Back to the Bricks

Back To The Bricks- A Return To Juneau Ave.

I'll admit that I have been pretty critical of a lot of the decisions being made by Harley-Davidson's executives over the past several years. I believe I've earned that right, after all, considering that I've given an obscene amount of money to the MoCo over the past 17 or so years. Don't get me wrong, I'm not critical of the company, but rather, some of the decisions being made by the suits in charge. So what about the latest strategic plan that was recently launched by our newest CEO? Let's take a look at what "Back To The Bricks" means, and how it might affect us.

More Roads To Harley-Davidson

Not all the ideas have been bad, for example- Matt Levatich's "More Roads To Harley-Davidson" was innovative and brought us the Livewire and the new RevMax engine powering the Pan America, the  Sportster S and the new Nightster. Truth be known, it was the first real new innovation from the Cream City motorcycle maker in decades. The downfall of that strategy was that it was terribly expensive... and the MoCo was already struggling financially. It's not that Matt's idea was bad, but it was a bit too broad and ambitious, and I don't think it quite factored in the costs of designing a new engine, tooling for the new models and the expenses of the tech in the new machines. The Livewire alone was a huge financial burden for Harley-Davidson, forcing them to price the all-electric motorcycles at a whopping $30 grand on the showroom floors. H-D purists weren't ready, and definetly weren't asking, for an electric motorcycles, and they damn sure weren't prepared to drop CVO money on a bike that didn't even look like a Harley-Davidson.

Hardwire

Enter the German. Now, I give Jochen Zeitz a really hard time, I know... but Jochen, if you're reading this, buddy... no hard feelings- jump on your bike, ride down to the Coast and let's have a beer. Seriously, you seem like a nice guy, but damn... what were you thinking with Hardwire? You were literally pricing H-D out of the grasp of its core consumer- the blue collar, working class Americans. 

Jochen's Hardwire leaned in to the concept that Harley-Davidson is, and should be marketed as, a premium brand. While one might think that this is a good thing, the problem was that his strategy leaned too far in to it- aiming to increase overall revenue by increasing the prices of the motorcycles and really focusing on the higher-end offerings like the CVOs, instead of entry or mid level motorcycles. Sure, the concept seems to work well for companies like Lamborghini, Ferrari and Bugatti... but the problem for applying those ideas to a company like Harley-Davidson, is that H-D was born and bred by the working class, for the working class, where the aformentioned companies were, and are still, built for the ultra rich. 

Jochen also saw an opportunity to cut overhead costs during the 2020 COVID pandemic, by shutting down operations at Juneau Avenue, and having everyone work remotely from home, instead. I'm sure that the original intent was to keep everyone safe from the, at the time unknown, illness that took our world hostage for months, but after seeing how much lower the power bill was at the historic site... well, let's just say that was an easy way to reduce some operational costs. It... sort of... makes sense, I suppose. Juneau Ave is a very large facility and, while it's a significantly historic campus, it is very old and I can''t imagine that it's very energy efficient. Jochen might have been able to save some money by turning the lights off, but the problem is that it's very difficult to maintain teamwork, company pride and camaraderie, when a few thousand people are working remotely- after all, how can a team win, when all the players are at different fields?

The Order To Return to Juneau

One of the first things that Artie Starrs did after taking over, was send out a company wide memo, ordering everyone that was working remotely to return to the "Bricks", the common nickname for the famous Juneau Avenue campus. Having everyone return to a central office was part of his strategic plan to get H-D back on course, and it's a great move, so I think it's kind of funny how some of the different media outlets are saying he was "forcing" them to return, like it's a bad thing. It's as if they are implying that the new CEO is doing something wrong by telling everyone that they have to report to the office again. Millions of workers, worldwide, have to report to an office, or a jobsite everyday- very few workers get to work remotely. It just makes sense for a few reasons- one in particular, is if Joe is having a problem with something, he doesn't have to try to call, Skype (is that still a thing?), or have a Teams meeting with Jill and Bob, and hope they're available, to get help. He can simply walk over to them at their workstations and ask for help, which is much more efficient. 

