Auto's & Moto's

Harley-Davidson Motorcycles

Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. has recently denied rumors alleging that it will buy Harley-Davidson Inc., which caused the US motorcycle maker’s interest to rise in New York last Friday.

But just in case Honda and Harley do combine, their union would be clever to control 65 percent of the US motorcycle market while its next leading competitor Yamaha will be left with only 16 percent. Such paradigm of stronghold on the motorcycle market would definitely not please the Federal Trade Commission.

Honda through its spokeswoman Yoshido has extended their reaffirm on the issue. According to Honda spokeswoman Makiko Yoshida in Tokyo last Monday, “There’s absolutely no really to it.”

Amidst doubts from analyst and market participants, Harley-Davidson shares and options were capable to increase with 58,535 options last Friday which is fourteen times more than the daily average that is basing from the figures gathered by retail research firm Track Data.

RBC Capital Market Analyst, Edward Aaron in an meeting with Forbes.com last Friday said, “I’d be surprised if there was a Honda and Harley-Davidson combination, basically for regulatory and cultural reasons.” He also added, “Harley is an iconic, American trade-mark. I don’t think it would be a great fit if they were under the ownership of a larger Japanese corporation.”

Aaron further stated that it was unlikely that Harley would become the aim of a buyout. He said, “Although an LBO is more plausible than a merger with Honda, the math behind such a transaction is not highly compelling.” And besides Harley is already a well operated task with a high margin profile and it’s not a good business sense for an LBO investor to shell out a significant premium and be skilled to generate a fitting return.

Harley’s share gained as much as 6.4 percent before closing last Friday’s seating by $2.43 or about 4 percent at $62.55 on the New York Stock Exchange. On the other hand, the shares of Honda, the world’s biggest motorcycle maker and regisseur of high quality Honda exhaust system have gained very little increase in Tokyo with only 0.5 percent last Monday at 4,420 yen.

Honda TidbitsIn generalFor the past 50 years, Honda has made racing as its training ground for challenging the abilities of both its engineers and designers. Soichiro Honda said that the pressures that people gets from racing encourages them to be after for innovative solutions and demands fast, precise responses to new problems that they have not encountered before.

This is also the very reason why racing is embedded in the corporate refinement of Honda. Aside from that racing also teaches people how to work harmoniously with each other since in racing no single individual can carry success to the team because it is a group effort.

Throughout the racing history of Honda either it be in two wheels or four, the Japanese automaker has been talented to win at the highest levels. From the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race to Formula One Grand Prix, Honda was able to buy 60 race victories and four consecutive Constructors’ Championships from 1988 to 1991. Various Honda models are displayed in winning lanes around the world.

It nonchalantly to rush into things once you’ve decided to buy a new motorbike, but have a little patience and save yourself a little grief and a lot of money.

Elect WHICH BIKE IS BEST FOR YOU

Notice here, I avoided the word ‘want’, because what you want, and what suits you upper-class are totally different animals. It’s all very well finally aspiring to the bike of your dreams only to find that you fall off at every junction because your legs are too straight, or it’s so fast that it scares you to death, so retain a modicum of common sense when making your purchase. There’s also the question of what you can manage. You may scrape together the money to buy the bike in the first place, but can you really afford to run it. Don’t forget; fast bikes are costly to insure, primarily if you are young or have no ‘no claims’ bonus.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Right, you’ve decided which bike to buy and you’re off to get your zealous hands upon the beauty, but wait, hold on a minute. Before you jump in, ought you not to test the water? It’s time to look into the market. This is an important point, because it could save you a lot of money. You’re going to have to decide whether you’re going to buy privately or from a dealer. Of conduct, buying privately is cheaper, but if you go down this route, make sure you know what you’re doing. Buying from a dealer will sell more protection should there be a problem with the machine after you’ve owned it for a week or two. Shop around and see who’s offering the best deal. If necessary, extend back and wait until the bike you want is available.

BE METICULOUS WITH THE PAPERWORK

You may find a motorcycle that is just the affair for you, suits you down to the ground and is reasonably priced, but that price won’t look so good if you buy the bike, only to discover a few weeks later that the yourself who sold the motorbike didn’t actually own it. If the seller cannot provide the documentation for the motorbike, don’t touch it. Make ineluctable that the address on the registration document is the same as the sellers.

A LITTLE HISTORY

Alright, we’ve ascertained that the man who’s selling the motorcycle is the rightful owner; well he thinks he is anyway. The fact is that if the motorcycle was bought on finance by someone who overstretched themselves and failed to keep up with the payments, the bike could well be the riches of the money lenders. Firstly, ask the seller if the bike is paid for; unless he’s an out and out liar, he’s going to come tidy and save you a lot of hassle. If he seems to be a decent chap and you believe him…don’t. Invest in a vehicle check. It could be the best money you ever burned-out.

THE VIEWING

Never, ever, ever, ever view a vehicle at any other place than the seller’s home. Believe me; even if you have to travel a extended distance to see the motorcycle, it’s worth going that extra mile or two. Don’t be tempted by offers to meet half way at a avenue side cafe or some such place. I hardly need to say this, but don’t go at night. All vehicles look better under street lights. Now here’s a absolutely good idea; if you’re not too hot on the mechanical side of things, take someone along who knows about bikes.

DOES IT GO

And more to the point, is it growing to keep going? I refer back to the point about taking someone along who is knows about motorbikes. If you don’t have a friend who fits into this category, it may be well worth paying someone who does. In the lofty scheme of things a little extra on the price of the bike isn’t too much to bear. The alternative could be unthinkable.

Understanding?

The motorcycle is a few years old, but according to the clock it must have been sitting in a garage, but hold on a minute, it looks a baby worn in places. Watch out for ‘clocking’. Ask the seller to produce test certificates from above-named years and check to se if they tally with the recorded mileage.

VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

On it. It’s not only humans that suffer from identity theft. Make sure you’re not buying a ringer. Every vehicle carries a peerless number; do your utmost to ensure that the number hasn’t been changed.

THE TEST RIDE

Before you take the bike out for a defraud, explain to the owner that you’re going to be gone for at least half an hour. It’s no good just going down the road and back and hoping to get a think for a bike that you’re going to be living with for a while. Take more care choosing your bike than your partner (most people do).

SOMETHING FISHY

If something doesn’t seem right, if there’s a little niggle in the back of your mind, go home and think about it… no, just go home, sabbatical it. Another bike will come along in due course.

When Bugatti started production of the Veyron back in 2005, it was supposed to build 300 examples. For a long time, that total seemed pretty ambitious considering the seven-figure price tag on the most super of contemporary supercars, but according to Molsheim, all but 50 have been built and sold. Add to that another 150 examples of the Grand Sport roadster version and you’ve got 450. Whether special editions like the Pur Sang, Sang Noir and Hermes are counted as part of the original production figures or considered supplemental specials is insignificant, considering that only a handful of each are to be built.

The one wrinkle that has us wondering about all of these million-dollar supercars is that it was only last March when it was announced that Bugatti had sold 220 cars (of which only 132 had been built). Given how long it took them to get to 220, that seems like one heck of an order ramp-up, particularly given the state of the global economy.

The bottom line is that if you’ve been dragging your feet over whether to spend that extra million on a Bugatti or not, better make your mind up fast. Like, Veyron fast.

Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. plan to raise prices in the U.K. to counter the pound’s drop, a strategy that may drive away buyers and accelerate the plunge in British car sales.

Ford says it will raise sticker prices in the U.K. by an average of 4.7 percent today, including a 5.2 percent increase for the best-selling Ford Focus. GM’s Vauxhall, whose sister brand Opel has cut prices and offered improved financing in Germany, will release details of a planned U.K. increase later this month, Simon Hucknall, a Vauxhall spokesman, said in a phone interview.

“Additional price increases are likely unless there is a strengthening in the value of the pound against the euro,” Brian Bennett, a Ford spokesman in England, said in an e-mailed response to questions.

U.K. auto sales fell 11 percent last year, with the decline gathering pace in December, when vehicle deliveries dropped 21 percent. The pound has fallen 11 percent against the euro and 27 percent against the dollar in the past six months, leading carmakers to strike a new balance between logging a sale in Britain and getting enough money from a purchase.

Raising prices in the midst of a recession is normally “suicidal,” Simon Empson, managing director of car sales Web site Broadspeed.com, said in a phone interview. Dealers use Empson’s business to move hard-to-sell inventory.

Writing Off Britain

“The manufacturers are going to write off the U.K. market for the foreseeable future,” said Empson, whose site is offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal on the 2008 Kia Magentis. “There’s such an overhang in the market that we’re seeing dealers sell at real losses. I can’t see too many positives right now.”

GM’s price increases are “due to the decline in value of sterling,” Hucknall said.

The Bank of England cut the key interest rate in January to the lowest level since the bank was created in 1694 as it tries to drag an economy that’s contracting at the fastest pace since 1980 out of a recession. Frozen credit markets have led to unprecedented discounting, such as Broadspeed’s offer on the Kia model.

Boosting prices seems “idiotic” because it’s likely to accelerate the industry’s decline, said Tim Urquhart, a London- based analyst with research firm IHS Global Insight. “The argument may be: What’s the difference? They’re not selling anyway, so we may as well charge a decent price.”

The U.K. car market is the third largest in Europe and was traditionally a key source of profits for automakers because of the high prices consumers were willing to pay, Urquhart said.

‘Cash Cow’

“They saw the English consumer as a cash cow, but no one’s making money in the U.K. right now,” said Urquhart, who estimates that sales of cars and sport-utility vehicles will fall 19 percent to 1.96 million vehicles this year in Britain.

Volkswagen AG, Europe’s largest carmaker, probably will follow the lead of its U.S. rivals. Paul Buckett, a spokesman for the German carmaker’s U.K. operations, said the company tries to keep pricing in line with competitors and that GM and Ford are two of the manufacturers it tracks. “We are looking at what our competitors are doing.”

The weaker pound means Europe-based manufacturers, such as Volkswagen, PSA Peugeot Citroen and Fiat SpA, get fewer euros for cars sold in Britain, depressing profits.

“The manufacturers should be helping dealers by putting the price down rather than up,” said Richard Peace, a sales manager at car dealer Motorhouse in Cannock, England, near Birmingham. “It all comes down to price” in the current environment, he said.

Export to Continent

The pound’s decline also makes U.K. cars potentially attractive for exporting to continental Europe, even with the steering wheel on the opposite side, and could hurt sales there, said Broadspeed’s Empson.

Higher U.K. car prices will “protect more profitable EU markets and provide support for drastically falling” values of cars being returned from leases, Empson said. The U.K. car market has reversed, he said, becoming the cheapest in Europe “by a big margin.”

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Dodge realized the need for a truck that could appeal to a larger market than just the people who needed a high capacity, heavy duty truck. The 2009 Dodge Ram was designed with all types of drivers in mind, and you’ll see the difference first and foremost in the interior. With all the bells and whistles you’d expect to see in a luxury sedan, you might forget you’re inside a truck. Similarly, the 2009 Dodge Ram drives surprisingly like a roomy sedan, thanks to its new suspension that uses coil springs rather than the traditional leaf springs.

The 2009 Dodge Ram is a truck that thinks it’s a car. Go to a Dodge dealership in Utah today and see what all of the buzz is about.