Harley-Davidson from development to revolution

Harley-Davidson has an existential problem. In Switzerland alone, the traditional American brand has lost around 40% in sales over the past 7 years, and with it a lot of money. One can only speculate about the reasons, but the strategy adopted to combat the decline in sales does not seem to be working.

Harley-Davidson stands for a biker culture of tough men with heavy machines who make the streets unsafe with their loud choppers. For a long time, the brand was the undisputed number 1 among such devotees. But at some point a slight standstill crept in and the competition, namely Triumph, Indian and Victory began to compete with the old battleship.

LiveWire a flop?
Instead of building even stronger and more powerful machines that were even more manly, the decision was made to be a pioneer with an electric motorcycle in 2015. But who would want that? You might score points with politicians and the public with such a future-friendly "green" concept, but not with your own clientele, because they want sound and love "black". The sales figures of the LiveWire in Switzerland are still very low.

Pan America - Competition to Yamaha & Co.
Harley-Davidson is called American chopper and not a copy of Yamaha. Yamaha was groundbreaking with the launch of the Ténéré as an extreme off-roader and desert machine in the mid-80s. All other Japanese brands quickly followed, except Harley, because Harley was always unique and different. Now to launch an off-roader as well raises the same questions again: Who would want it?

In the past few years, Harley-Davidson has gone down an absolute wrong path. It looks like desperation that they are suddenly looking for customers in segments in which they were never active. This image change is dangerous and difficult and can cost the brand further in trust and customers. Harley-Davidson should return to its roots and build heavy machines for heavy guys.

Harley-Davidson writes: "Following the launch of the Pan America 1250 with its new "Revolution Max" engine, Harley-Davidson announces the presentation of another new model at the midpoint of the motorcycle season under the motto "From Evolution to Revolution". The virtual launch will take place at 5 p.m. on July 13. "Following the successful launch of our first adventure touring motorcycle, the Pan America, we are excited to introduce another all-new bike built on the 'Revolution Max' platform, representing a successful synthesis of Harley-Davidson technology, performance and style," explained Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Harley-Davidson. The online event will offer first glimpses into details of the new model and will include presentations from Harley-Davidson executives, product experts and those passionate bikers who developed this powerful new machine. It is anticipated that the motorcycle will be available at authorized Harley-Davidson dealers before the end of 2021."

Since I don't really believe that a "real" Harley will see the light of day, I'm worried that we'll once again be presented with a bike that reminds us of one that could come from a Japanese forge. But we always want to give a supplier like Harley the chance to surprise us in a positive way. Too often the brand has done that and we pray for Harley that we like the bike or even blow us away.