You may be asking why this efficiency is so important now? Well, for several reasons. First of all, efficiency equals money. Time wasted is money wasted and, let's be honest, over the past several years, money has been tight for the MoCo. Secondly, when your goal is to develop new machines, more on that later, everyone on the project needs to be present- the designers, engineers, mechanics, materials experts, and the product specialists. The same goes for the behind the scenes operators, too- the accountants, the human resources staff, the administrative assistants, and every other unsung hero working to keep the company running. When everyone is on site, including the bosses, then it becomes a work family again. A sense of pride in the company, the culture and the products will return. Leaders, good leaders, don't sit by the pool and tell everyone what to do- they lead from the front; they lead by example. If I worked for Harley-Davidson, I would be proud to ride my Harley-Davidson to work every day, knowing that it was designed at Juneau Ave, the engine was built a few miles away at the Powertrain Operations facility and that it was assembled into the big, gorgeous machine that it is, over at the Vehicle Operations facility in York, PA. It would also impress the heck out of me, if I saw the CEO of the company ride in on his own Harley-Davidson motorcycle. 

Leadership isn't granted by the title of CEO, leadership is earned from the people that work for you. A CEO has to earn the trust, and then the commitment of his, or her, people. The employees have to know that the CEO is going to do the right thing and that he will take care of the company, and also take care of them. This isn't exclusive to the CEO, either. This applies to everyone in supervisory and management positions in the company. Artie recognized that being able to see your supervisor every day, working alongside you and your team, is not just a good thing, it is mandatory for success. Back to the Bricks is more than just a power move by the new boss, it is an effort to restore a culture of accountability, company pride, and corporate success. 

Dealer Relations

Another aspect of Artie Starrs' strategy is to improve dealer relations and make them more profitable, which is an extremely smart move. As we've seen over the past few years, several Harley-Davidson dealerships have been forced to close their doors. I'm not trying to pick on Jochen again, but I can't help but think that those closures were, at least in part, his fault. One of the things I used to love about going into dealerships, was looking at the different models. When I first got into Harley-Davidson, my local dealers had, easily a half dozen Sportsters in different trims and colors, as many Dynas, and probably even more Touring machines. It was so easy to ride to the dealership on a Road King, and ride home on a Road Glide (yeah, that actually happened). It was also nice to go in, have a salesman introduce themself, then walk away to let me browse the bikes on my own, compared to the way most of them are now. 

While we were in Milwaukee last month, my son and I went into a few of the local dealerships. One was awesome- when my son and I walked in, the salesman greeted us, said "if you need anything, holler at me" then walked away. Super cool guy and if I had been in the market to buy a bike at the time, I would have bought it from him. Another, larger, dealership (I won't put them on blast here), swarmed us. Two different salesmen approached us from two different angles, like hyenas going in for the kill. One gave up immediately when we said we were just looking, but the other wouldn't leave us alone. If we walked away, he followed us. When he asked us where we were from, he immediately insulted our hometown. He tried to redeem himself after he realized what he had done, but to be completely honest, even though that shop had more inventory than the other, I still wouldn't have bought from them. Partly because of him and his insults, but also because I know that sales staff don't aggressively pursue potential customers on their own- they are directed to do that by their sales managers. They are directed to do that when the dealership is struggling. The other dealership had been around for a long time, had been well established and they were obviously doing well. The salesman was friendly, talked with us when we engaged him, then he let us look around and he didn't bother us. Even if I would have had to pay a few bucks more by buying from them, I would have just because I liked their style. 

When Jochen decided to start cutting models, reducing inventory to save money, redesigning the touring bikes and making them more expensive, dealerships that were already having trouble started struggling even more. With fewer bikes to draw people in, higher prices that scared off potential buyers or pushed them to bigger dealerships that could offer slightly better prices, and desperate owners forcing their staff to be overly aggressive to make sales and upcharge services, it created a recipe for disaster. When those dealers sought help from corporate- there was no help to be given, and they were forced to shut the doors.

