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Harley-Davidson announcement

S

ss55

Well-known Member
From 1983 to 1987 Harley-Davidson was protected by a declining 45 percent to 10 percent US tariff on Japanese motorcycles over 700cc displacement.
www.nytimes.com/1987/03/18/business/harley-asks-end-to-tariff-aid.html

I know businesses need ruthlessly watch the bottom line, but to me it seems a bit ungrateful that they are now moving some US manufacturing from Kansas City to the country of Thailand to escape the new European tariffs.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/harley-davidson-to-shift-production-overseas-to-offset-eu-tariffs-1529927301
 
The bike bubble has popped. They are about as American as anything else parts from all over assembled here and all to the lowest bidder.
 

ss55, when I heard it on the news it sounded pretty straight forward to me. Their sales are way off because their customer base is getting too old to get new ones. If they build here for overseas sales they will be too expensive with the new tariffs to sell, So they will increase overseas production in order to be able to sell overseas. They will still have production here for those who still want American made. They said that prices will be going up some $7,000.00 here in US. So be sure to buy yours and support US manufacturing. Be sure to post a pic of youth it.
 
The 883s were built in KC, and it was announced months ago that they were closing the plant. Nothing new.
 
they have been using chinese steel tube since early 90's at the york plant for the frames. knew a fella that delivered it ....
 
This plant was to close back in end of 2017, the decision was already made. HD was already moving assembly offshore when the current guy was put in office. He was hoping they would reverse the trend, but right now, with the new tariffs on US exports by europe, there's no chance it will stay in the US.
 
Indian is giving them a beating anyway. Even in the great American Flat Track racing, which Harley has always had to theirselves, Indian is cleaning house the last two years.
 
I have nothing against Harley Davidson. Matter-of-fact, I wish them well and I hope they stay on solid footing.
But if anybody here thinks they are a completely American-made motorcycle, they might want to rethink that.
American-assembled, maybe. Ooops. Looks like that isn't even the case anymore.
 
NOT sure how any of that affects many of us poor, simple country folks hanging around this "yesterday's tractor board"???

Harby Daibidson priced themselves out of the reach of the common man some time back and became a status symbol of the "well healed", IMHO.
 
Harley didn't decide to do this overnight. No doubt this move has been in the works for years, and Donnie's self-inflicted trade war just gave them a convenient excuse to make their announcement.

H-D is in trouble. The baby-boomers who constitute their core market are dying off, and Harley seems incapable of building a bike that attracts younger buyers. Meanwhile Indian is eating into Harley's share of the boomer market. Will Europeans want to buy Harleys built in Thailand? My guess is they won't.
 
Totally off the topic. Last fall, on vacation in Durham NC. I had some free time so I stopped at the HD dealer just to look around. I had been a rider with three bikes but have not had one since 1982. The guy I talked to told me they averaged selling 100 bike a month, year around. I was very surprised.
 
That surprises me to. Harley sold massive numbers of bikes back in 1990s until the credit meltdown in 2008. Everyone with money (or credit) wanted one and they went out and bought one. Problem is about 1/2 to 1/3 of those people didn't realize they wouldn't ride it. It's not uncommon to find 10-15 year old Harleys with less than 10K (a lot with less than 5K) on the clock. Harley is competing with their 10 year old like new bikes for market share.

How they are going to compete outside the US should be interesting.
 
That's BS. Harley made that decision last year, already. Like everything else nowadays, they jumped at the chance to politicize it.
 
I'm sure they are just passing the blame on a decision that was made a while ago before the tariff fight. Maybe now the Harley diehards will think otherwise before they comment on my Rice Burner that was assembled in Ohio.
 
I have a lot of friends that bought Harleys in the 90?s, early oughts. Mostly they rode for a couple of years, then rode less and less for a few years. Now they are taking up space in the garage, but they hate to sell, because a 10 to 20 year old bike is worth a fraction of what they paid for it. I think a lot are going to be sold when they assume room temperature or move to a condo. Another thing is in Michigan, you can?t ride much about 5 months a year. That really limits the mileage!
 
The European U is supposedly implementing a tariff on Harley Davidson's sold over in the EU. HD is raising there retail price by 2200 dollars to pay for the EU tariff (or to pass on the tariff cost on to consumer). This may be on export motorcycles only. Their sales are down in US last couple years. Younger riders are moving over to different brand bikes.
 
Is it only 5 months? As noisy as they are coming by here,it seems like it's year round. There are some diehards here who seem to think they have to ride New Years Day no matter what.
 
Not that I believe it but the news I saw only mentioned the tariff angle. I agree with those that say that there is a built up inventory of low mileage bikes which will
appeal to those that don't have the paycheck for new which is more and more people. Harley is a victim of their own success domestically.
 
yep. not a new thing. IF it was it would have been months before they made that kind of decision and announced it and by then the "trade war" might have been over or at least no longer front page like the so called media has it right now.

if you told me they already broke ground in asia somewhere i wouldn't be surprised.
 
