NEWS
BRIEFS
Along with increased credit defaults in certain regions of the United States ( especially in oil industry dependent areas ), the continued decline in used motorcycle values has been cited as one of the reasons for increased losses at Harley ’ s wholly owned consumer finance subsidiary . “ The recovery value is always a function of the used bike price and as used bike prices have fallen , credit losses have gone up ,” according to Harley CFO John Olin . Olin made $ 4.8m in “ compensations ” out of Harley-Davidson last year , this in addition to other earnings that include being a Director at battery maker Exide , where former Harley CEO Keith Wandell is Chairman .
Harley took 4th place in overall PTW market share terms and first place in Road Bikes and Tourers for the first quarter in Australia with 2,261 units sold in the first three months of the year . Their top seller was the FXSB Softail Breakout ( 352 units ) followed by the XG500 ‘ Street ’ ( 322 units ) and Australia ’ s third highest selling motorcycle overall in Q1 . Its best selling Tourer was the FLHXS .
Polaris Industries Inc . announced the declaration of a regular quarterly $ 0.58 per share cash dividend payable on June 15 , 2017 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 1 , 2017 .
Following setting a new coast-tocoast record for crossing the United States , Californian Carl Reese has been at it again . Riding a BMW K1000 on Continental Tires ’ 8.5- mile test track at Uvalde , Texas , in February he set a new record of 2,119 miles for the total distance ridden on a motorcycle in 24 hours .
Harley continues to hold 5th spot in Germany with a 7.92 percent market share for the first four months of the year ( 3,324 units sold through April 2017 ), which is actually down on their share for the same period last year , when they sold 4,464 units for a 9.49 percent share – reflecting the worldwide decision to short dealers of M8s and other 2017 models and the stampede to Euro 3 pre-registrations before the December 31st deadline . Harley ’ s top sellers so far this year are the Breakout , the XL 1200 X and the Dyna Street Bob .
Michael Lichter ’ s 2017 Buffalo Chip Motorcycles as Art exhibit ‘ Old Iron – Young Blood ’ to showcase New Gen builders
Always a highlight of both the Sturgis Rally and of the annual event calendar , the Buffalo Chip will again be hosting an exhibition of bikes and art assembled by Michael Lichter . This year Michael will be assembling “ an incredible group of young builders and artists who have been inspired by the iron stylings of previous generations , creating new works that reflect the attitude and attributes of the present ” in the Buffalo Chip ’ s 2017 Motorcycles as Art exhibit “ Old Iron / Young Blood ; Motorcycles and the Next-Gen .” Forty builders under 36 years of age have accepted the challenge to build a custom masterpiece especially for this exhibit , each of which will be displayed atop elevated pedestals and lit with theater lights to better give guests an open view from every angle . “ Creating an exhibition themed around the next generation of builders and bikes ensures an incredibly diverse offering , from cafes to street trackers to old school choppers and modern customs ,” says Michael . “ Some , such as Matt Olsen , Matt Walksler , Zach Johnson and Zach Ness , grew up in their own family ’ s motorcycle businesses , while others came into building when they were older , eventually starting their own commercial shops . Still others have day jobs and work on their bikes in home garages in what waking hours they have left . “ The 40 builders and 14 twodimensional artists will come together as 53 creatives to examine just what this generation is interested in , what they are capable of and what is coming around the bend ,” says Michael Lichter . “ In addition to an age limit on the builder , each bike must be a new build completed within a few months
of the show opening , and many of the bikes will be ‘ unveiled ’ for the first time at the exhibition .” Throughout the history of motorcycle customization , one can see that individual artists draw inspiration from his or her most impressionable moments , experiences which often mark both the timeline of their lives and of an entire generation . The old iron that returning veterans of the ‘ 40s twisted , stretched and chopped echoed the frustrations of a generation of GIs who were ravaged by war and yearned to be free . Today ’ s young bloods are creating bikes that are inspired by old iron , yet reflect the more calculated interests and accessible technology of the present . Though many define this generation as “ Millennials ,” the burgeoning masters of the motorcycle industry displaying their work in this exhibit have broken any constraints or negative stereotypes associated with the term . “ Michael has again put together an exhibit that explores the changing landscape of the motorcycle culture in a way that only the world ’ s leading motorcycle photographer could reveal ,” said Rod Woodruff , Sturgis Buffalo Chip President . “ We are witnessing the birth of a new generation of talent , the up-andcoming masters of an art . This exhibit offers the chance to simultaneously see the wave of the future and the influence of the past , an opportunity no biker should miss .” The exhibition is free to the public and open in the Buffalo Chip ’ s Event Center from 10 a . m . to 8 p . m ., Saturday , August 5 through Friday , August 11 . More information can be found at ...
www . MotorcyclesAsArt . com
10 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - JUNE 2017 www . AMDchampionship . com