Oh the irony…as American motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson launch their flagship CVO models on the 7th June…only 24hrs later they suspend operations at their York, PA assembly plant.
This is now the second time the company has been forced to shut down the plant for supply chain issues. The first being in May 2022 due to reported brake hose issues from one of their suppliers which took some time to rectify.
This latest halt in production for a little over a week, initially, is surely going to hit the company hard and the 1000 unionised employees harder still.
Employee relations at the company have been strained for years with many disgruntled ex employees seemingly having a lot to say about poor relations, work practices and salaries. Will this latest shut down affect their wallets too? Well it is believed the employees will be in the short term, which will do nothing for employment appreciation.
What is yet clear, is what is the cause of this latest stoppage. The company have stated that it is parts supply related but many commentators are wondering whether this indeed is the result of high unit prices turning off potential customers from big ticket purchases. Dealerships are not selling bikes in numbers as they would like, hence the company cannot ship out as many bikes either. So the production halt is a way to mask this build up of inflated stock.
The question has been repeatedly asked whether a company like Harley Davidson can continue to produce bikes at inflated prices and who will buy them in numbers. Can they survive or rather can they remain the size of manufacturer they currently are?
With the drip feeding of limited run motorcycles such as the CVOs, Fast Johnnie and Icons, the intention is to keep the enthusiasm levels high for the brand. There is indeed a continued appreciated for the bike but the justification of the price is what most would find difficult.
So the irony of releasing a brand new CVO that is produced at an assembly plant that has just shut down has not gone unnoticed. The supporters would say this is only a minor delay but critics would look at the wider angle and fear possible more serious short comings within the brand.
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