HARLEY SALES DOWN - LAYING OFF WORK FORCE

[Retired Army]

Now for the burning question. Will Harley move production out side of the U.S.?

[BIGLRY]

Now for the burning question. Will Harley move production out side of the U.S.?

they did that many years ago. Back in 1929, Harley-Davidson contracted with a manufacturing plant in Hiroshina, Japan. Rikuo Internal Combustion Company produced actual Harley-Davidson models that carried the Harley-Davidson label, for use by Japanese military and police. Rikuo continued under contract until 1958.
Harley-Davidson motorcycles are also made in Manaus, Brazil. The factory there opened in 1998 and continues to produce Harley models for the Brazilian market.
In 2011, the company announced plans to open a factory in India to produce the new Street 500 & 750 models

Leaving out the facilities that are corporate, financial, or sales and administrative locations, we end up with a list of Harley’s manufacturing and assembly plants per the Harley Davidson website:
◦Menominee Falls, Wisconsin - Powertrain
◦Tomahawk, Wisconsin - Windshields, composite plastic parts
◦Kansas City, Missouri - Assembly, Powertrain
◦York, Pennsylvania - Fabrication, Paint, Final Assembly
◦Manaus, Brazil - CKD* Assembles models sold in Brazil
◦Bawal, India - Manufacture of Street models for India, Italy, Spain, and Portugal

*CKD means complete knockdown. Models are basically built in the US, for example, and reassembled in the country where the bikes are sold.


Technically speaking, Harley-Davidson motorcycles sold in the United States are not actually made here, but assembled here. Harley contracts manufacturing of parts to plants located all over the world, including Germany, Italy, Taiwan, Japan, and Mexico. Those parts are then shipped to Harley factories here. So, where are Harley-Davidson motorcycles made? All over the world, actually, but those sold in America, are assembled here in the United States, using a lot of foreign made parts.
At least for now, anyway.

http://backintheusa.us/articles2.php...harleydavidson

[VStarRider]

This is an interesting discussion on many levels.

No brand screams "American Made" more than Harley-Davidson. Ironically, like everything else manufactured in the world today, its parts come from multiple locations and are funneled to a U.S.-based assembly plant (for U.S. sold bikes)...but they still get credit for being American-made. Yet, despite the global nature of H-D, if they moved one of the assembly plants to Mexico or another location, the perception would shift and there would be significant backlash.

[jm21ddd15]

This is an interesting discussion on many levels.

No brand screams "American Made" more than Harley-Davidson. Ironically, like everything else manufactured in the world today, its parts come from multiple locations and are funneled to a U.S.-based assembly plant (for U.S. sold bikes)...but they still get credit for being American-made. Yet, despite the global nature of H-D, if they moved one of the assembly plants to Mexico or another location, the perception would shift and there would be significant backlash.

The company "Henry Repeating Rifle Co", products are entirely 100 percent made in the US. Their motto is "Made in America, or not made at all". All manufacturing and assembly is done in our country. But, I wonder where they buy the raw steel from? I will check into this.

[Deer Slayer]

Spyder is cutting in as old riders chose third wheel.

[SimonTemplar]

None of this is terribly surprising.

When the MSRP of a CVO Ultra is deep into the $40K's...and the technology and reliability of that bike is deep into the 1970's....and the entire used HD market is as totally saturated as it presently is (and will be far into the foreseeable future)....Why would anyone spend the money for new?

HD has brought this upon themselves. They thought they could get by and just coast on the HD name without investing in product improvements. On top of it, they turned away from their traditional customer base, nearly tripled their prices, and pandered to the affluent white-collar buyers instead. Now it has all come home to bite them on the ass.

Not only did they voluntarily shoot themselves in the foot....they used a 12-gauge shotgun to do it.



Nope...I harbour no sympathies for them. H-D has become the Edsel of the motorcycling world. Their day is done.




....sT

[opas ride]

[QUOTE=SimonTemplar;137586]None of this is terribly surprising.

When the MSRP of a CVO Ultra is deep into the $40K's...and the technology and reliability of that bike is deep into the 1970's....and the entire used HD market is as totally saturated as it presently is (and will be far into the foreseeable future)....Why would anyone spend the money for new?

HD has brought this upon themselves. They thought they could get by and just coast on the HD name without investing in product improvements. On top of it, they turned away from their traditional customer base, nearly tripled their prices, and pandered to the affluent white-collar buyers instead. Now it has all come home to bite them on the ass.

Not only did they voluntarily shoot themselves in the foot....they used a 12-gauge shotgun to do it.



Nope...I harbour no sympathies for them. H-D has become the Edsel of the motorcycling world. Their day is done.
I totally agree my friend!!...I have tried to convince myself for over 30 years that I wanted to buy a HD just to have the experience...Thank God I never became that "stupid"....Ego, Greed and self-centeredness with get you every time.....