Customers Love Riding Harley Whether US-built or Not - Harley Davidson

European Harley-Davidson customers don’t care whether their American motorcycles, which have been treated as an icon by riders, are made in the United States or not, according to custom motorcycle builder Alan Stulberg.

“They’re concerned more about the pricing of the model as it compares to other options available in Europe,” stated Stulberg, who is the co-founder of Revival Cycles, which is a motorcycle shop located in Austin, Texas. This shop restores vintage bikes as well as sells custom-made bikes that cost around $115,000.

“What Harley-Davidson riders are buying is the heritage of America-built. But it being made in America isn’t really a priority,” said Stulberg.

Two days ago, US President Donald Trump taunted Harley-Davidson. He said on Twitter that “…Harley-Davidson is moving part of its operation out of the US. My Administration is working with other Motor Cycle companies who want to move into the US Harley customers are not happy with their move – sales are down 7 percent in 2017. The US is where the Action is!”

The full-year Harley-Davidson motorcycle sales decreased 7.2 percent during 2017, compared with the previous year. Meanwhile, its US retail motorcycle unit shipments also fell 10.5 percent in the same time period. Sales of the less expensive motorcycles like Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, and Kawasaki have increased. This is also the case for stylish Swedish bikes.

However, the apparent reason for the decline in Harley-Davidson’s sales in recent years is the combination of aging Harley Riders and changing customer preferences and not the desire to buy motorcycles built in America.

Kelly Yun from Minneapolis stated that what pushed her to buy a Harley was her “love of riding.”

“I was in Ecuador and saw Harleys,” she said in an interview. “I thought, that’s great. It’s kind of like a German car in the United States. I wouldn’t care where it was made.”

Stulberg emphasized that Harley-Davidson has been making motorcycle outside of the United States for some time. The iconic motorcycle brand in fact has manufacturing plants in Brazil, India, Thailand, and Australia.

“This isn’t a new thing for them,” he added.

Further, on June 25, the company stated that it was shifting some of its production overseas in order to avoid European Union tariffs. Harley-Davidson said that the duties would balloon the average cost per motorcycle that is sold in Europe by around $2,200.

Trump showed his disapproval of the decision right of the bat by a series of tweets.

Former Harley-Davidson Director of Communications Ken Schmidts stated that the company is “being chastised for doing something that any company in its position would do.”

“Harley-Davidson is just working to protect the franchise,” Schmidt stated in an interview. “It’s working to keep the flow of product moving into, in this case, the European Union, its second-largest market, and to sustain its business. Any company would make those decisions. So, to be singled out as having done something wrong or something that is anti-American… it just smells bad.”

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