The Versys would be the bike I'd buy next if I was going to get one. It fills a great niche and is just downright cool looking.Yep, as wannafly noted, it's sort of the Kawasaki answer to the V-Strom. I rode a little Ninja 250 for about five years, great little bike, and finally upgraded to the Versys, which I absolutely love.
They have to win foreign markets because their US rider market is shrinking rapidly. Post baby boomer generations have little interest in their product. With sales so far off from their peak of the last 15 years, it will be interesting to see how they fare over the next 10 years.As much as I liked Buells myself - all you need to know about H-D's divestment in '09 is here. Growth in Asia and Europe for the HD brand seems likely to keep the brand lively for quite some time. There are more riders with more money in those markets all the time (well, in Asia anyway). Increased competition from high-quality domestics and imports should keep them focused.
The numbers in the 10-K don't seem quite this bad. They had a soft 2008 (who didn't?) and have struggled with legacy costs and raw materials increase since but the units they are moving are pretty relative. It seems that they aren't trying to win foreign markets yet (a long road to hoe) but are establishing footholds (India seems to be a focus). I was actually very surprised to see the number of units they moved in Europe the last few years.They have to win foreign markets because their US rider market is shrinking rapidly. Post baby boomer generations have little interest in their product. With sales so far off from their peak of the last 15 years, it will be interesting to see how they fare over the next 10 years.
If you read any of the UK bike mags, they generally speak well of Harley. They were all particularly excited to get the XR1200 before we did and gave it positive reviews.I was actually very surprised to see the number of units they moved in Europe the last few years.
Here's one I always liked."It's not the ride, it's the detours..."
"You ain't lost till you run out of gas."