Harley-Davidson Japan K.K. will put three new models on the Japanese market June 1, including one that is used by police officers in the United States, President Toshifumi Okui announced Thursday.
The models -- FXDWG Dyna Wide Glide, FLTR Road Glide and FLHPE Road King Police -- are equipped with the high-powered 1,450cc Twin-Cam 88 engines, the biggest engine displacement among products made by its parent firm, Harley-Davidson Motor Co. in the United States.
The bikes will run between 2.155 million yen and 2.355 million yen.
The firm aims to sell 10,000 units a year by 2003 through introducing new products and improving customer service through its dealer network, Okui said. "Customer services are not a way to temporarily stimulate the slump in sales and raise sales," Okui said. "It is like Chinese medicine that is prescribed to improve corporate strength."
In 1998, the firm sold 6,600 bikes, posting about 13.2 billion yen in sales, up 25 percent from the previous year, Okui said. Meanwhile, Okui noted the firm, in cooperation with other motorbike makers and sellers, will continue pressing the government to abolish bike regulations such as a ban on tandem riding on highways and the stricter speed limits for bikes than for four-wheel vehicles on expressways.
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