Crime
Harley Davidson Rider Has Bike Seized for Riding Dangerously
A Harley Davidson motorcyclist has had his motorcycle seized and was fined by the district court in Bangkok for riding his motorcycle dangerously prior to an illegal motorcycle race.
A district court in Bangkok confiscated a motorcyclist’s Harley Davidson bike and fined him 5,300 baht for dangerous driving.
On the night of February 13th, witnesses reported seeing a 27-year-old rider standing on his Harley Davidson as he travelled along Yaowarat Road in the Chinatown area. The rider’s name has not been released by Bangkok police.
After being arrested, he was charged with riding his Harley Davidson without due care and attention, driving a vehicle without a valid road tax, and attending a road race preparation gathering.
General Damrongsak Kittipraphat, deputy chief of the national police, said today (Sunday) that illegal road racing causes irritation to other road users in Bangkok. The chief asked members of the public to report or record any incidents where traffic laws are being broken, so police can track down the transgressors.
If the information leads to an arrest, those who inform the police will be rewarded with up to 3,000 baht.
Harley Davidson Sees Revenues Increase 40 percent
In other news, Harley Davidson Inc. reported higher demand for its most expensive touring and cruiser motorcycles increasing revenues by 40%.
Harley-Davidson’s revenue increased to $1.02 billion from $725 million a year earlier during the three-month period ended Dec. 31. Profit rose to $21.6 million and shares were worth 14 cents. This was from a loss of $96.4 million and shares were worth 63 cents in the same quarter a year earlier.
Harley-Davidson had been expected to report a loss in the most recent quarter. As a result of the earnings announcement, the company’s share price closed at $41.73, up more than 15%.
Harley-Davidson has increased its focus on some of its most expensive motorcycles, such as three-wheel bikes, which have higher profit margins.
In order to focus on North America, Europe, and some portions of Asia-Pacific, the company has slashed its bike model lineup by around 40% and pulled out of poorly performing international markets.
It is important for the company to be in markets where it believes it can achieve growth with the most profitable bikes.
According to Harley-Davidson, its Pan America adventure touring bikes have become the No. 1 seller in their category in North America.
Its largest market, North America, saw Harley’s bike sales rise 8% during the recent quarter. Sales increased 2% globally but decreased in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) regions.
During the full year 2021, Harley Davidson reported a 32% increase in revenue and a record $415 million in operating income from its financial services division that makes loans to motorcycle buyers.
Bikes sold by the company in Thailand and worldwide increased 8%, driven by a 22% increase in North America.
Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president and CEO said “Harley-Davidson delivered a strong finish to the year.” Zeitz has been Harley’s CEO since 2020.
With him at the helm, the company has cut costs, culled dealerships, and replaced a large portion of its previous management team.