Artie seems to understand the importance of the dealer network and knows that the dealerships are the places where potential customers, become Harley-Davidson customers. By recognizing the need for dealers to be successful, Artie's strategic plan should increase profitability for those independent representatives of the MoCo, as well as increase overall profitability for the company. It's a smart move. Another smart move is adding more inventory to the showrooms.

Return of the Sportster 883

SWM Stormbreaker V 1200

A major announcement this week, was Artie's claim that a new, air-cooled, 883 Sportster with flat bars, and a peanut tank will return in the 2027 model lineup. He is saying that it will be a "blank canvas for customization" and will come in around the $10k mark. Now, I'll be completely honest with you when I say that I have my doubts about how they are going to pull this off. The reason for my skepticism isn't because I don't believe him, but rather... the MoCo appears to have sold the rights to the air-cooled Evolution Sportster to SWM, who is currently building several of the 1200cc versions under the new name "Stormbreaker V". Unless, that is, the speculation that Harley sold the rights for the air-cooled Evo Sportster to the Chinese owned SWM isn't true. If our previous speculations were wrong, and SWM is, in fact, building a blatantly copied motorcycle, then Harley-Davidson has one hell of a lawsuit for copyright infringement on their hands. I've read that China doesn't have copyright laws, which is why they are able to make so many ripoff products and sell them for pennies on the dollar. But, while the Chinese company Shineray owns the controlling stock of SWM, SWM is located in Italy, which does have pretty extensive copyright laws in place. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out over the next year or so, if Shineray and SWM didn't pay for those designs.

More New Models?

Another exciting announcement from Artie this week was his claim that we will see "20 new models in the next three years." Sounds a bit like Matt Levatich's strategic plan, eh? This was something that I was excited to hear from Matt a few years ago, and the MoCo was able to get a few new models out before he was replaced by Jochen, but it was far from the goal. With the changes that Artie has made so far, I'm thinking that we might actually see a return of some of our favorites, as well as some all-new machines. We have been told that the Sprint, which is almost guaranteed at this point to be one of the Chinese made "X" bikes- the 350RA (the riding academy bike), or the 440 or 500 model. Artie has said that we will see the debut of the Sprint later this year, so we shall see.

I'll also tell you that I've noticed some other interesting things, too. Harley-Davidson corporate has been posting job listings in some interesting fields, such as toolmakers, designers and engineers for frame, exhaust, manufacturing, materials, and powertrain. At the surface, these might just look like the MoCo is replacing people who have quit (or been fired), but for the creatively speculative mind like mine, they could also indicate the MoCo's desire, or need, to get fresh people in, in order to design a new engine, frame, exhaust, etc. for an all-new machine. Positions like toolmakers, for example, could indicate that they need to create new tooling for new machines, after all, why would they need to re-tool existing models?  Toolmakers, for those of you who may not know, don't make wrenches and ratchets, they make the specific tools used to form parts, like fuel tanks, frames, engine cases, etc. The MoCo's need for new tooling, is a clue that something new is coming, whether it's a newly redesigned Road King, a return of a twin shock Dyna model or an all-new model like we saw with the RevMax bikes. Either way, it's pretty exciting.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I feel like things are looking up in the 414 and I have a gut feeling that Artie Starrs is gonna do great things for our beloved MoCo. I'm hopeful that we are going to see a resurgence of success. Maybe we'll some stronger dealers, improvements in overall quality, a return of some previously successful models, and maybe even some cool new models that will get more riders turned on to this iconic American company. Who knows, maybe I'm being naive and overly hopeful, but as we celebrate 250 years of American freedom, I feel like the best way to celebrate freedom and independence, is on the back of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. 

I may be reaching here, but I have a feeling that we are going to see the Eagle soaring high, once again. I sure hope so, anyway. 

