Harley-Davidson, the iconic American motorcycle brand, is facing a huge backlash from some of its most die-hard fans.
The American motorcycle manufacturer, which relished its renegade image, is now identifying as woke.
In a post on X, which 528,000 followers shared in late July, filmmaker Robby Starbuck, with a sense of regret, stated:
“@harleydavidson has been one of the most beloved brands in America, but recently on CEO Jochen Zeitz’s watch, they’ve gone totally woke.”
The recent decision by the iconic motorcycle manufacturer to volunteer for the culture wars in America was a hotly debated topic at the 84th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota this week.
Vinny Terranova, the owner of Pappy’s Vintage Cycles in Sturgis, South Dakota, called it branding suicide and added that many bikers are switching over to Indian.
“In one stroke they killed Harley and it is really heartbreaking.”
Fans even compared the situation to Bud Light and its decision to partner with Dylan Mulvaney, a social media influencer and trans activist.
A nationwide boycott against America’s then-most popular beer brand ensued, and today the beer brand has never recovered its earlier position.
Harley riders are dismayed by the direction of the company since the German-born Zeitz took over as CEO at the height of the COVID pandemic in May 2020.
Terranova, who ran a Harley-Davidson dealership in Colorado for almost half a century, said that Harley-Davidson motorcycles are facing huge erosion in their value.
He stated that a Harley that commanded a hefty price tag of $30K a few years ago hardly gets $4K today.
“Harley was a cultural statement a few years ago and today people just don’t want to be associated with the iconic motorcycle anymore.”
Filmmaker Starbuck shared on his social media handle what he said was Harley-Davidson’s woke wish list of policies.
The post created a huge ruckus, and the discontent among the Harley fans soon turned into outrage.
Starbuck, director of the film “The War on Children,” in a telephonic interview with Fox News Digital, said:
“Most people feel like they’re having sexually explicit topics forced upon them at the workplace, which, 10 years ago, anybody would have seen as sexual harassment.”
Harley’s latest DEI focus is in sharp contrast with the loud, muscular, freedom-loving image which enamoured core customers for decades.
The Harley fans vented their anger on social media:
One fan wrote,
“@Harleydavidson has turned to sh*te … Buy something else,” among the comments posted on social media.
Another biker posted,
“I heard [Harley-Davidson] Sturgis HQ is gonna be like Bud Light tent was last year.”
Several Harley riders have stated on social media posts that they are ditching their Harleys for other brands.
Some even stated that they are removing the Harley-Davidson name from their motorcycles.
Harley-Davidson’s new logo has also caused a lot of heartburn among its fans.
Harley-Davidson did away with its iconic logo of orange and white lettering on a black shield and replaced it with a new logo that is an empty metallic shell with different colors but without any letters.
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