Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128334
Middlebury National Hillclimb Canceled A MA Pro Racing has annou nced that /"\ro und eight o f the AMA Hillclimb Champi ons hip prese nted by Pace American has been cance led . The even t was to be he ld on September 19, in Middlebury, Indiana. great news not only for off-highway motorcyclists and ATY riders, but for horse riders, bicyclists and others as well: said Edward Moreland, AMA vice president for government relat ions. "We opposed the original roadless initiative because it didn't provide for enough comment at the local level. Th is new effort should give the pub lic an opportunity to let their governors, and federal officials. know how important it is be canceled. but a situation arose with regards to the promoter, and it co uldn't be helped ," said AHA Pro Racing technical manager Rob King. Round I0, whic h was listed as location to be determ ined , will not be held in 2004 . AMA Pro Racing loo ks forward to see ing the promoter return in 2005 at a new loca- tion. The re maining hillclimb sch edu le is as follo ws: to maintain existing recreational opportunities." The announcement marks the latest MUskll!lOn MC, NO!1Q n Shor~s, Michigan August 15 Continued from page 7 states. The governors would have 18 months after this new proposal becomes final to submit their petitions with their specifics to the Forest Service . The Forest Service then would go through a rulemaking process, including soliciting public comment, befo re annou ncing final rules for roadless areas in a particular state. "Th is is "It' s unfort unate that this event had to Augllllt t Briefly... Poags Hole Productions, Dansville, NewYork step to deal with the controversial road less initiative, finalized by the Clinton adm inistration in January, 200 I , to ban road -building and co mm ercial activities o n almost 60 million acres of roadless land. Even though tho se regulations state d that " Nothing in th is rule is int ended to prohibit the author- Septem1ltr12 Bushkill V alley Me, l/teel CitY, Pennsylvania September 26 White Rose MC, Jefferson (York Co.), Pennsylvania Oayton MC, Oregonia, Ohio ized construction or maintenance of motor- ized or non moto rized trails ." the AHA rem ained co nce rned that the rule could lead to Wides prea d road and trail closu res as feeder roads we re not maintained . Harley Still Flying High the Company expects P&A revenue to grow at a rate slightly faster than H arley-Davidso n Inc. last week announced record revenue and earnings for its second quarter ended June 27. Revenue for the quarter was $1 .]] billion compared with $1.22 billion in the year-ago quarter, an 8.9 percent the motorcycle unit growth rate . Second quarter revenue fro m increase, according to Harley. Second quarter diluted earnings per share (EPS) were 8] cents, a 2S.8 percent increase compared with last year 's 66 cents. "We are pleased to re port another excellent quarter for Harley- Davidson" said Jeffrey L. Bleustein, chairman and chief executive officer of Harley-Davidso n Inc. "The record res ults we have delivered through the first six months of this year are in line with the Company's previously stated long-term direction of sustainable growth." U.S. retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles were 18.8 percent ahead of last year for the quarter and up 16.S percent for the first six months. "Our dealers report that floor traffic is brisk, driven by keen inte rest in the entire Harley -Davidson exper ience and in particular the Sportster motorcycle family, which was completely redesigned for the 2004 model year ," Bleustein said. "The redesign , which was intended to broaden the appeal of that product line, is clearly achieving its purpose. Tomorrow we will bring even more excitement to our customers w hen the 2005 model year motorcycles and related new products will be unveiled to ou r worldwide dealer network at our summer dealer meeting in San Diego." Second quarter revenue from HarleyDavidson motorcycles was $1.02 billion, an increase of 6 .8 percent over last year, Harley says. Worldwide shipments of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the second quarter totaled 82,034 units, up 6009 units or 7.9 percent over last year. The Company's shipment target remains ] 17,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycles for 2004 . Second quarter revenue from Parts and Accessories (P&A), which consists of Genuine Motor Parts and Genuine Motor Accessories, totaled $2]0.1 million, a 12.7 percent increase or $2S .9 million more than the year-ago quarter. Over the long term , General Merchandise, whic h con sists of MotorClothes apparel and collectibles, totaled $S3.1 million, up 21.S percent or $9,4 million over the same period last year. Over the long term , the Company expects General Merchandise to grow at a rate lower than the motorcycle unit growth rate. Second quarter gross margin for the Motorcycles and Related Products Segment was 37.9 percent of revenue compared to ]6,4 percent in t he second quarter of last year. Favorab le gross margin was primarily impacted by plant efflciencies, including those that generally occur at the end of the model year. Some of There are ]9 states w ith roa dless areas o n national forest land , but just 12 states con tain S6.6 million acres, or 97 percent . Those sta tes are Alaska, Arizo na, California, Colorado , Idaho , Mo nta na, Nevada, New Mexico, O rego n, Utah , Washington and Wyo ming. The road less initiative has been the subject of litigatio n in Alaska, Idaho , Utah, No rth Dakota, Wyoming and the District of Columbia. In 2001 a federal judge in Idaho issued an order blocking implementation of the roadless initiative as a result of a lawsuit filed by the state of Idaho and others. The suit alleged the Clinton adm inistrati on vio lated the National Environmental Policy Act (N EPA) by dec iding o n the roadless rules before invo lving the public in the rule-making. In July, 200] , a federal judge in Wyoming blocked implementation of the roadless rule . The Bush administration feare d even further legal actio n. "The prospect of endless lawsuits represents ne ither progress nor certainty for communities," Veneman said in her announcement in Boise, Idaho. "Our announcements today illustrate our com - mitment to working closely with the these efficiencies are not expected to be maintained in the second half of the year nation's governors to meet the needs of local communities and to maintaining the due to new model year startup. Operating margin increased from 21.9 percent in 2003 to 25.2 percent in 2004 due primarily to higher gross margin and a change in the timing of marketing related costs in 2003 when compared with 2004, Harley says. In 200], operating expenses were higher in the first half of the year to support the looth Anniversary activities and programs. In 2004, operating expenses will be higher in the second half of the year, which is more typical of the Company's unde veloped character ofthe most pristine areas of the national forest system." Wh ile the new rules are be ing considered , the road less areas will be governed by an inte r- operations . im direct ive that bars road construction unless personally approved by U.S. Forest Service Ch ief Dale Bosworth. The new proposed rule is expected to be pub lished in the Fede ral Register within a week of Veneman's announcement. It is available at www.fs.fed.us. and pub lic co mments will be take n for 60 days once the proposed rule is published . Written comments may be Continued on page • J www.cyclenEWs.com CYCL E N EWS • JULY 28, 2004 9