Latest news with #Harleys
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
From E-Bikes to Scooters, Roads Are Getting More Crowded and Confusing
Across the country, the streets of metro areas are filling with powered vehicles that are neither bikes nor Harleys but something in between—low-cost scooters, minibikes, electric bikes, skateboards and more, often with surprising speed. Some varieties top out at 20 mph or 28 mph, while others can hit 40 to 60 mph. As ridership has grown, these two-wheelers are all crowding into bike lanes—when they aren't zipping through traffic or hopping up onto the sidewalk. And they are making traffic enforcement challenging, threatening pedestrian safety and complicating life for transit planners. 'We didn't know we were building the bike lanes for scooters,' says Laura Dierenfield, bike infrastructure chief in Austin, Texas, who is overseeing a build-out of bike paths. Dierenfield sees the arrival of scooters, e-bikes and other two-wheeled vehicles as a plus overall, because they are less polluting and cause many fewer deaths than cars. But, she says, Austin is starting to see the need to separate different two-wheelers by speed. Just how to do that is to come; the city hasn't developed a strategy yet. Crowded roads Whether a city has established bike lanes or has yet to delineate space for two-wheelers, the traffic jam has only begun. McKinsey, the consulting firm, estimates that global 'micromobility' sales—including everything from powered scooters and skateboards to mopeds and e-bikes—will hit $340 billion by 2030, more than doubling from $160 billion in 2022. And, McKinsey says, 46% of people in a global survey said they would consider replacing their current private vehicles, mostly cars, with micromobility ones. The U.S. lags behind Asia and Europe in two-wheeler adoption, so people aren't accustomed to dealing with the vehicles in such abundance. Their presence often surprises drivers, pedestrians and conventional cyclists, and many locales are still trying to work out how to regulate the two-wheelers. Requirements on age, licenses and helmets vary from place to place, not to mention rules about where the vehicles can travel. Many of them end up traveling in bike lanes, which would be a challenge to safety even if all the riders were experienced, courteous and patient. And often they aren't. 'Many of our riders are new,' says Calvin Thigpen, director of public partnerships and policy research for scooter-rental company Lime. He says scooter riders have an overwhelming preference for bike lanes, but end up on sidewalks when bike lanes are lacking. 'They encounter a very hostile car environment,' he says. Lime, like some other rental companies, uses technology on the scooters to limit their maximum speed. Among powered two-wheeler riders, erratic riding and failure to follow traffic laws can be particularly dangerous to others. In New York, some 65,000 food-delivery workers ply the streets, bike lanes and sidewalks on a range of two-wheelers, alongside an increasing number of commuters and others, also on a range of two-wheelers. Steve Vaccaro, a New York lawyer who represents cyclists and pedestrians injured in crashes, used to litigate mostly against drivers of cars and trucks. Increasingly, he says, his clients were hit by someone on a two-wheeler. 'I have seen an explosion of novel, motorized two-wheelers in New York City traffic over the last five to 10 years,' Vaccaro says. Vaccaro, who is also an avid cyclist and cycling activist, says the city has been slow to make clear which traffic rules apply to which devices, and in how it enforces the rules. The city has of late launched a variety of enforcement efforts, including setting a 15 mph speed limit on e-bikes. Vaccaro and some others want food-delivery-app companies made legally responsible for the conduct of their drivers. A spokesman for delivery service DoorDash says that the company doesn't tolerate unsafe driving. If it receives a police report about rule-breaking, it warns the driver to follow regulations and drive safely at all times. Repeat offenders are removed from the platform. Relative risks Of course, conventional motor vehicles exact a greater toll than the two-wheelers, about 40,000 deaths a year. For 2022, deaths from motor-vehicle crashes included about 7,500 pedestrians and more than 1,000 cyclists. A 2020 international study found that about 80% of crashes that result in the death of a bike or scooter rider involved a car or truck. (Data on crashes in which two-wheelers hit pedestrians is spotty.) 'A trip by car or by motorcycle in a dense urban area is much more likely to result in the death of a road user—this includes pedestrians—than a trip by a microvehicle,' according to the report, written by Alexandre Santacreu, a French transit-policy analyst. Getting more people onto scooters and bikes, and out of cars, 'can thus make a city safer.' But accommodating the variety of two-wheelers takes space, be it a shared, wider bike lane or an altogether separate lane. Countries like the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway have been taking roadway from cars and giving it over to bikes and pedestrians for more than 50 years. But even the Dutch, who place bikes at the top of their transportation setup, haven't conquered the problem of proliferation of two-wheeled vehicles traveling at varying speeds. The country's ubiquitous bike paths—which essentially connect all points within and between cities—are increasingly home to faster-going scooters, mopeds and e-bikes. 