Harley-Davidson Reports Q3 2014 Sales Results

Dennis Chung
by Dennis Chung

Harley-Davidson reported a 3.8% gain in motorcycle sales over the third quarter ended Sept. 28, 2014, but still saw a 4.2% decrease in operating income from sales.

According to the company’s third quarter report, Harley-Davidson sold 73,217 motorcycles over the three-month period, up from 70,517 motorcycles sold in the same period last year. Sales results were buoyed by the launch of 2015 models including the returning Road Glide and the entry-level Street models.

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“With the successful launch of the 2015 motorcycles in late August, including the return of the Road Glide models, and the outstanding efforts of our dealers, third-quarter retail Harley-Davidson motorcycle sales topped the strong growth of the year-ago quarter,” says Keith Wandell, president and chief executive officer of Harley-Davidson. “A rebound in Sportster motorcycle sales from this year’s second quarter and increased availability of the Street 750 and Street 500 motorcycles also contributed to these positive results.”

The U.S. alone accounted for sales of 50,167 new Harley-Davidson motorcycles, up from 48,529 sold in the same quarter in 2013.

Despite the increase in motorcycle sales, revenues declined to $1.13 billion from $1.18 billion. Total operating income from sales decreased to $146.3 million from $175.5 million in the third quarter. Harley-Davidson says the drop in operating sales income was a expected result of a planned reduction in motorcycle shipments.

Overall, Harley-Davidson reported a net profit of $150.1 million over the third quarter, down from the $162.7 million reported last year.

[Source: Harley-Davidson]

Dennis Chung
Dennis Chung

Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.

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