Harley-Davidson Earnings Tumble 27%

Harley-Davidson Inc. netted $134 million in the third quarter of 2012 compared with $184 million a year earlier. Revenue fell 11% to $1.3 billion.

Harley's worldwide retail motorcycle sales dipped 1% year over year to 61,100 units in the July-September period. Volume dropped 5% to 40,400 units in the U.S. and rose 8% to 20,700 units in international markets.

The company says domestic sales were hurt by the limited availability of motorcycles at dealerships this summer. The shortage was caused by the idling of Harley's main assembly plant in York, Pa., to retool for a more flexible production process.

The company still expects to ship 245,000-250,000 motorcycles this year, up 5% to 7% from 2011.