Harley-Davidson ' s third quarter retail unit sales do not make pretty reading . They are down by -10 % over Q3 , 2023 , in North American Retail Unit Sales terms , down by -13 % in Global Retail Units Sales terms . However , in the context of annual global unit sales progress it may have bought itself a ' Mulligan '. Nine-month year over year North American Retail Unit Sales are cited as being (' only ') down by -1.7 % YTD with Global Retail Unit Sales down by -5 % year-over-year . " We have worked diligently through the quarter to mitigate the impact of high interest rates , and the macroeconomic and political uncertainty that continues to put pressure on our industry and customers , especially in our core markets ," said Jochen Zeitz , Chairman , President and CEO , Harley-Davidson . Able to point to a 75 % share of U . S . Touring motorcycle unit sales , an increase of 4 share points year-over-year , Zeitz went on to say , again , that " we are very pleased with the reception of our touring

launch , with customers and dealers alike , and are working hard to set the Company up for a solid 2025 ." Setting aside that " solid " is hardly an ' inspirational ' ambition , Zeitz clearly recognizes that it is nonetheless ' aspirational ' in the present context . In his prepared remarks he concluded by saying that " we are optimistic about our ability

to make sound progress in the new year ," with further interest rate reductions and improved consumer confidence a needed tailwind for the motorcycle industry , apparently all critical to Harley management ' s ability to reverse the company ' s present direction of travel . In the vendor conference call that

accompanied the release of these numbers , there were some references that the 2025 new product offer could also point to sunlit uplands . However , there was also a growing sense of concern from the analysts charged with safeguarding their investor ' s interests that , at this stage , Harley is not giving them enough that is ' motivational ' where recommending H-D as a ' hold ' is concerned . In advance of the release of Harley ' s Q3 Financial Report , Rick Barrett for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that an early October 2024 research note by respected Harley observer Craig Kennison ( of Milwaukee-based Baird Equity Research ) pointed to dealer frustration centered on the ongoing issues surrounding high inventory (' Channel Stuffing ' as it has historically been referred to ) and the resulting " related price discounting ". " U . S . dealers we contacted reported

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POLARIS : Q3 RESULTS - NOT GOOD !

DRAG RACE REPORT ' THE ROCK '

See pages 22-25