'This is the major challenge of Dutch cities in 2025,' says Chris Bruntlett, international-relations manager for the Dutch Cycling Embassy, a government-supported organization in the Netherlands. For its part, Amsterdam is experimenting with new regulations and signage that direct the faster two-wheelers into normal traffic lanes used by cars. Meanwhile, the speed limits in those car lanes have been lowered to 20 mph—making it easier to integrate two-wheelers. Helping things further: Dutch drivers are already accustomed to being surrounded by bikes. (The country, in fact, has more bikes than people.) The road ahead In the U.S., some experts argue that the problems will diminish with time, as people replace car trips with two-wheeler trips, and local officials learn how to regulate the various streams of traffic. Kersten Heineke, a Frankfurt-based partner who co-leads McKinsey's micromobility practice, says the U.S. is merely early in a transition that other countries have made. U.S. cities are generally still 90%-car reliant, he says, while a European city well into transit investment is at 50% or less. U.S. localities need to look to the example of Amsterdam in slowing cars and then integrating them with two-wheelers, Heineke says. What's more, he says, technology already exists to speed-limit two-wheelers and other vehicles based on their location, using governing devices that work with GPS. 'It's a matter of regulation,' Heineke says. As two-wheeled transit grows—both motorized and conventional—the idea of taking space from cars should be less of a hot topic. 'You can repurpose lanes. You just need some paint,' he says. Ultimately, 'we won't be in a world where we have three different lanes,' says Heineke. 'Two is enough.' In the U.S., where many city avenues hum along at 45 mph, and speed limits often are disregarded, slowing cars will be a tall order. So will expanding bike lanes, in a country where carving out even a single bike lane is often met with driver and voter hostility. For now, that leaves every two-wheeler on his or her own. Nicole McSpirit—a Denver school crossing guard and e-bike enthusiast—has a Dutch model that tops out at 16.5 mph. The city has well over 100 miles of bike lanes, though many are merely a line of paint a few feet from the curb and are along major thoroughfares, offering little real protection from cars and trucks. Like a lot of experienced city bicyclists, McSpirit avoids those bike lanes and winds her way through the city on quieter side streets, when possible. 'Drivers think the roads are for them,' she says. Jeff Bailey is a writer in Denver. He can be reached at reports@
Wall Street Journal
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Wall Street Journal
From E-Bikes to Scooters, Roads Are Getting More Crowded and Confusing
Cities are facing a two-wheeled traffic jam. Across the country, the streets of metro areas are filling with powered vehicles that are neither bikes nor Harleys but something in between—low-cost scooters, minibikes, electric bikes, skateboards and more, often with surprising speed. Some varieties top out at 20 mph or 28 mph, while others can hit 40 to 60 mph.
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Harley-Davidson signs $5 billion deal to sell stake of consumer lending division
Harley-Davidson has announced a $5 billion deal to sell a minority stake in its financing division, Harley-Davidson Financial Services. The division, known as HDFS, provides consumer loans to buy Harleys and helps dealerships finance their inventory. In a July 30 news release, Harley said it has entered into a long-term partnership with financial firms KRR and PIMCO through the sale of existing and future retail loans in a transaction currently valued at more than $5 billion. Harley said it will maintain control of HDFS, which will continue to provide new consumer loans and service existing ones. In 2024, the division accounted for around 20% of Harley-Davidson's revenue. The company said it plans to use approximately $1.25 billion of cash from the transaction to reduce $450 million of Harley-Davidson debt and return approximately $500 million to shareholders. The planned debt reduction is expected to strengthen Harley's balance sheet and help the company navigate an uncertain business climate marked by tariffs and a loss of consumer confidence. 'This transaction delivers benefits to all of Harley-Davidson's stakeholders and marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for HDFS,' company Chairman, President and CEO Jochen Zeitz said in a statement. 'From the outset of this process, we set out to demonstrate the class-leading returns of HDFS, create a long-term stable funding mechanism, and maintain the strong financial profile of HDFS, all without impacting service to dealers and customers,' Zeitz said. Harley shares rose as much as 12% in premarket trading after the company announced the HDFS deal. Harley also announced a lower-than-expected profit for the motorcycle manufacturer's second quarter and did not provide an annual forecast in an uncertain economy. The company had a profit of $108 million, or 88 cents per share, down from $218 million, or $1.63 per share, a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected a profit of 96 cents per share. Revenue in the quarter fell 19% to $1.3 billion. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Harley-Davidson signs $5 billion deal to sell stake of HDFS
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Harley shares rise after $5 billion HDFS deal. Proceeds would cut debt, benefit investors.
