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Author Topic: HD CEO Matt Levatich Fired  (Read 4739 times)

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Re: HD CEO Matt Levatich Fired
« Reply #30 on: March 17, 2020, 12:28:39 AM »

No offense, but WTF does that mean?  The paragraph is simply marketing babble.

 :oops: :nixweiss:
When I was working we saw this type nonsensical babble when divisions had nothing to say but were required to submit something.  This tells me they don’t have a clue as to how things might turn around.
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Threephase

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Re: HD CEO Matt Levatich Fired
« Reply #31 on: March 17, 2020, 01:36:25 AM »

We have all seen the t-shirts that ask "do you have a Harley or just a t shirt?"

Going forward the MoCo will sell shirts that say "we don't sell bikes but we do have cool t shirts"
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Re: HD CEO Matt Levatich Fired
« Reply #32 on: March 17, 2020, 07:39:07 AM »

Certainly looks like they are going to hide unit sales numbers .

 ;) ;)
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Re: HD CEO Matt Levatich Fired
« Reply #33 on: March 17, 2020, 09:36:07 AM »

Certainly looks like they are going to hide unit sales numbers .

 ;) ;)

Yup, and once again they aren't inventing something new, it's a ploy the auto makers have been using for some time to shift the focus from the very short term sales reports to longer term measureables.  The auto industry used to release ten day sales reports for pete's sake, and they spent most of every month having to answer to industry analysts and stockholders after every ten day report.  And people wonder why they were so short term oriented.

Harley will most likely find that the once highly profitable motor clothes and accessory lines will lose ground rapidly for the same reason bike sales are falling off.  The generations that drove all those various profit centers are fading away, and the days of Harley being able to make a ton of money putting their name on shirts and ashtrays and all that other stuff will come to an end just like the sales of overpriced and underwhelming motorcycles of dubious quality are fading away.  I assume we'll eventually see one of the vulture capitalist groups buy them, saddle them with unbearable debt, and then sell off any valuable assets.  In other words, the same thing that's been done to many of our formerly big and successful companies over the past few decades.

Jerry
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Re: HD CEO Matt Levatich Fired
« Reply #34 on: March 17, 2020, 09:38:11 AM »

What Jerry said.

And as HD looks to who their market is & the demographic they might expand into new areas. Harley logos are already on a lot of products & not all are bike related.  Maybe they branch out into HD themed planned community developments like Del Webb, nursing homes, and mobility scooters?
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Re: HD CEO Matt Levatich Fired
« Reply #35 on: March 17, 2020, 10:25:39 AM »

HD is a victim of “over-branding” already.  There’s a limit to how much people will pay for dog collars, playing cards, tool boxes, towels, shot glasses, socks, sunglasses, jewelry, bath mats, cup holders, cell phone cases, etc., just because it has the HD logo.  Years ago I stopped buying the branded items, including shirts...had plenty and just couldn’t justify paying $75 for a $20 sweatshirt made in Vietnam.  If the public isn’t buying bikes, they’re not going to buy any of the branded items either. 
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Re: HD CEO Matt Levatich Fired
« Reply #36 on: March 17, 2020, 10:34:25 AM »

Did the same, quit buying HD branded logo stuff a very long time ago.  Lots of it just over too priced. Used to get t shirts but after I had enough t shirts I just quit.  Loyalty programs have been the reason I got the last couple - had to spend the points before they were gone.

I think there is still some areas that HD could expand into - seriously - that they have not tapped.  This economic downturn is going to be very rough on a lot of companies.  A company like Harley that depends heavily on not necessarily basic needs product - large motorcycles used for leisure activities - will be hurt worse.
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RivRaptor

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Re: HD CEO Matt Levatich Fired
« Reply #37 on: March 17, 2020, 01:10:26 PM »

HD is a victim of “over-branding” already.  There’s a limit to how much people will pay for dog collars, playing cards, tool boxes, towels, shot glasses, socks, sunglasses, jewelry, bath mats, cup holders, cell phone cases, etc., just because it has the HD logo.  Years ago I stopped buying the branded items, including shirts...had plenty and just couldn’t justify paying $75 for a $20 sweatshirt made in Vietnam.  If the public isn’t buying bikes, they’re not going to buy any of the branded items either.

So true!

  And the fact that none of the products are made in the U.S. is a major turn off!  I have never been a branding guy anyway except for maybe t-shirts but as of now I can't fit anymore t-shirts in the closet!  Even stopped buying event shirts awhile ago, can't wear them out fast enough.  Plus why when you own a HD does everyone think you need all HD branded gifts...I own other bike brands and no one gives us Ducati, BMW & Suzuki stuff?  Also as I have stated in other threads....their branded stuff suffers from (price & quality) it's mostly expensive junk!
« Last Edit: March 17, 2020, 01:12:47 PM by RivRaptor »
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Re: CEO DIRED
« Reply #39 on: March 20, 2020, 11:28:00 AM »

Interesting story.  From the board down the company needs to be reorganized. If HD continues in it's present state it may not survive until it is bought out. 
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Re: HD CEO Matt Levatich Fired
« Reply #40 on: March 21, 2020, 07:21:28 AM »

Very interesting story.  It would make sense he was let go, as stated years of poor performance. 

The board and the company need to be refocused and find a direction that includes quality.

Quality as gone down hill since my first CVO in 2009, slowly at first but much more rapidly after 2016.

My 19 CVO road glide was 10K more than my 09 road glide, yet not much added to the bike, XM radio and GPS, but xm is gone for 2020.  Lots of stuff not on the 19  that was on the 09.  09 had only a couple warranty issues.  The 19 has had lots of issues, for example its got its 3rd set of front brake rotors on order, speedometer on order, had left switch housing replaced, seat replaced, heal shifter replaced, saddle bag lid replaced, front fork leges replaced.

Why would some one buy another CVO when you cant ride 6K miles on a set of rotors?  I get more miles out of tires.  I cant afford to replace rotors 3 or 4 times a year when bike is out of warranty.
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Re: HD CEO Matt Levatich Fired
« Reply #41 on: March 21, 2020, 08:44:59 AM »


Changing chief executives while keeping the same entrenched board members is nothing more than a distraction designed to fool the clueless.  The board at Harley needed to be heavily shaken up a very long time ago, and that also goes for a lot of other big corporations these days.  Board members are way too comfortable just going through the motions and making the same mistakes year after year; unfortunately nothing ever changes UNLESS one or two very wealthy people gain control of enough shares to be able to force change.  I've seen it happen elsewhere, but at this point the group in the article Bill posted doesn't control enough shares to be able to influence the lunch menu at board meetings, much less the makeup of the board and the direction of the company going forward. 

JMHO - Jerry
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Re: HD CEO Matt Levatich Fired
« Reply #42 on: March 22, 2020, 12:41:06 PM »

Maybe the best thing that could happen to the MoCo is to become a privately owned company.  This would take trying to appease large stock holders out of the mix.  The downside...we’ve seen companies that go private get raided by the new owners...they cut expenses to the bone, outsource, layoffs, etc., then sell off what’s left when they can turn a tidy profit.
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Re: HD CEO Matt Levatich Fired
« Reply #43 on: March 23, 2020, 10:28:34 AM »

Maybe they could get Keith Wandell back?
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Re: HD CEO Matt Levatich Fired
« Reply #44 on: April 11, 2020, 09:40:02 PM »

 Couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.  :orange: :mango: :huepfenjump3: :bananarock:
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