It appears there is growing noise in the ether that is becoming disgruntled with Harley Davidson Motor Company and it less about motorcycles but more about the company structure and philosophy.
A couple of years ago I wrote about and made videos about the company structure and attitude towards certain issues. I also discussed issues within the structure and direction of the company which was largely dismissed but now these same or similar points are being raised by various websites and internet content creators. So what is going on?
Well it is part a groundswell of opinion and part the type of products being sold and of course the cost of such things that people are getting particularly uneasy about, but it is also about those that sit within the corridors of power at the company and how disconnected they are from the average Harley Davidson rider.
Companies like Budweiser can make the catastrophic blunder to not read their core audience, who then in turn jump on a band wagon to boycott the product when under any other circumstances they would carry on as normal.
Similarly with Harley Davidson who are also being described as ‘Woke’ (The term ‘Woke’ has also been hijacked from its original meaning from African American slang relating to sexism and racial prejudice especially with women, but now is anything that is perceived as pandering to political correctness or over emphasised minority issues), the company is distancing itself from traditional values and creating a divide between the old guard rider and missing the mark with the next generation too.
It is easy to poke woke at a company who operate at a global level and have to evolve with market trends but the perception is that decisions being made at the very top, such as electric motorcycle future or uninteresting liquid cooled bikes are being produced that nobody wants to buy, but the bikes that people do like are vastly overpriced for the average rider. The company believe this is the new norm, but the economic downturn would tend to create hesitation and dissension amongst those thinking of new purchases.
Does this affect the bottom line for the company? In the short term doubtful but whilst there were increased profits last year, this year may be a different tale altogether. And all the while the voices grow louder with more pointing fingers at a company that is more interested in pandering to modern minority ideals and cosying up to shareholders rather than winning back hearts and minds in the HOG belts around the world.