEE – Harley-Davidson is recalling about 57,000 of its 2017 model-year motorcycles due to an oil line issue. The line can detach,  causing a sudden loss of oil, potentially in the path of the rear tire. The company says a clamp on the engine cooler line may not have been …

These are uneasy times for Ducati owners. Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati is now reportedly up for sale as car company VW scrambles for cash the wake of its diesel emissions scandal. A story Monday by “The Times of India” says Royal Enfield has been approached about buying Ducati. Ducati could …

The recent video from electric motorcycle-maker Zero is titled “For Us?” It shows a guy going through some mental gymnastics in trying to figure out how to justify his purchase to his partner. Interspersed are shots of the guy riding the bike to the beach, to the desert and to …

BATON ROUGE, LA – Riders ticketed for wearing helmets? Odd as it sounds, there’s a bill currently in the state legislature in Louisiana aimed at stopping police officers from ticketing motorcyclists for wearing helmets when operating their machines. The bill, authored by Rep. Alan Seabaugh (R-Shreveport), would exempt riders from …

The motorcycles may be state of the art but television coverage of the American Flat Track racing series, which has streamed on FansChoice.tv, has so far this season looked more like it has been produced by a high school audio-video department than by experienced, professional broadcasters. Sloppy camera selection, rubish …

MILWAUKEE – Last year was a very, very good year for Harley-Davidson’s top executives, most notably President and C.E.O. Matt Levatich. His total compensation in 2016 was $9,350,303 – or nearly $180,000 per week ($179,813 to be exact). That takes in salary, bonuses, stock awards and more. This also means that …

HARWINTON, CT – There’s a saying in the news biz that “There’s no rooting in the press box.” It means that reporters – more specifically, sportswriters – should judge and report on events objectively and without favor. But I couldn’t help it last night when watching the Daytona TT on …

MEDINA, MN – Government filings often provide a glimpse into corporations and a notice of an annual meeting of stockholders filed Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by Polaris Industries revealed dramatically shrinking compensation for Scott W. Wine, the company’s chairman and C.E.O. In 2016, Wine only earned slightly …