Harley-Davidson enters race to buy Italian rival Ducati

Interesting article posted by Burns on the other forum.

Harley-Davidson enters race to buy Italian rival Ducati

Link:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-ducati-m-a-idUSKBN19C1XX

(Hopefully NoVFRBoy still has me on his ignore list - he might faint if he reads this )

 

Say it ain't so


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You're bit behind on this GG, been on a few forums already since early this morning...

HD needs new buyers so they're targeting Ducati. Sounds like there are still some inside of VW that don't want to sell, let's hope that the sale doesn't go through! Then again, hopefully it'll raise the value of my pre-VW/Audi and non-HD Ducati!

 

You did see that I gave credit to Burns on the other forum for this story, right? I briefly checked to see if it was posted here and didn't see it - my apologies if it's a repost

 

Not a repost, just busting your balls.

 

LOL - I'm reminded of a good song:

 

Hopefully the Motor Company will end up with Ducati; a natural fit, if there ever was one. The world's two most charismatic motorcycle brands, with great potential for mutual lending-borrowing. H-D needs hi-tech and a new direction, and Ducati's design department needs a serious overhaul to get out of its slump. H-D knows how to design for target audiences and are the best MC marketers of all time.

 

The only way Ducati is a rival of HD is that they both make motorcycles. That's like saying Ferrari is a rival of Yugo.

HD tried working with BMW and the result was the V-Rod. Look how well that worked out. The last thing most HD riders are interested in is a well handling high performance motorcycle. Shoot, look how rhapsodic they get over the knucklehead motor.

 

Not to split hairs but that was Porche not BMW, but the point is the same.

 

Not one to spread rumors but the talk around the board room table at HD is that they need new buyers. There are actually a few online articles about the troubles at HD and this is where I got the gist of what may be happening. The typical HD fan is one that will replace his old HOG for a new one and, if he has any children, get them into the sport and ideally onto a Harley. The problem they appear to have, is that the older generation are either dying out, getting too old to ride or on a fixed income and can't afford to get a new ride. Add this to not finding new blood to buy their bikes, it is getting hard for them to sell to new clientele. The "traditionalist" don't care for the new technology, they want that old HOG with the same sound its had since the beginning.

Yes, there are still new riders that buy into the HD hype, but there are fewer of those around and the latest generation seems to be more into high tech than motorcycling. Even if they were looking into a motorcycle, they are not interested in the low tech 1950's technology that HD offers. They're looking at the electric bikes, the bikes with electronic goodies like ABS, traction control, active suspension systems, all of the things that HD doesn't have. Ducati does, they even have some of the newer technologies like Cornering ABS. The Multistrada has just about everything I mentioned if not more.

 

Oops, you're right, it was Porsche.

I agree with your rationale. And I think part of their problem is with their "identity". HD is your old man's bike, like a Buick is your old man's car. Trying to get younger people to look past the HD old people's stigma could be a long hard road.

 

HD already tried to kill a fine Italian bike company..... MV Agusta.

 

MV is still in business though right? They're racing in WSBK. Who owns them now?

 

Yeah but operative word would be "survived" HD. LOL Eric Buell.... Not so much.

 

True, but I think "there's a chance" Ducati might do well as a subsidiary of HD

 

Piaggio? I think.

 

I guess minigator means me. Ignoring dudes like that is like ignoring cockroaches, hoping they will go away.

 

Here is the new bike! A Darley.

 

LOL - all new Ducati's will henceforth be RWB models













I still can't believe he's dead

 

Nah, can't be a Harley/Darley, there's no stupid bell.