Harley-Davidson: Trading Motorcycles For Motorhomes?

Harley-Davidson: Trading motorcycles for motorhomes?

ROUNDUP

CAMRON E. BUSSARD

EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT HARLEY-Davidson is famous for building: motorcycles. But everyone may not know that Harley manufactures more than just motorcycles and motorcycle-related accessories. The company also makes bombshell casings and drone aircraft engines for the U.S. military, as well as cables for the computer industry. And Harley has just significantly added to its broad range of manufacturing activities by spending $155 million to purchase the Holiday Rambler Corporation, one of the world’s largest producers of RVs.

This move comes as no great surprise; Harley-Davidson has openly and actively been seeking more ways to diversify so it could be less vulnerable to the economic fluctuations of the motorcycle business. By the same token, however, Harley’s purchase of Holiday Rambler has been questioned by some people, since the RV industry also is notorious for radical ups and downs. But Holiday itself is already a well-

diversified corporation that makes motorhomes, travel trailers, van conversions, custom commercial trucks, mobile homes and modular homes. It is also a major distributor of RV parts, and manufactures custom wood products. And of paramount importance to Harley is the fact that Holiday Rambler is expected to produce earnings in excess of $270 million for 1986.

Harley spokesmen are quick to emphasize that H-D is in business to make and sell motorcycles, and that the purchase of Holiday Rambler will have no negative effects on those objectives. If anything, the acquisition is only likely to benefit those goals, since having a more profitable division in the fold could give the Motor Company the kind of financial stability it has been lacking of late. This stability could provide the necessary funding for some much-needed motorcycle R&D activities, including the highly publicized Nova project, which has been on the back burner for a while.

For now, however, it’s business as usual for both Harley and Holiday. The companies have no immediate plans for joint business ventures, and will be run as independent entities, coming together only on paper. But there is the possibility that Harley-Davidson and Holiday Rambler could eventually work together on some manufacturing projects. Holiday owns and operates B&B Molders, a company in Mishawaka, Indiana, that specializes in custom injection-molded plastic components. It’s quite conceivable that B&B could end up making body parts for Harleys in the future.

Nevertheless, it’s not likely that you'll soon be seeing either HarleyDavidson motorhomes or Holiday Rambler motorcycles; there simply isn’t going to be much of a change at either company. But eventually, this acquisition, and any others that might follow, should mean one allimportant thing for lovers of the bikes that made Milwaukee famous: better motorcycles.

World's longest motorcycle-tire warranty

One of the hottest topics of conversation where touring riders gather these days is tire mileage—or, more correctly, the lack of it. Because while today’s big, powerful luxo-tourers are configured to make their riders feel as though they could ride forever, the tires on those bikes generally haven’t been able to live up to that billing. Sometimes, in fact, “forever" to a touring-bike rear tire can be as short as 6000 or 7000 miles. Consequently, Avon’s recent announcement that it is now offering an 18,000-mile/18-month tiretread warranty on its AM20 and AM21 Roadrunner tires should cause quite a stir at the next touringrally coffee klatch.

Avon claims it is able to offer this high-mileage warranty because of better casing construction made possible by computer modeling. The result is a lighter tire that runs

cooler, which, in turn, allows for a softer-compound tread rubber. This is the exact opposite of most other high-mileage tires, which obtain their durability through the use of harder compounds, but at the sacrifice of traction. Avon, however, says that its tires, through a

combination of casing design and tread compound, offer excellent traction even on rain-slick pavement.

Avon’s industry-leading warranty is currently available to anyone who buys Roadrunner tires, provided the buyer adheres to several guidelines. First, the tires must be purchased from and installed by an Avon dealer, which means that mail-ordered Avons don’t qualify. Also, the warranty applies only to the Japanese touring motorcycles: Honda Gold Wings, Suzuki Cavalcades, Yamaha Ventures and both of Kawasaki’s Voyagers. No HarleyDavidsons or BMWs are eligible at this time, although they may be added to the list in the future once Avon evaluates the performance of the Roadrunners on those machines. Anyone interested in reading the terms of the warranty can get a copy by writing to Avon, c/o Hoppe and Associates, Inc., 407 Howell Way, Edmonds, WA 98020.

What feet-uppers don't want you to know

Observed trials was one of the booms that went bust in the Seventies. And one of the main reasons why is that the people who compete in trials want it to continue as a bit player in the sport of motorcycling, to remain a small, clubbish, uncrowded type of competition. But that hasn’t stopped trials bikes from getting better and more sophisticated each year. Two of the latest trialers from Italy are

proof enough of that.

Take, for example, the Beta TR34. As a 240cc model last year, the two-stroke Beta produced enough power to take Scott Head to an AMA national trials championship. This year the engine has been punched out to 260cc, so it should be significantly stronger.

With disc brakes front and rear, an all-new chrome-moly steel frame and swingarm, and a weight of around l 80 pounds, the Beta will continue to be a winner. At $3495, the TR34 is expensive, but it could well be the very best trials machine currently on the market.

For those who want a top-level trialer but have a budget that balks at the TR34’s price, there’s an attractive alternative. For a cool

$900 less than the Beta, you can putt away on the Montesa Cota 304. Like the Beta, the Cota has been extensively reworked for 1987, with a new frame, a rising-rate singleshock rear suspension and a disc front brake.

Judging by the looks of these two highly impressive machines, it’s no wonder that trials riders want to keep their activity the best-kept secret in motorcycling.