No new layoffs are slated for Harley-Davidson's production plant in York, and the company has narrowed its timeline for a decision about whether to relocate the facility.

The company will announce its plans between Dec. 1 and Dec. 31, CEO Keith Wandell said during a conference call Thursday. The call was held to discuss Harley's third-quarter earnings, which showed substantial drops in income and profits.

Responding to an analyst's question about the timing of and the disruption of a company relocation, Wandell reiterated the company's preference to stay in York.

"Clearly, if there's a decision made that we have to move the facility, there's no denying that would be disruptive," he said. "Our hope and desire is that we will be able to stay in York because of the minimization of that disruption, but we can only stay there if we have a plant and a facility that is sustainable for the long-term health of this business."

The company has developed contingency plans to lessen the disruption, and executives can't be derailed with a short-term concern such as the disruption of a move when the company's long-term well-being is at stake, he said.

He did not directly answer the analyst's question about when the company would plan a move or when it would begin to realize a savings from either the move or a restructuring at the Springettsbury Township plant.

The company has said the plant is inefficient, and restructuring of the facility and the labor rules would be necessary to keep the plant open.

If the plant stays in York, the savings would probably be realized sooner than if the plant relocates, Wandell said.

He said contract negotiations with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 175, which represents about 2,100 workers in York, are still in the beginning stages. The workers' three-year contract expires Feb. 1.

Harley spokesman Bob Klein said the company doesn't have a confirmed dollar amount for what it would save by closing or restructuring the York plant.

The company has narrowed its relocation possibilities to three cities: Shelbyville, Ind., Shelbyville, Ky., or Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Harley also announced Thursday in the earnings release that it will discontinue its Buell product line and divest, or sell, its MV Agusta unit.

The company will lay off about 80 hourly production workers and about 100 salaried workers at Buell, with most positions being terminated by Dec. 18, the company said.

Klein said none of the plans are expected to impact the York plant, where production cuts have reduced the workforce by hundreds over the past year.

Remaining inventories of Buell motorcycles, accessories and apparel will be sold until they are gone, the company said, and Italy-based MV Agusta will be sold as soon as possible.

Those moves mean Harley-Davidson is leaving the sport-bike market in a strategy to focus on its core lineup of heavyweight bikes.

The decision to discontinue its Buell motorcycle line and sell its recently acquired MV Agusta brand, while sudden, are the latest in a series of restructuring moves.

"The return that we generate from a sale of an MV Agusta or even a Buell, it's far less than the return we get on a Harley-Davidson," Wandell said.

The decision to sell MV Agusta marks an about-face for Harley, which bought the Varese, Italy-based company last year for $109 million. At the time, Harley touted the purchase as an expansion into the premium sport-bike segment.

In financial results released Thursday, Harley announced that third-quarter net income fell by 84.1 percent to $26.5 million, compared to $166.5 million in the third quarter of 2008. Revenue was $1.12 billion, compared to $1.42 billion for the year-ago period.

Diluted earnings per share fell 84.5 percent, 11 cents for the third quarter, compared to 71 cents for the same period of 2008.

The results reflect lower motorcycle shipments and the current economy's effect on retail and wholesale loan performance, the company said.

The company now expects to ship between 222,000 to 227,000 motorcycles this year. It previously announced it would ship between 212,000 and 228,000 bikes to dealers.

Worldwide retail sales of new Harleys fell 21.3 percent for the third quarter, compared to the same period of last year.

That is, however, an improvement over the second quarter, during which sales declined 30.1 percent.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.