HARLEY-DAVIDSON has reported a rise in first-quarter earnings of 18.7% to around £158 million.

Sales of motorcycles and related products were up 11% in the first three months of the year to £932m.

Overall revenue, which includes financial services products, came in at £1.02 billion.

The Milwaukee business said it also benefited from efficiency efforts in the period. Asia-Pacific sales rose more than 20% to 7,178 for the quarter while Europe, the Middle East and Africa reported an 8% rise to 9,940.