Money men probe Harley

Reports in the US say Harley-Davidson is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission – the body charged with protecting shareholders in America.

They are acting after complaints from shareholders that the company had masked a fall in the gap between supply and demand for its products by sending out more product to dealers, causing the market to become saturated.

The complaints also claim Harley’s ambitious growth plans have been over-stated.

Harley says it is happy to assist the SEC in its investigation. Its share price actually rose in the US on Wednesday (July 13) after the firm reported second-quarter earnings down four per cent – because that was better than Wall Street had expected.