In advance of an official third-quarter results annoucement from Harley-Davidson later this month, Wells Fargo Securities analyst Tim Conder has reported that its domestic-market bike sales are 3.7 per cent up on the same period last year, according to research by his company tracking performance from a number of US Harley dealers.
Conder also said that sell-through of the new smaller-capacity Street models had gathered strength in the US, India and Southern Europe, despite shipping delays due to supply chain issues — which Harley claims are now back on planned trajectory. He also added that the manufacturer and its American dealers seem unconcerned about lower margins on the Street, thanks to faster trade-up projections.
However, there are suspicions that Street outsourcing quality problems haven’t been entirely resolved, following a factory recall on 1300 bikes with potential fuel tank leaks.