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Harley riders, make your opinion known..

4K views 21 replies 9 participants last post by  ironglow 
#1 ·
Harley is chattering about moving their manufacturing OUTSIDE the USA. If they do, will you still buy Harleys? Let Harley know how you feel about it...one way or the other.

I don't have a dog in the fight, so I am not commenting..
 
#2 ·
For ME,

IF they want to build them over seas and sell them over there, I really don't have a problem with that.

IF they want to move there to sell them HERE, that I DO have a problem with.

DM
 
#6 · (Edited)
Howdy ironglow.
I know this is an older topic but I wanted to pipe up.
It is not just a case of semantics but manufactured and assembled are not the same.

I make a living (partially) from motorcycle repair and restoration. And have owned bikes from BSA to Yamaha including numerous Harleys from the late 1930's to mid 1980's (Sportster's and Big Twins).
Near as I can tell the last time Harley manufactured all of their bikes was in the 1960's. From the 70's on you will find parts manufactured in Australia, Italy, China and Japan just to name a few of the countries that manufactures parts for the Motor Company.

Does it matter? Only to the owners I suppose.
I like my bikes.
 
#8 ·
Gen1:26, are you talking about frames, forks, tanks, motors and tranny's made in other countries. Or is it more just the electronics and smaller items ?

Jim
 
#9 ·
From Business Insider. com I think.
Harleys sold in the US are indeed assembled in one of four plants located in Wisconsin, Missouri and Pennsylvania. But the brakes and clutch are imported from Italy, the engine pistons are made in Austria, the bike suspension comes from Japan, and other electronic components originate in Mexico and China.Jul 5, 2018
I also think the brakes are now either Brembo or Nissan. Don't hold me to that.
GuzziJohn
 
#10 ·
#11 ·
Now please let me add that if you own a Harley and like it then keep riding it.
No worries Gen1:26, I do own a 2004 Road King but I am not offended by your post. I doubt you can find any car, truck or bike that says they are made in the U.S.A. that doesn't have foreign parts in it. It is just the way of the world these days. Kind of makes you wonder who has who over a barrel in the current trade war doesn't it.

Jim
 
#12 ·
from what I've observed over a number of years, most of Harleys income is from it's accessories and clothing line.

I'm amazed it has survived so long.

I had only one Harley (and only one ORIGINAL Indian, a 1947 Scout) during my motorcycle riding years (1959-2000) a K model. I ended up as a BMW enthusiast. and it seems I see more BMW's than any other marque now days...even most LE agencies ride BMW's (in the areas I frequent anyway)

incidentally, I had a friend who had two Vincents that he let me ride...:tango_face_grin::tango_face_devil:

Harley has long relied on foreign sources for parts...ceriani of Italy supplied their front forks at one time as I recall.
 
#16 ·
It's been a long time since I worked in a Harley shop but as I remember, they had a lot of import parts including: Forks and shocks, carburetors, switches and most electrical system parts, pistons and on some models the cast wheels were imported. H-D is just barely an American bike as it is...


I remember pointing this to a H-D rider that was giving me a hard time about my Yamaha. Hes response was "ain't now ********* parts on my bike." I told him to guess again. My Yamaha 1100 has around 50k miles on it and will easily blow away 99% of Harleys. I have nothing against Harleys and I think some of them are really nice riding bikes but I've never had that kind of money to blow on a bike and I don't want to have to live in fear of it being stolen.



Tony
 
#17 · (Edited)
I was talking to a young man now living in West Virginia, who was up here visiting his grandpa. Now Don works in sales for a WV dealer in sporting goods,

who happens to sell Indian bikes.

He says quite a few guys come in with their Harleys, try the Indians out and leave with one (no, not Indian ladies, smart alec)....ignoring their own

Harley Tattoos and jackets.

I don't suppose that is as common an event as he implied..

.
 
#18 ·
last one I had was a soft tail classic and I was told that the forks and wheels were made oversees. I doubt theres a vehicle with wheels made today that doesn't have something not made in the US on it. Now that's a bit different then moving the production factory and headquarters to a different country. I really don't have an answer because I have no intention of buying another one anyway. Your probably asking in the wrong place anyway because on here what you will get is opinions from guys who never bought one anyway and have no intention. My GUESS would be it would hurt business. Would it kill it? Probably not. With all the electric bike crap there coming out with it looks to me like the company is looking to swing in another direction anyway and cater to a different buyer. Heck 75 percent of there buyers today are just yuppies that want wear leathers and pretend to be a bad ass and join the nerdy wave club anyway. Sad for the hard core Harley guys but there just not big enough numbers anymore to sway the management. Id bet the wanabe bikers that buy the 75 percent will continue to.
 
#21 ·
From IG:
Negotiations take time..especially negotiations which should have been done by the last 3 administrations..

..But when the negotiations are completed, the payoff for the United States, will be BIG !!
Then why did Trump say trade wars are easy to win (Will he ever learn to keep his mouth shut and fingers off his phone?)? Nothing easy about this so far. My guess is when it is all said and done there will be hardly any difference in trade from what we had before the war began. It will only leave the farmers and many others licking their wounds for several years of financial hurt. China is in a much better position to wait this out then we are.
In most oriental cultures saving face is everything and so far I do not see Trump finding a strategy to work with that and until he does he will get know where.
GuzziJohn
 
#22 · (Edited)
From IG:

Then why did Trump say trade wars are easy to win (Will he ever learn to keep his mouth shut and fingers off his phone?)? Nothing easy about this so far. My guess is when it is all said and done there will be hardly any difference in trade from what we had before the war began. It will only leave the farmers and many others licking their wounds for several years of financial hurt. China is in a much better position to wait this out then we are.
In most oriental cultures saving face is everything and so far I do not see Trump finding a strategy to work with that and until he does he will get know where.
GuzziJohn
Well, he has and is winning some right along. I doubt we will get everything he has asked for, as any negotiator knows, one start's out demanding more than they realistically expect.

Look how his negotiations have secured much more border help from Mexico, than we ever have. Look how many manufacturers have brought their companies and cash, back to the US..after they were 'fooled away' back in the 1990s !

Sure, China will be a tougher nut to crack, primarily because we are demanding more from them than from anyone else. We are aking that they give up the fantastic trading advantage they have held for several decades.

We are also demanding that they quit stealing our technology and building knockoffs of our goods. They don't want to give in obviously, since hundreds of billions of dollars are involved.

Sure, sometimes the other side of the equation doesn't really want to deal, because they are stealing us blind !!

However; Pres Trump has taken on an unpleasant task, which every president since Ronald Reagan should have undertaken !

The Trump era has brought more prosperity than we have seen in decades..and lower unemployment figures for women and minorities, that have been neglected for several decades..

Now we find that the black population has lower unemployment figures than ever in history ! Those things are real and tangible accomplishments !

.
 
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