Until next time MotoReaders...

Ride safe, and make good choices!

Harley-Davidson Sprint

It’s that time again, folks! That wonderful time of the year when some manufacturers start teasing, and some start releasing, new models! It’s one of my favorite times of the year!

2026 Harley-Davidson Sprint

I haven’t heard much yet, but I just read that Harley-Davidson is about to release info on an all-new entry-level motorcycle, that harkens back to a previous time in their history. The new bike is set to be called the “Sprint”, after the popular model that they introduced in the early 1960s, after partnering with then, Italian manufacturer Aermacchi. 

These days, many people whine about the MoCo’s affiliations with other manufacturers building motorcycles for them, such as the Street 500 and 750 models, originally built in Bawal, India and primarily intended for the Middle Eastern market, or the all-new X350 and X500, built in China and primarily intended for the Asian market. But, our beloved Milwaukee, USA purveyor of fine motorcycles has not betrayed it’s American roots, far from it. They are a corporation that is surviving in a very challenging market… and they have been doing so since 1903. The reality is- survival is ugly sometimes. It often demands unconventional and, sometimes unpleasant, acts to be carried out, in order to be able to live, and in this case- produce motorcycles, another day. For example- guy that got trapped by a boulder while hiking and had to sever his own arm to be able to live another day. While I’m not suggesting that H-D cut off an appendage, here… I am saying that sometimes, in order to survive a struggling market, it requires a partnership that may not be the most popular with it’s traditional customer base. If, however, the partnership expands the customer base… and the company can survive another year, or five years, or a hundred years, then it was worth it. 

Beginning in the 1960’s, Harley-Davidson partnered with several companies, three of which in particular brought the MoCo through some of their  toughest times and helped them survive when many other American motorcycle companies were failing: Aermacchi and their small displacement motorcycles helped expand the Harley-Davidson name plate into the European markets and helped form a love for  Milwaukee steel overseas, that still exists to this day; Tomahawk Boats ushered in a new era of design possibilities and manufacturing facilities that gave us things like the Boat Tail Super Glide, hard side saddlebags, tour packs, and fairings for the immensely popular Electra Glides, Tour (and later, Road) Glides; and of course, the American Machine and Foundry company, quite literally, saved the MoCo from financial ruin. While none of these were probably very popular at the time, all served the greater purpose of helping this American institution survive and that, my friends, is the name of the game because once a company shuts down, if it ever does come back, it will never be the same as it once was. 

The Bike

Currently, there’s very little information about the new Sprint, except that it is supposed to be revealed to dealers this fall, but what we do know for now, is that it is expected be a small displacement, inexpensive and entry-level motorcycle. There’s still no word on where it will be built, but I suspect it will be manufactured overseas initially, or perhaps, built in the US of A, with parts imported from overseas plants. 

What I find interesting though, is I’ve heard so many people already bashing it, and bashing the MoCo for building an “entry-level” bike. Just yesterday, I saw a social media influencer (who I typically agree with on a lot of points), bashing the MoCo over the new Sprint and saying that all “we” want is a “new EVO” engine because the “EVO was the best engine ever built by Harley-Davidson.” The EVO was a good engine, sure… but ”the best”? I don’t think so, not by a long shot. Every engine that H-D has made through the years was the best, until it was replaced by something better. The Knuckle was better than the Flathead, the Pan was better than the Knuck, the EVO was better than the Pan and, yes… I’m gonna say it… the Twin Cam was better than the EVO… and I know that I’m about to get bashed for that one, but it’s true- I’d take a late model TC96 or TC103 over an EVO any day. BUT! Before anyone decides to start roasting me for MY opinion, let me remind you that everyone has their own opinions based on their own experiences… mine are no different. I’ve gotten great performance (and no oil leaks) out of the 5 different Twin Cams I’ve owned, while I had two different buddies that had “late model” EVO’s that coudn’t keep a seal between the jugs and the crankcase. Now, before anyone says, “well Mr. MotoWriter, why does S&S Cycles build so many EVO clones, then?” My simple answer is this- because 1. The patent ran out and they can, 2. They’ve had a chance to fix the problems and get it dialed in properly (I never said it wasn’t a good platform for a great engine) and, 3. They also make updated versions of the Knuckle, Pan, Shovel and M-8. One could argue that the reason they don’t build a Twin Cam, is because the stock H-D TC is already dialed in, easier to get and significantly less expensive than the others. 

