President Trump- The Implications

[heironymouspasparagus]

According to one of the books I have on H-D history, at one point, H-D actually requested the feds drop the tariffs on their competitors once they felt they were on stable ground again.  I believe that may have happened around the time they went public in '86 and the Evo had been in production for two years.  That motor saved the company.

They did - it was quite a bit early - couple years, I think.   It was a very good move, but they had done very well with that little bit of protection.  I think that was also to help with the IPO - would not have looked good to Wall Street.   And Hondapottamus in particular was dumping massive amounts of bikes at 'half-price' just to get the market share - when that stopped, they didn't need the help so much.  The rest of the bike companies didn't really show up in that big bike market at the time.

It was a good motor, but I never really cared much for it... I mean, how are you gonna tell when you are getting low on oil if there isn't a slow leak to remind you when it stops...??   Shovelheads rule!!   Also, too smooth...they weren't called 'Milwaukee Vibrators' for nothing...  and yeah, it fit!

[Conan71]

There is no doubt that HD has made previous moves and was closing down their KC plant before the trade war started:
http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/news/business/harley-shutting-missouri-plant-sales-decline-article-1.3787607

That article says production peaked at 1.1 million in 2005 and is down to an estimated 236,000 in 2018.  That's a really tough business climate and I'm sure we could speculate on a litany of reasons (and many would certainly play into it).

But when a company is fighting for sales they need every edge they can get.  They cannot absorb another 15% hit to sales because the President thinks it makes him look better.  I'm confident Harley prefers to make as many bikes in the USA as possible, they already have the plants and capacity here, the executives live here, and their fans want them to.  But...adapt or die, a 30% tax on Harley's made in the US and sold in the EU makes it an easy choice to build the bikes overseas. It basically forces their hand, unless they sacrifice the company for Trump's ego.

My other point was that the Trump regime cannot have it both ways.  Either patriotic companies do business in the US no matter what, or they are expected to chase lower taxes. 

The article is a bit confusing.  There is no indication if that was overall U.S. sales by all manufacturers or if that was H-D's own figure.

U.S. motorcycle sales peaked at more than 1.1 million in 2005 but then plummeted during the recession. They've had trouble coming out of that trough because of demographic shifts. As baby boomers stop riding, there aren't enough millennials taking up the slack, analysts say.

Ah, here we go appears to be all MC sales:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/183549/us-sales-of-motorcycles-since-1990/

[Conan71]

They did - it was quite a bit early - couple years, I think.   It was a very good move, but they had done very well with that little bit of protection.  I think that was also to help with the IPO - would not have looked good to Wall Street.   And Hondapottamus in particular was dumping massive amounts of bikes at 'half-price' just to get the market share - when that stopped, they didn't need the help so much.  The rest of the bike companies didn't really show up in that big bike market at the time.

It was a good motor, but I never really cared much for it... I mean, how are you gonna tell when you are getting low on oil if there isn't a slow leak to remind you when it stops...??   Shovelheads rule!!   Also, too smooth...they weren't called 'Milwaukee Vibrators' for nothing...  and yeah, it fit!

Evo I can tolerate.  From TC-88 forward, they are too smooth and no slop in the transmission when you shift.  When I owned my restoration business, I refused to work on anything newer than a Shovel other than some limited work on friend's Evos.

I still own two Evos, one is an '86 Liberty Edition FXR, same as the one Vaughan Bealls and other HD bigwigs were pictured with on the floor of the AMEX in 1986, and a 1993 Electra-Glide.  Great bikes.  The '86 still has much of the pedigree from the collaboration with Porsche on the Evo.  I've also got 1931 and 1935 VL models as well as 1948 and 1949 125 S two stroke Harleys. 

[heironymouspasparagus]

Evo I can tolerate.  From TC-88 forward, they are too smooth and no slop in the transmission when you shift.  When I owned my restoration business, I refused to work on anything newer than a Shovel other than some limited work on friend's Evos.

I still own two Evos, one is an '86 Liberty Edition FXR, same as the one Vaughan Bealls and other HD bigwigs were pictured with on the floor of the AMEX in 1986, and a 1993 Electra-Glide.  Great bikes.  The '86 still has much of the pedigree from the collaboration with Porsche on the Evo.  I've also got 1931 and 1935 VL models as well as 1948 and 1949 125 S two stroke Harleys.  

