The Harley-Davidson Dealer Council of the National Powersports Dealer Association outlined its grievances in a letter recently sent to its members and Harley’s chief commercial officer, a copy of which was viewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The letter said Harley is shipping dealers too many bikes during a time of slow sales, requiring them to spend too much money remodeling their dealerships and taking other measures that hurt dealers’ profits.
Investors cheered Harley’s better-than-expected quarterly earnings last month and its plans to spend $1 billion on stock buybacks through 2026, but the pronouncements drew the ire of some dealers.
“We believe that much of what was taken from dealerships has fueled a large part of this,” the letter said, citing Harley’s robust profits….
