HARLEY HAPPENINGS
Is The Clock Ticking On The Motor Company?
POINT
H Partners Vacates The Board
COUNTERPOINT
Harley Refutes Disingenuous Claims
CONTEXT
Harley’s Quarterly Numbers Reveal The Truth
GODSPEED!
Vale Rich Teerlink
News By Category
News
According to the press release issued by H Partners the current Board of Directors has been making secret deals in advance of the strategic vote… We haven’t had a chance to hear the other side regarding these serious allegations, so take this with a grain of salt.
Powersports Leaders Confident Despite Q1 Decline
New name, renewed commitment! Now known as 7 Hills Harley-Davidson, the former Eastgate Harley-Davidson, is under new ownership and management, bringing fresh energy, expanded inventory and a renewed commitment to the Cincinnati riding community.
As we all can see and hear, there are many changes going on with our government and how imported items are being handled.
S&S GOES OLD SCHOOL
Shifting Gears
Promoting from within. When S&S Cycle needed a new Sales & Technical Services Manager, the V-Twin experts looked no further than under their own Viola, Wisconsin, roof.
Industry veteran Melissa Coffey is getting in on the action — ACTION Recruiting, that is.
Turn 14 Powersports has tabbed industry pro Eric Maurer as its new Marketing Manager.
OEM update: “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Powersports Media Coordinator at American Honda Motor Company,” says Madison Ebberts.
In more distributor doings, Chris Kasabula takes flight from FLY and HardDrive.
SEGWAY SEEKS BEST IN THE DESERT HONORS They say racing improves the breed, so when you want to be the best you tackle the toughest races, right? With that in mind, Segway Powersports US is seeking to be Best In The Desert, literally as well as figuratively as Segway Factory Racing, and Evolution Powersports (EVP) are teaming up to take on the BITD Silver State 300. At the center of this groundbreaking alliance is the debut of the Segway Super Villain SX20T. https://dealernews.com/Home/post/segway-seeks-best-in-the-desert-honors/
The plot thickens... again. H Partners just fired another salvo at Harley-Davidson: H Partners Management, LLC (“H Partners” or “we”), one of the largest shareholders of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HOG) (“Harley-Davidson”, “Harley”, or the “Company”), which beneficially owns approximately 9.3% of the outstanding shares of the Company, today commented on what appear to be secret, undisclosed commitments made by the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) to a hand-picked set of shareholders ahead of the Company’s upcoming Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”): “As a result of our ongoing engagement with fellow shareholders, we have learned from numerous sources that the Harley-Davidson Board has been making secret, undisclosed commitments to select investors in an apparent attempt to win votes for Jochen Zeitz, Thomas Linebarger, and Sara Levinson at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Our engagement leads us to believe that certain shareholders are being told that Mr. Zeitz, Mr. Linebarger, and Ms. Levinson intend to exit the Board over the next year, the Board now intends to appoint an external CEO, and the Board has done away with the concept of the current CEO transitioning to Executive Chair. In addition to constituting a flagrant violation of corporate governance norms and the SEC’s proxy rules, this conduct suggests that the Board believes there are two tiers of shareholders: an elite group of holders with special access and all other holders who are in the dark. We maintain that this is exactly the type of arrogant, insular thinking that has led to brand erosion, dealer frustration, and sustained sales declines at Harley-Davidson. We are skeptical that Mr. Zeitz, Mr. Linebarger, and Ms. Levinson will in fact step down from the Board in the next year, because we have heard these commitments before and they are never followed through on. However, even if Mr. Zeitz, Mr. Linebarger, and Ms. Levinson, are being truthful, and even if they plan to step down when a new CEO is found, then we are even more perplexed by several serious governance questions: Why are Mr. Zeitz, Mr. Linebarger, and Ms. Levinson fighting with their shareholders and wasting millions of dollars of shareholders’ resources if they plan to leave the company anyway? Why would Mr. Zeitz, Mr. Linebarger, and Ms. Levinson selectively disclose non-public information to only certain shareholders? Why should shareholders allow Mr. Zeitz, Mr. Linebarger, and Ms. Levinson to select the next CEO, when shareholders have suffered $9 billion in equity value destruction over the course of the past two CEO succession processes they have overseen?1 We urge shareholders to recognize that preserving the Board seats of Mr. Zeitz, Mr. Linebarger, and Ms. Levinson at the Annual Meeting represents a material threat to protecting and enhancing value. If Mr. Zeitz, Mr. Linebarger, and Ms. Levinson cannot be trusted to be transparent with all shareholders and stakeholders at this critical moment, how can anybody look past their questionable records and entrust them to make major decisions that will shape the future of Harley-Davidson? The reality is that they cannot be trusted. H Partners, which has a long-term and significant investment in Harley-Davidson, firmly believes that the Company will be far better positioned to identify an exceptional CEO and refresh the Board with impartial, qualified experts if Mr. Zeitz, Mr. Linebarger, and Ms. Levinson are no longer dominating the boardroom.”
RIDE REPORT According to the Motorcycle Industry Council’s RideReport, OEMs remain confident despite the MIC's first-quarter report showing that sales of new motorcycles and scooters among leading brands have decreased -7.8% in Q1 2025, despite strong sales in certain motorcycle segments and on the four-wheel side. "Overall, we feel the industry is still healthy and strong," said Bill Savino, MIC Board member and Director, Powersports National Sales at Honda Motorcycles & ATVs. "While Honda has seen a small dip in two-wheel sales, especially among smaller bikes, our 50th Anniversary Gold Wing and other larger-displacement models are doing quite well, as are our four-wheel powersports models." https://dealernews.com/Home/post/ride-report/
DEALER NEWS: NATIONAL POWERSPORTS DEALER ASSOCIATION H-D COUNCIL WEIGHS IN Noting that the NPDA H-D Council was not organized as a “take sides organization,” but designed to collaborate on issues that are important to our collective business success, the National Powersports Dealer Association has nonetheless been compelled to make a statement. “Unfortunately, there has been no collaboration under the company’s current leadership – forcing us to have to take a stand on behalf of our members.” https://dealernews.com/Home/post/dealer-news-national-powersports-dealer-association-h-d-council-weighs-in/
In Case You Missed It
Reuters, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and a number of credible sources are reporting that Jochen Zeitz plans to retire in 2025.
After 17 years running dealerships for Scott Fischer Enterprises, launching Digital Lead Performance and co-founding LeadHelm a couple years ago, industry pro Aaron Barney is the new National Digital Director for RideNow Powersports and RumbleOn.
First it was Captain America going old school on a 1942 WLA (known as the “Liberator”) in Captain America: The First Avenger, circa 2011.
With Harley dealers as the unifying element, The Motor Company has launched the 2025 Let’s Ride Challenge – Ride for Heroes.
“Dealers are the ambassadors of excitement,” declares Matt Laidlaw in the April cover story. “We need to excite people about the sport of motorcycling.
