Survey shows Harley-Davidson U.S. retail up 12-14 percent

A survey of 55 Harley-Davidson dealers by Baird analyst Craig Kennison shows U.S. retail up low double-digits through mid-November, according to a research note provided by Baird to Powersports Business.

“US demand is tracking up 12-14%, well above our 4% estimate,” Kennison reports. “Northeast dealers were underrepresented (Sandy), suggesting national results may finish closer to +10%. … We now expect US Harley dealers to sell roughly 26K bikes in Q4.”

Kennison also reports that “9 out of 10 dealers tell us inventory is ‘too low’ or ‘about right,’ a healthy dynamic that limits discounting activity. Still, we continue to see about half the dealers we contact sell below MSRP to ‘close the deal,’ — a hard habit to break.”