Times may be tough at Harley-Davidson, but things are looking up for their CEO.

As with most companies, times have been a little rough for Harley-Davidson during the Great Recession. In the past year they have laid off workers, closed some factories, shut down the Buell brand, and lost $218.7 million in the fourth quarter of last year. I am not too sure if Harley-Davidson is starting to turn the corner yet, but hopefully they are.

Things went pretty well for their new CEO, Keith Wandell, during the first eight months of running the troubled motorcycle manufacturer. According to a regulatory filing he received a pay package of $6.4 million dollars for being the head hog during 2009. Keith E. Wandell received a base salary of $650,025 from his start date of May 1 through the end of 2009, according to proxy a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. He received a bonus of $780,030 and stock and option awards valued at $4.9 million at the time they were issued.

There is no doubt that Mr. Wandell has a tough road ahead as Harley-Davidson’s boss as he acknowledged that the U.S. motorcycle market will likely take more than a year to rebound fully, if it ever does, amid a pullback in discretionary spending, he said in an interview back in January.

Source [The Associated Press, Read Entire Story]