The same could be said for the Harley demographics. The median age of a Harley buyer has gone from 35 in 1987 to nearly 47 today. Despite the aging clientele and the diminishing of its youthful countercultural mystique Harley stock has reached a record high.
Customer devotion is one way of explaining the continued growth despite modest changes and improvements to their products. Third-quarter results have vastly exceeded analysts' estimates.
Chief Executive James L. Ziemer inherited the reins from Jeffrey L. Bleustein, a legend who built the modern Harley-Davidson over 30 years and remains as the chairman, as reported by MSNBC.com.
Ziemer was off to a rocky start with production cuts within the first quarter of his tenure, with stock plunging 21% to 45. That's when critics came out with doomsday predictions of the company finally meeting its fate of a dying demographic. Only 18 months later the stock, which was retickered as HOG in August, hit an all-time high of 70.
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