H-D Execs Reap Nearly $5.7 Million in Bonuses

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

Last year was a good year for Harley-Davidson, and for those in the corporate offices. H-D’s top five executives received discretionary and performance-based bonuses of almost $5.7 million, with CEO Keith Wandell getting more than $2.8 million.

Wandell’s total compensation for 2011, which includes stock awards, was $7.23 million, up nearly 13 percent from 2010, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Harley produced a profit of $599.1 million in 2011, up from $146.5 million in 2010. It shipped 233,117 bikes last year.

Harley’s success can be traced to a restructuring initiated by Wandell, which realized $217 million in savings for the company but which also trimmed more than half of the work force at the company’s assembly plant in York, PA.

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In other business news, Motorsports Aftermarket Group (MAG) yesterday announced the acquisition of Oregon-based Motorcycle Superstore. MAG already owns J&P Cycles, Vance & Hines, Progressive Suspension and Terryville, CT-based Mustang Seats.