Harley move production to Thailand

[Texas Pete]

After the latest controversy for the management in charge of Harley Davison and their woke initiatives, Harley management now announce production shifts to Thailand.

[Texas Pete]

News video seems blocked unless on YouTube site. Trying another video

[JerryHawk250]

There's a setting in YouTube for the creator that block people from posting on other sites.

[GypsyR]

Nothing woke about it if you ask me. They already had that plant in Thailand (among other productions facilities in various foreign countries) for years. They are aiming to ramp up production there so they can sell more bikes to China. If they are made in Thailand that enables them to bypass the Chinese 25% import tariff on "American" motorcycles. Since the tariff is worded to only tax bikes actually built in the USA, not owned or branded as America. If China doesn't/won't absorb enough production from there then of course they'll export the bikes elsewhere too. Just business.

I don't get about H-D being supposed to be so "American" really. I mean the front forks on every Harley haven't been made in the US since as far back as the 1970's. Not like them outsourcing stuff from other countries (like about every other American business) is a new thing to get panties all wadded up about.

The videos don't seem to work for me as linked. Pretty sure they are BS I don't care to watch anyway.

[Ranger Bob]

Originally Posted by GypsyR

Nothing woke about it if you ask me. They already had that plant in Thailand (among other productions facilities in various foreign countries) for years. They are aiming to ramp up production there so they can sell more bikes to China. If they are made in Thailand that enables them to bypass the Chinese 25% import tariff on "American" motorcycles. Since the tariff is worded to only tax bikes actually built in the USA, not owned or branded as America. If China doesn't/won't absorb enough production from there then of course they'll export the bikes elsewhere too. Just business.

I don't get about H-D being supposed to be so "American" really. I mean the front forks on every Harley haven't been made in the US since as far back as the 1970's. Not like them outsourcing stuff from other countries (like about every other American business) is a new thing to get panties all wadded up about.

The videos don't seem to work for me as linked. Pretty sure they are BS I don't care to watch anyway.

Tha Pan America and Sportster models will be returned to the US market as well with no price reduction for being built in Thailand at lower labor rates. I think the biggest issue is Harley quoted in the past that all of their bikes for the American market would be built in America with American workers. This doesn't settle well with the Harley crowd. The American workers building the Pan America and Sportster models won't lose their jobs yet because Harley just received a Dept. of Energy grant of $89 million dollars of tax payers money for their Livewire failure to continue. Projections called for 15,736 Livewire units for 2024. In the first quarter of this year Livewire has sold 275. I hope Harley survives this issue, they are the iconic American brand. If not there's always the SWM Stormbreaker...

[bigdano711]

I've owned exactly one in my life, which is more than a lot of people can say. Great experience, I feel absolutely no need to repeat it. I would certainly never buy one new unless I hit the lottery or otherwise had money to burn. Even then, probably not.