Harlcati? Ducavidson?

I picked this up today over at Beatnik Biker. A possible Ducati/ Harley Davidson merger. Evidently there is more to it than just rumor, and thinking about it it kind of makes sense.
HD would benefit from intro into the world market and association with one of the world's finest sport bikes and Ducati might gain financially form access to Harley's excellent procurement system. Of course it jsut talke right now and any merger would probably take a while to happen. The article said three years. The Kneeslider also has a complete report on this possible merger along with the fascinating statistic that "... half of all Ducati owners in the U.S. also own a Harley." Wow! Maybe some of the more strident critics of Harley riders are going to have to rethink what they think they know about us.

I know of one dealership that might be happy. Montana Harley Davidson in Missoula, MT is already an authorized Ducati dealer. Has been for years. They just moved into a beautiful new facility earlier this year. I first visited visited their store about seven years ago and I stopped in to look around a few weeks ago. Seems that, in Missoula at least, Harley and Ducati already go hand-in-hand.

I read an article somewhere else today( sorry, the source escapes me now) about Harley Davidson eliminating several models in 2008 in favor of water-cooled bikes. The models mentioned included my beloved Road King Custom. Some will cheer this move of course but "old school" purists are already screaming. The move has something to do with meeting Federal emissions guidelines. I'll tell you more when I know more.

Keep on keepin' on