Washington  - Harley Davidson Inc, the largest US motorcycle maker, Thursday reported a 23 per cent drop in second-quarter profits as their US sales dipped.

The company said its US sales dropped 8.7 per cent, but its overseas sales went up 11 per cent.

"During the second quarter we shipped 80,326 Harley-Davidson motorcycles to our dealers and distributors around the world. While this result exceeds our guidance range of 76,000 to 80,000 units for the quarter, it is a decrease of 15.6 percent from the year-ago period," said CEO Jim Ziemer.

The company's results for the second quarter showed net income was 222.8 million dollars, compared to 290.5 million dollars in the same quarter a year back - a 23.3 per cent decline

"We expect US economic conditions and ongoing consumer concerns to continue to create challenges, at least through the end of the year," Ziemer's statement said.

Last week the company announced that it will buy Italy's MV Augusta Group, a maker of racing motorcycles. (dpa)