International Dealer News IDN 124 April/May 2015 | Page 14

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Harley Q1 sales
down -1.3 percent
HARLEY-DAVIDSON has reported that
their first quarter 2015 worldwide
retail sales of new motorcycles
decreased -1.3 percent compared to
last year's first quarter. Dealers
worldwide are reported to have sold
56,661 new Harley-Davidson
motorcycles in the first quarter of 2015,
compared to 57,415 motorcycles in the
year-ago quarter; with shipments
down to 79,589 motorcycles
worldwide from 80,682 in the year-ago
quarter.
In the U.S., dealers sold 35,488 new
Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the
quarter, down 0.7 percent compared to
sales of 35,730 motorcycles in the
year-ago period. The company believes
increased, aggressive competitive
motorcycle discounting was among the
factors adversely affecting first-quarter
U.S. retail Harley-Davidson sales.
As a result the company is lowering

its estimated growth rate for full-year
motorcycle shipments in order to
"manage supply in line with demand
and protect the premium nature of our
brand".
The company says it now expects
motorcycle shipments to grow
approximately 2 percent to 4 percent in
2015 (276,000 to 281,000
motorcycles), down from the previous
4 percent to 6 percent shipment
growth forecast (282,000 to 287,000).
In international markets, dealers
sold 21,173 new Harley-Davidson
motorcycles during the quarter
compared to 21,685 motorcycles in the
year-ago period, with unit sales down
1.1 percent in the Asia Pacific region
and 5.6 percent in the EMEA region
and up 0.3 percent in the Latin America
region and 5.7 percent in Canada.
Revenue from sales of motorcycles
to dealers and distributors was $1.26

FEMA
appoints
new
Secretary
General
Matt Levatich (Harley's former MV
Agusta President) took over from
Keith Wandell as Harley CEO last
month and faces immediate
challenges

billion, compared to revenue of $1.31
billion in the year-ago period. Revenue
from motorcycle parts and accessories
was $183.9 million during the quarter
compared to $198.1 million in the
year-ago period. Revenue from general
merchandise, which includes
MotorClothes apparel and accessories,
was $66.4 million compared to $64.1
million in the year-ago period.

stores, a mail order business that
started with its first catalogue in 1967,
and an online operation that is
estimated to account for some 20
percent of its total of around € in
240
sales.

THE Federation of European
Motorcyclists’ Associations
(FEMA) has appointed a new
General Secretary - Dolf
Willigers has taken over the
position from Aline Delhaye,
who had been General Secretary
since 2006.
Willigers (58), a Dutch national,
has a legal, economics
education and business
background and became
involved in the Motorrijders
Actie Groep (MAG) in the
Netherlands in 2001, becoming
a member of the Board of
Directors in 2005. In 2012 he
organised the campaign in the
Netherlands against the
imposition of a periodical
technical inspection for
motorcycles by Europe. In 2013
he became a FEMA delegate, a
specialist on European affairs.
Willigers said: “I am very glad to
be able to represent the riders
at EU level and to defend their
rights as General Secretary of
FEMA. Whilst on a global level
the use of motorcycles is
becoming more important for
every day travel, especially
urban areas, in Europe
motorcycling is under pressure.
The use of motorcycles in daily
traffic should instead be
promoted as a smart and fast
alternative for other kinds of
travelling and I am looking
forward to doing this".

https://www.louis.de

www.fema-online.eu

Full Top Speed 4t range now
JASO MA2 certified
MOTOREX’S entire range of Top
Speed 4T synthetic oils in all
viscosities is now certified as
fulfilling the strictest
requirements of motorcycle
manufacturers regarding
suitability for four-stroke engines
with wet clutches.
Last year, Motorex obtained MA2
certification from the Japanese
Automotive Standards
Organisation (JASO) for its newly
developed Top Speed 4T SAE
5W/40 oil. Now, this certification
has been additionally
implemented for all other

PARTS AND ACCESSORIES

viscosities of Top Speed 4T oils.
Top Speed 4T is a high
performance, synthetic engine oil
specially developed by Motorex
for use in large displacement,
high powered, wet clutch
motorcycles whose
manufacturers do not specifically
require fully synthetic oils.
Top quality base oils are
chemically refined and raised to
very high performance levels by
using the molecular converted.

Offered in SAE 5W/40, 10W/30,
10W/40 and 15W/50 viscosities,
the oil is said to have thermal
and shear stability as well as an
especially low Noack volatility.
MOTOREX
Langenthal, SWITZERLAND
Tel: [phone]
[e-mail]
www.motorex.com

Detlev Louis sold
to Warren Buffettt
RESPECTED German retailer and mail
order parts, accessory and apparel
specialist Detlev Louis has been sold to
a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway
Inc., the Omaha, Nebraska based
conglomerate built and still largely
owned by 84 year-old investor Warren
Buffett.
Known as the "Sage of Omaha"
and currently thought to be the
world's fourth richest man, Buffett's

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Berkshire Hathaway is said to hold
some $500bn in assets and has known
to be on the look-out for acquisitions
in Europe for some time.
Based i