“No news in sight”…Perhaps this would be the best phrase to define the current situation you are going through. Harley-Davidson in economic and business matters. Nothing new within the Yankee firm for many months now. Let us remember that, with some 420 million dollars in turnover in the fourth quarter of 2024, the brand already announced global losses that amounted to 214 million dollars, the result of selling 47% less than in the same period of time the previous season.
Harley-Davidson still can’t find solutions
More than a year after that, and after several changes in the company’s management, Harley-Davidson has recently presented the latest financial report which includes its final results for the fourth quarter of 2025, as well as the annual global count and, as we expected, the news is not at all encouraging in this sense. In the words of Artie Starrs, president and CEO of the brand:
“As we close out a difficult year for the company, we are taking deliberate steps to stabilize the business, restore dealer confidence, and align wholesale activity with retail demand. While near-term results reflect these actions, the progress we are seeing reinforces our confidence in the turnaround underway and our ability to rebuild Harley-Davidson’s long-term earnings and cash flow.”
He closed his speech by stating “With an iconic brand, a deeply loyal motorcycle community, and an unparalleled dealer network, we believe Harley-Davidson is well positioned to chart a clear path forward.”. Beyond Starrs’ own personal conclusions, there are several undeniable aspects in this entire story that it seems that the brand has overlooked or continues not to notice.
To begin with, the type of customer that it had until now managed to attract thanks to its range of exclusive premium models. In general, we are talking about people with a high purchasing power, of middle and advanced age, who are not only looking to have fun at the controls of a motorcycle. They also require that their mounts be an element representative of their status. The problem is that this clientele is becoming smaller, mainly due to the decrease in people’s income almost globally.
On the other hand, but totally related to the above, developing and promoting a range of access models continues to be an aspect of vital importance for the brand. Being able to offer cheaper alternatives to the current options that Harley-Davidson has within its offer is no longer optional. The survival of the brand is very unlikely without taking corporate measures along these lines.
Last, but not least, we have the new tariffs that have affected American motorcycles since April, the result of the economic policies imposed by the Trump administration. These have made the rates applied on all the models that make up the brand’s 2026 range generally more expensive.
In short, a complicated situation that we hope Artie Starrs and company can solve.
