Harley Davidson has recently been embroiled in controversy over accusations that it has embraced a woke corporate agenda that contradicts the values of its loyal customer base. Now the Wisconsin-based motorcycle brand, which has been known for its high-quality American-made products, is facing backlash for outsourcing some of its production to Thailand.
The news that Harley Davidson would be shipping some of its production overseas sparked outrage from some American riders. “I have been riding motorcycles since I was a kid,” said Chuck Schmidt while cruising on his Harley in Waukesha, Wisconsin. “We have supported Harley-Davidson for a lot of years,” the motorcycle enthusiast added while noting that he might not purchase another bike from the company.
Robert Gonzalez, owner of Michael’s Funky Monkey, a bar in downtown Waukesha, claimed he had heard a similar sentiment from other bikers after the news broke. “I mean, it is almost a huge consensus that if the new owner follows through with what they say they are going to do, then they are selling their bikes,” the bar owner said.
Schmidt maintained that he is disappointed in Harley Davidson for not sticking to its American-based production. “It is still taking away from the people and the families here who work at the facility,” Chuck said. However, the motorcycle company claimed that the move overseas is only temporary for the 2025 model year.
According to a statement from the brand: “Harley-Davidson is proud to design and develop all its iconic motorcycles in the USA. As a global company, Harley-Davidson also maintains an international manufacturing footprint, like many of its peers. As part of our overall manufacturing optimization strategy, Harley-Davidson is to temporarily transition the production of its non-core Revolution Max powertrain equipped models (Pan America, Sportster S, Nightster), to its existing manufacturing facility in Thailand, for model year 25. This move optimizes production capacity for Grand American Touring and other core product segments such as Softail and Trike motorcycles at its York, PA facility. Additionally, building on the DOE Grant, as part of this move, we are investing an additional $9m into our US manufacturing facilities to focus and strengthen our US manufacturing capabilities and capacity for our core products.” … “This does not have an impact on employment at U.S. facilities.”
The American Tribune reported on other controversy surrounding Harley Davidson after conservative activist Robby Starbuck exposed the company for pursuing a woke corporate mission. The news drove famous UFC fighter Sean Strickland to sound off on the brand and vow never to buy a Harley-Davidson motorcycle again.
“You guys, I don’t want to make this video. I love Harley. I’ve owned Harley’s most my life, but I would never own a Harley again. If you love America, you won’t own a Harley. And let me explain to you guys why I’m so upset and why you should be upset,” the fighter said. Watch Strickland’s video statement where he calls out Harley Davidson below:
He continued, “And I’ll tell you guys, there’s two companies, Vanguard and Black Rock, ten trillion they own everything. When you want to know who the enemy is, it’s BlackRock and Vanguard. Who is one of the biggest owners of these companies, George Soros, this German they put in this company is an industry plant by this corrupt by this corrupt, sick leftist on guard to ruin, control and manipulate Harley. If you love America, if you love America, you will not go to Harley. And I’m getting ready this Harley as soon as possible.”
Featured image credit: Steve Daniels / Harley-Davidson sign in Wootton, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harley-Davidson_sign_in_Wootton_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1372894.jpg
"*" indicates required fields