Nice group of bikes!   Love the 30's bikes!   Also like all the clunking and mechanical sounds/feels.  I must admit, I do like the rubber mounted engine (Tourglide) and 5 speed tranny.  Need the chain sounds, though, primary and drive.

Just got the old shovel and I don't expect to get anything else unless I can find a nice old ElectraGlide - 60's or so...   A '35 VL with a sidecar would be one sweet cruising bike for Sunday afternoon tooling around for me and my bride...!!

[heironymouspasparagus]

This country is glued, screwed, and tattooed....

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/27/politics/anthony-kennedy-retires/index.html

[heironymouspasparagus]

Oh, no!   Surely North Korea wouldn't do this...!!


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/north-korea-continues-construction-of-nuclear-research-facility-despite-agreement-to-denuclearize-report/ar-AAzfIrX?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout

[guido911]

Not a good week at SCOTUS if you are a lib.

[Ed W]

An excerpt from H-D's expert trolling of the Great White Dope (satire):

" "If you think we're going to be intimidated by a guy who couldn't ride two wheels to save his softail, you've got a lot of turnpike left to travel."

The escalation in road warrior metaphors comes hard on the kickstand of Donald Trump opening his throttle at Harley-Davidson earlier today, after the U.S. president took exception to the company's insistence on doing business according to free market economics, rather than co-operating with the new model of American capitalism which – oddly enough – relies on overt government interference, and intimidation. "

[url] https://outabouter.com/2018/06/28/harley-davidson-begins-production-of-new-model-the-wall-glide/[!/url]

[heironymouspasparagus]

Not a good week at SCOTUS if you are a lib.

"There are two novels that can transform a bookish 14-year-kid's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish daydream that can lead to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood in which large chunks of the day are spent inventing ways to make real life more like a fantasy novel. The other is a book about orcs." -- John Rogers


Try the orc book sometime...it's better.   For you, your kids, and the world.

[cannon_fodder]

"Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with Meddling in our Election!" Trump wrote on Twitter Thursday morning

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/28/politics/donald-trump-russia-putin-summit/index.html
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/06/trump-backs-russia-ahead-of-nato-putin-summits/564011/


Tech Giants - Russia messed with our elections.
CIA - Russia messed with our elections.
NSA - Russia messed with our elections.
DOD - Russia messed with our elections.
FBI - Russia messed with our elections.
Congress - Russia messed with our elections.
Most Americans - Russia messed with our elections.
Allies - Russia messed with your elections.

Russia - we totally didn't mess with your elections.

Trump -  ...

[heironymouspasparagus]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/28/politics/donald-trump-russia-putin-summit/index.html
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/06/trump-backs-russia-ahead-of-nato-putin-summits/564011/


Tech Giants - Russia messed with our elections.
CIA - Russia messed with our elections.
NSA - Russia messed with our elections.
DOD - Russia messed with our elections.
FBI - Russia messed with our elections.
Congress - Russia messed with our elections.
Most Americans - Russia messed with our elections.
Allies - Russia messed with your elections.

Russia - we totally didn't mess with your elections.

Trump -  ...

He is obviously a 'Fellow Traveler' and yet, somehow his Minions are oblivious.  Amazing, isn't it?

[heironymouspasparagus]

Funny...as if that isn't what Gowdy has been working toward for years...

This investigation is NOT what is tearing this country apart, but good of him to remind us of his efforts to do damage...


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gowdy-rips-rosenstein-on-russia-probe-finish-it-the-hell-up/ar-AAzhQoq?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout

[heironymouspasparagus]

Trump keeps going after Harley Davidson.  3 days running now.  And of course, lying all the while.  Hey, Minions, I asked Breadburner exactly what moral code he lives by that allows him to rationalize this psychosis away - how about the rest of you ?? 


https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/trump-blasts-harley-gets-facts-162623397.html

[Ed W]

Trump is touting some non-existent steel mills too. The voices in his head tell him it's true.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/President-Trump-announces-a-major-US-Steel-13033881.php

[heironymouspasparagus]

Trump is touting some non-existent steel mills too. The voices in his head tell him it's true.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/President-Trump-announces-a-major-US-Steel-13033881.php

If it turned out to be true, just another crime he could be guilty of - insider trading.   SEC should check his recent stock purchases.