UPDATE 1-Harley taps Johnson Controls exec for top job

* Names Keith E. Wandell president and CEO

* Wandell replaces retiring CEO Jim Ziemer

* Says Matthew Levatich appointed president and COO (Adds details, background, dateline)

CHICAGO, April 6 (Reuters) - Harley-Davidson Inc (HOG.N) said on Monday it has hired Keith Wandell, a top executive at Johnson Controls Inc (JCI.N), to take over as the motorcycle maker's president and chief executive when Jim Ziemer, who currently holds those positions, retires next month.

Wandell, 59, currently serves as president and chief operating at Johnson Controls, a Milwaukee-based maker of car interiors, seating, batteries and building controls.

The company also announced that Matthew Levatich, a 15-year veteran at Harley-Davidson, had been named president and chief operating officer of its motor company unit, replacing James McCaslin, who has been named executive vice president for corporate product planning.

All three appointments are effective May 1.

Last December, Harley announced that Ziemer, the company's 58-year-old chief executive, would retire some time in 2009 after only four years at the helm.

The transition comes at a tough time for Harley-Davidson, which has been hit by weaker consumer spending in the United States, its biggest market, the paralysis of credit markets and a worldwide economic slowdown.