Harley-Davidson is facing a backlash from bikers over concerns that the American motorcycle maker, born with an image of rebellion, is now portraying itself as a woke company.
“@harleydavidson is one of America’s most beloved brands, but recently under the direction of CEO Jochen Zeitz, it has had a total awakening,” filmmaker Robbie Starbuck told X’s more than 528,000 followers in late July.
The motorcycle brand’s decision to volunteer in America’s culture wars was a hot topic at the 84th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota this week, according to attendees and numerous social media posts.
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“This is suicidal,” Vinnie Terranova, owner of Pappy’s Vintage Cycles in Sturgis, South Dakota, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
“A lot of bikers are switching to Indians,” he says. “They killed the Harley. It breaks my heart.”
People walk down Main Street lined with American flags on August 6, 2020, the day before that year’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally begins. (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)
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Joe Sixx responded by launching an organic nationwide boycott of America’s most popular beer brand at the time. Bud Light has never recovered.
“It doesn’t look good”
Motorcycle enthusiasts say Harley riders have been concerned about the company’s direction since German-born Zeitz took over as CEO in May 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Vintage Harleys that were worth $30,000 a few years ago are now selling for just $4,000.”
Terranova, who has run a Harley-Davidson dealership in Colorado for more than 40 years, said the value of Harley-Davidson bikes has plummeted among bikers since he took over.
“Vintage Harleys that were worth $30,000 a few years ago are now selling for just $4,000,” Terranova said.
“People don’t want to be associated with Harley anymore,” he added, expressing his opinion.
Bikers stop to view Mount Rushmore on their way to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, an annual 10-day event that draws more than 500,000 people. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Harley-Davidson for comment but had not received a response by press time.
After filmmaker Starbuck shared what he said was a wish list about Harley-Davidson’s internal policies on social media, many people’s frustration turned to anger.
Starbuck’s wish list included sending white men to white-male-only diversity training, supporting legislation “to allow men in women’s restrooms, gyms and locker rooms,” and “all-ages Pride events with a ‘rage room’ next to a ‘drag queen story time.'”
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“Most people feel pressured to talk about sexually explicit topics in the workplace, but 10 years ago, everyone would have considered it sexual harassment,” Starbuck, director of the film “The War on Children,” told Fox News Digital in a phone interview.
The company’s current alleged focus on DEI stands in stark contrast to the flashy, strong, freedom-loving image that has appealed to its core customers for decades.
A red, white and blue Harley Davidson motorcycle gas tank is seen in Chicago, Illinois. (Joe Soam/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Harley riders responded with outrage on social media, and apparently in Sturgis as well.
Comments posted on social media included “Harley Davidson has become a terrible company…buy something else.”
“I heard [Harley-Davidson] “Sturgis HQ will look like the Bud Light tent from last year,” a biker posted on X last week, before the 2024 rally kicks off on Aug. 2.
Video posted to social media on Monday showed just a green lawn and a few stragglers gathered outside a Harley-Davidson tent in Sturgis.
“Not a good look!” Starbuck wrote on his X account.
Filmmaker Robbie Starbuck shot in Nashville, Tennessee in 2021. (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
“I think some bikers will find out Harley has woken up and won’t want to have anything to do with them.”
Some longtime Harley riders have taken to social media to say they plan to switch to a new brand when they next buy a bike, while others are even dropping the Harley-Davidson name from their bikes.
Attendance at the annual Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival in Milwaukee last week, where motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson was founded in 1903, dropped dramatically.
Attendance at the annual Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival last week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the motorcycle maker was founded in 1903, was down dramatically.
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According to the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal, the event drew about 60,000 attendees, a 25% drop from the 80,000 who attended last year’s festival.
“After learning that @harleydavidson supports pedophiles and entices children, we’ve changed our plans for HD Homecoming,” Harley rider @LittleLuLu13131 wrote.
A panoramic view of the Harley-Davidson Museum on August 29, 2021, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Aaron P/Bauer Griffin/GC Images)
The outcry over Harley’s apparent wokeness comes on the heels of a notable shift in the brand’s public image.
Harley-Davidson last year dropped its world-famous orange-and-white lettering on a black shield. The new logo is just a metal shell, the same shape but a different color, and has no lettering.
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“The old logo undoubtedly conveyed a sense of tradition, a connection to the brand’s glorious past,” British graphic design firm LMRT reported in an online analysis.
“But the new logo seems to represent a break from convention, a leap into the modern era and an invitation to rethink the essence of Harley-Davidson.”
Pictured on the left is the Harley-Davidson Museum, which opened in Milwaukee in 2008. Pictured on the right is a scene from the famous 1969 film “Easy Rider,” which helped cement Harley-Davidson’s iconic connection to America’s open road. (AaronP/Bauer Griffin/GC Images, Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
Harley Davidson is Founded in Milwaukee in 1903 It was founded by William Hurley and his partners, brothers Arthur, Walter, and William Davidson. Hurley and the Davidson brothers were neighbors and friends growing up. As Fox News Digital previously reported, Hurley and Arthur Davidson were both bicycle enthusiasts and mechanics.
They started tinkering with small internal combustion engines and put motors on bicycles, which became their first Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
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According to the Harley-Davidson Museum, the company sold just three motorcycles in 1905.
In 2023, it produced 163,000 motorcycles, making it one of the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturers.
Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company of Harley-Davidson Motor Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services. According to the company, its vision is “to build legends and lead the industry through innovation, evolution and inspiration.” The company’s mission is not just to build machines, but to pursue the timeless pursuit of adventure and freedom for the soul.
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Harley-Davidson also owns a controlling stake in Livewire Group, the first publicly traded all-electric motorcycle company in the U.S., the company noted.
Harley-Davidson CEO Zeitz said: CEO Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion As many media outlets have noted, the pledge is part of a broader effort that includes fostering an environment that supports open dialogue about complex and difficult conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion, and engaging the board in developing and evaluating a diversity, equity and inclusion strategy.