Harley-Davidson shares rose more than 16% July 30 after the company announced a sale of more than $5 billion in loans from its financing division that lends money to consumers to buy Harleys and helps dealerships pay for inventory. In a news release, Harley said it has entered into a long-term partnership with financial firms KRR and PIMCO for the sale of existing and future Harley-Davidson Financial Services retail loans. Harley said it will maintain control of HDFS, which will continue to provide new consumer loans and service existing ones. In 2024, the division accounted for around 20% of Harley-Davidson's revenue. The company said it plans to use approximately $1.25 billion of cash from the transaction to reduce $450 million of Harley-Davidson debt and return approximately $500 million to shareholders. The planned debt reduction is expected to strengthen Harley's balance sheet and help the company navigate an uncertain business climate marked by tariffs and a loss of consumer confidence. 'This transaction delivers benefits to all of Harley-Davidson's stakeholders and marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for HDFS,' company Chairman, President and CEO Jochen Zeitz said in a statement. Harley announced a lower-than-expected profit for second quarter of 2025 and did not provide an annual forecast in an uncertain economy rattled by tariffs. The company had a profit of $108 million, or 88 cents per share, down from $218 million, or $1.63 per share, a year earlier. Revenue in the quarter fell 19% to $1.3 billion. Analysts on average had expected a profit of 96 cents per share, Reuters reported. Harley said its motorcycle sales were down 15% from a year ago. Sales in North America, the company's largest market, were down 17%, although Zeitz said there were signs of improvement. Due to uncertainties surrounding tariffs and the global economy, Harley has withdrawn its outook for 2025 that had been provided in February. "However, our ongoing engagement with various governments gives us cautious optimism that future trade agreements may help limit the overall impact on our operations. The EU agreement announced this past weekend looks to be a positive step forward," Zeitz said. Early in the afternoon, Harley shares traded at $26.70, up more than 16% from July 29. This story has been updated with additional information. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Harley-Davidson shares jump after $5 billion finance division deal
The Age
19-06-2025
- General
- The Age
My wife says she doesn't want a birthday present. Of course it's a trap
'Honestly, I don't need a thing,' she said. 'What could you possibly get me? Roast a chook and invite some friends over. Don't buy me a birthday present.' 'What could you possibly get me?' sounds like a rhetorical question, asked because the answer is obviously 'nothing'. A statement made by someone who suddenly realised they are replete, satisfied, happy. But only a fool would hear it that way. It's a real question, all right. And it has an answer. And the answer is not 'nothing'. And the answer is not to roast a chook or the offer of your continuing love – one is mere poultry and the other merely paltry. A gift signifies what she means to you, it represents your relationship, it is an icon of your love, and its giving is a ritual romantic affirmation that must be honoured. It's true, the present itself is nothing. But the nothingness of no present is really something. The lack of thought in no present is brazen and deliberate. The fact that the whole procedure of nutting out what to buy and where to get it and what colour it should be didn't delight you and stimulate you enough, knowing how her recognition of what you'd done would delight her … well, you've made an error, buster. People who print 'no presents' on an invitation are disingenuous. They are laying a trap – filtering the givers from the non-givers and compiling a list. Loading So go out and get a present. And if you get the right present, a thing she has secretly coveted but told herself she didn't deserve, then you have not only confirmed you still know her, you've also affirmed she is worthy of this covetable thing, and that your hearts are still in sync, and love lives. So … now all you've got to do is choose the present that does all these things. My old man once got my mother pots for Christmas. Heavy, black, enamelled cooking pots. I can still see their various parabolas as they sailed across the sitting room and hear them ringing like a carillon as they ricocheted off our walls and father. Pots were not what she wanted. Neither the pot-giver, as the pots finally made clear. I was six. Many six-year-olds would have concluded she was a difficult – perhaps violent – woman. But I said to myself: 'Make a note, Anson. Being an attractive lad, one day you may have a wife of your own. And you must avoid giving presents to her that suggest you regard her primarily as domestic help.' A maxim I've lived by. Especially galling is that Sarah always gives me presents that hit the mark. She somehow knows what I want. It's almost as if she pays attention to me when I talk. Strange behaviour from a marital partner, if so. The pair of boots I have worn while swaggering through gangs of bikies, kicking Harleys over in my half-sleep before drifting off each night, arrive for my birthday. The coat I've rocked while accepting my gong from the governor-general in recent daydreams is folded and wrapped and waiting for me at breakfast as proof that at least one of us remembered our anniversary.