The link below outlines the US president's response to Harley moving away. He's really gonna grind 'em by the looks of it. Man, that guy loves a good fight which surprises me since he opted out fifty years ago when he had a chance to do it for real.
Donalds response to H D moving ......
 
(quoted from post at 17:18:16 06/26/18) how come he hasn’t put tarriffs on textiles?
Click to expand...

That will be in the next $50B round of Chinese tariffs, and China will not be able to respond in kind since our trade balance is so out of whack.
 
d9gdon- I really do hope you understand that it is the U.S.
citizens that end up paying for those 'Tariffs'!
 
I think the military accepted a lot of guys with more issues than an ingrown toenail or heel blister or whatever was the issue. It was the genesis of fake news ...... and of course, the truth can be very painful for us.
 
(quoted from post at 17:47:03 06/26/18) d9gdon- I really do hope you understand that it is the U.S.
citizens that end up paying for those 'Tariffs'!
Click to expand...

As well as I hope you understand that those workers whose jobs come back to the US also bring a multiplication factor of the workforce to supply those textile mills with construction workers who bring the mills out of the mothballs, the raw materials (like cotton from farmers), dies, supplies, maintenance materials, transportation to and from the mills, electrical power and all the people employed by that industry, advertising, and machinery sales. Don't forget that it supports the government (or at least gives them something to do for their paycheck). Look at all the taxes that factory (and workforce) pays! Income taxes, payroll taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, etc., etc., etc. Don't forget that welfare and unemployment payments don't return any taxes to the government, so now some of those people might be able to get an actual job and generate some tax money to the government! That's a two for one return...

Behind every manufacturing worker stands 20 people supplying that mill with goods and services. That is why we need to bring manufacturing back to the US.
 
In a war people die on both sides, but rarely is it the guy that started the war. Maybe that?s why wars are so easily started.
 
(quoted from post at 18:17:06 06/26/18)
(quoted from post at 17:47:03 06/26/18) d9gdon- I really do hope you understand that it is the U.S.
citizens that end up paying for those 'Tariffs'!
Click to expand...

As well as I hope you understand that those workers whose jobs come back to the US also bring a multiplication factor of the workforce to supply those textile mills with construction workers who bring the mills out of the mothballs, the raw materials (like cotton from farmers), dies, supplies, maintenance materials, transportation to and from the mills, electrical power and all the people employed by that industry, advertising, and machinery sales. Don't forget that it supports the government (or at least gives them something to do for their paycheck). Look at all the taxes that factory (and workforce) pays! Income taxes, payroll taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, etc., etc., etc. Don't forget that welfare and unemployment payments don't return any taxes to the government, so now some of those people might be able to get an actual job and generate some tax money to the government! That's a two for one return...

Behind every manufacturing worker stands 20 people supplying that mill with goods and services. That is why we need to bring manufacturing back to the US.
Click to expand...

d9gdon, you are forgetting that it is not jobs that we need, it is workers. Business owners/managers have business and could do much more if they had the workers.
 

A business owner can get all the workers he/she wants if they pay a living wage.

Lots of Americans in the unemployment/underemployed line will disagree with you about the need for more jobs.
 
Bone spurs get you rejected, they are not something you choose to have to get out of service. Those who chose not to fight migrated to Canada where they were welcomed until Jimmy Who pardoned them. Low life scum like Worthless Willie.
 
Yes for sure Kansas ...... if the bone spurs are real bone spurs. Even army doctors can be greased. Like I said, it was the genesis of fake news.
 
I think a lot of guys on here project what they hope Donnie thinks, but they’re wrong. He doesn’t give one rip about anyone but himself. These tariffs aren’t to try and bring back jobs, they’re ploys for him and his family to benefit when he backs down.

Think about this - if he gave one care about US jobs, why are his and his kids clothing lines made overseas? Why are his golf courses and his vineyard applying for h2 worker visas?

He doesn’t care.
 
Industry in this country is a real mess right now.

Companies cannot get workers.

The tax cut that was supposed to stimulate business has allowed the companies to buy back stock, pad pockets of investors, reducing capital incentives.

The tariffs are raising costs.
 
(quoted from post at 10:01:22 06/27/18) Industry in this country is a real mess right now.

Companies cannot get workers.

The tax cut that was supposed to stimulate business has allowed the companies to buy back stock, pad pockets of investors, reducing capital incentives.

The tariffs are raising costs.
Click to expand...

Previous administrations have made social services so easy to get that they now compete with jobs. Why would a person go out and get a job when they can get welfare or disability benefits just for the asking? That is robbing the lower payed employees from industry, so what do they do...they hire illegals off the books! There are whole generations of welfare recipients because they never learn to fend for themselves. I've been hungry before so I know that i need a job to earn money to buy food.

The tax cuts have barely even taken effect yet as most don't kick in until 2019. I don't see where anybody could draw conclusions from their effect yet.
 
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