4/13/2005

Harley Davidson

The Harley Davidson motor cycle company has been around for a very long time. They are one of America’s true icons. In the past, demand was so great that people would be put on waiting lists for months just to own one of these iconic bikes. Because of these long waiting lists, could more bikers be willing to purchase Japanese bikes? Harley has had its share of hard times and they seem to be coming back around. Their stock just experienced the worst plunge in their long history. Maybe the days of having a small monopoly on a certain motor cycle segment are coming to an end.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Harley-Davidson has started to diversify and expand their market, and I think it's working well. You can get t-shirts, jackets, hats, and a ton of accessories as well as the bikes. In fact, without these sales I doubt most Harley shops could stay in business these days.

http://www.kamloopsharley-davidson.ca
and
http://www.yukonharley-davidson.com

I think these are a couple of good examples...I may be a little bias since I made 'em. Feel free to support our Harley shops by picking up a cool t-shirt!

Dr. Tufte said...

This sounds like classic monopolistic competition to me. They'll have to figure out some product line on which they can make extra profits - although t-shirts and so on does sound like an area where they can earn monopoly profits.

P.S. One of the funniest jokes I ever heard on TV was when the nerdy friend on Roseanne tried to impress someone by saying he hadn't decided if he was going to buy a Harley or a hog.

Anonymous said...

Harley is in for a world of hurt. I visited a local Harley dealer and I couldn't believe my eyes. The place was dead.. Nobody buying anything. This company is destroying the brand name also by selling pink purses and a bunch of crap apparel. The tuff biker imiage is over and everyone knows it. The waiting list is over and thats supply and demand my friends. This company also lends money to way to many credit risk customers and you can see it in the balance sheet. Cult companies are always the hardest to fall when they do because the fans never see it coming. Buy a Harley bike, but buy the stock and you will be in for a world of hurt in this guy's opinion.