Harley Davidson Inc

Harley-Davidson Inc. said it planned to lay off as many as 740 employees and reduce production at two facilities because of a strike at its largest plant.

Harley-Davidson Inc. is engineering its own makeover, and some shocked fans and workers aren't pleased. In reporting an 84% drop in quarterly earnings, the Milwaukee manufacturer said Thursday that it is shutting down its longtime Buell product line and selling its MV Agusta business, an exclusive, high-end Italian brand it bought only last year. The company said it wants to focus on its core Harley brand. The decision to get out of sport bikes left a small but devoted ridership "kind of depressed," said Joe Frus, owner of the American Thunderbike Club, an online forum for Buell fans with 2,000 members.

Motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson Inc. said it had reached a tentative labor agreement with union workers at its largest manufacturing plant in York, Pa., a breakthrough in the 2-week-old strike by nearly 2,800 employees. A vote by the union rank and file is expected next week, the company said.

Harley-Davidson Inc. said Friday that it would cut 1,100 jobs over two years, close some facilities and consolidate others as it grappled with a slowdown in motorcycle sales. The Milwaukee company also reported its fourth-quarter profit fell nearly 60%, and said it was slashing motorcycle shipments in 2009 to cope with reduced demand. The motorcycle maker said it would consolidate two engine and transmission plants in Milwaukee into its Menomonee Falls, Wis., facility.

Harley-Davidson Inc., the Milwaukee manufacturer of the best-selling big bikes in the country, has pulled the plug on its effort to obtain federal trademark protection for the syncopated "potato-potato-potato" chug of its idling V-twin motorcycle engine.

Workers at Harley-Davidson Inc.'s largest plant approved a new contract, ending a 3-week-old strike that cost the company an estimated $11 million a day. Frank Larkin, a spokesman for the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said the contract, which will raise workers' pay 12% over three years, was approved by more than 80% of the members of the union's Local 175.

Harley Recalls 2 Types of Motorcycles: Harley-Davidson Inc. announced the recall of two types of motorcycles to repair electrical and fuel problems. Harley is recalling motorcycles with 1340cc engines from its FX, FXR, FL and FXD model groups made from June, 1989, through July, 1991. The company said the carburetor overflow system on the engines might release excess fuel onto the ground.

Harley-Davidson Says SEC Looking Into Trading: Harley-Davidson Inc. said the Securities and Exchange Commission is conducting an informal inquiry into trading in its stock in advance of this week's announcement of unexpectedly weak earnings growth. The motorcycle maker's stock dropped 31% over the past two sessions with about a third of that decline coming in advance of the release of its third-quarter earnings report.

He'd had a rotten day at the office -- the boss had barked at him, ordering him to get some mammoth project done within an impossible deadline. So he got aboard his pearl-white Harley-Davidson Street Glide, turned the ignition, gripped the throttle and revved the engine. He rode through streets crowded with apartments, past well-lighted skyscrapers. The city faded behind him and he breathed in the cool nighttime air, his motorbike roaring through the desert.

Owning a chromed or custom Harley-Davidson is "not about transportation, it's about an experience," says the company's chief executive, James L. Ziemer. That's clear to even the most average of non-motorcycling Joes, who, on any given day, are likely to see T-shirts, leathers, window decals, cigarette lighters, bandannas and other paraphernalia emblazoned with the company's trademark bar and shield. But there's one Harley-Davidson Motor Co. item that hasn't been selling as well in the U.S.

Workers at Harley-Davidson Inc.'s largest plant approved a new contract, ending a 3-week-old strike that cost the company an estimated $11 million a day. Frank Larkin, a spokesman for the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said the contract, which will raise workers' pay 12% over three years, was approved by more than 80% of the members of the union's Local 175.

Motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson Inc. said it had reached a tentative labor agreement with union workers at its largest manufacturing plant in York, Pa., a breakthrough in the 2-week-old strike by nearly 2,800 employees. A vote by the union rank and file is expected next week, the company said.

Talks between Harley-Davidson Inc. and the striking workers at its largest plant will resume Wednesday, the union said Monday. "Unlike earlier meetings, this session will be face to face without mediators present," said Frank Larkin, a spokesman for the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Nearly 2,800 workers at Harley's plant in York, Pa., walked off the job Feb. 2 after their contract expired. Harley is seeking a number of concessions from the workers.

Harley-Davidson Inc. said it planned to lay off as many as 740 employees and reduce production at two facilities because of a strike at its largest plant.

Harley-Davidson to Sell Unit: The Milwaukee-based company, focusing on its strong motorcycle business, said it agreed to sell its Holiday Rambler recreational vehicle division to Monaco Coach Corp., a Junction, Ore.-based manufacturer of luxury leisure vehicles, for $50 million. Harley-Davidson Inc., the only major U.S.

Harley-Davidson Inc. reported a 28% jump in second-quarter earnings to $115.6 million, or 38 cents a share, and boosted its production goal for the year because of increased demand for its motorcycles. Sales increased 13% to $850.9 million. The company, which makes about half the heavyweight motorcycles sold in the U.S. and one in four worldwide, plans to spend $145 million for expansion at its assembly complex in Pennsylvania and add 275 jobs to help meet demand.

Harley-Davidson Inc. said that strong international sales of its motorcycles helped drive its fourth-quarter profit up 9.7% -- a touch above Wall Street expectations -- but also that U.S. sales were flat. Chief Executive Jim Ziemer pledged to ramp up dealer rallies and safety classes to bring in new riders to shore up the domestic market. Shares of Harley-Davidson fell $1.89, or 2.6%, to $70.95. Net income for the quarter ended Dec. 31 totaled $252.