As for the Milwaukee 8- I have a first generation M-8 107 on my Road King Special, and a 96” Twin Cam on my Dyna Street Bob… I’ve also had a couple of late model 103” Twin Cams and an early model 96”  and I will honestly say that, in my very humble opinion, the M-8 is a superior engine to the Twin Cam. I’ve heard horror stories about the first gen 107” M-8’s having issues with oil sumping, cam chest and oil pump failures and, maybe I’m just lucky or perhaps it hasn’t happened yet, but mine has not given me any issues with any of those components (like I said, not yet, anyway). Maybe it’s because I ride it like I own it, and like I am the one that is responsible for paying for it when it breaks, or maybe, I have just gotten lucky, I don’t know… but regardless, my opinions are based on my experiences, so I’m willing to acknowledge that others may be (and apparently are) very passionate about theirs, based on their experiences.

Regardless of where your opinion lands, I’ll disagree with my guy on the ole interweb socials and say that, while I’m not in the market for an entry-level, small displacement motorcycle- I think it’s great that the MoCo is thinking about their future survival and making adjustments to get new riders into the sport, and hopefully making some of them passionate loyalists to the brand so that hopefully, it will carry them through the tough times. 

What is “Entry-Level” anyway?

Easy- entry-level can be quantified in two words: size and price. Let’s face it- motorcycles are, inherently, dangerous and, in order to get someone on a motorcycle for the first time, you need to have a machine that isn’t too powerful, heavy and intimidating. Pricing is also incredibly important, as well, because you don’t want to have the perfect machine, but make it so expensive that it can’t be bought by someone who is just getting into the sport, especially when the competition is fierce in this segment. 

The new Sprint is expected to be around $6,000 US and I think that is spectacular. People won’t buy what they can’t afford anymore. When I bought my first new H-D, I was in my mid 30’s and, at the time, I honestly never thought I’d be able to buy a Harley-Davidson at all, much less a brand new Road King Classic. It was expensive and, in all reality, I probably shouldn’t have bought it because there were times that I struggled to pay the note, but it was worth it to me (and my lovely wife supported it, wholeheartedly), so I took the leap and did it. This new generation is different though- these kids now are very money-conscious and they are very conservative in the way they spend their money. I would venture to guess that the MoCo loses hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in potential new riders, because of the costs and availability of their machines. Not that a solid and sustained resale value is a bad thing- it’s not, however, by comparison, a new rider looking at the offerings in dealerships and in the used markets, could be easily put off of H-D by the prices alone. For example, a large displacement Japanese bike, like the Yamaha Stratoliner or the Honda VTX1800 can be had for under $6,000 used, compared to a used Harley-Davidson Road King or Street Glide that will cost you easily over $10,000 for the same or similar year models. That is because the import bikes simply don’t hold their value like the Harley’s do. Those are typical prices of large, heavyweight bikes, too… their smaller counterparts can be had for even less, where the smaller H-D’s are still pretty expensive. For example- a 2006 Yamaha V-Star 650, which is a very easy bike to ride, can be had for around $1,500, compared to a 2006 H-D Sportster 883 that is selling for around $3,000. Again, that’s the difference between resale values- and, while that’s a good thing for H-D owners, it’s not so great for the MoCo when you consider that most new riders will almost always opt for the cheaper bikes. And before you argue that comparing used bikes to new bikes is like comparing apples to oranges, I’ll remind you that the least expensive new Harley-Davidson in the current lineup, the Nightster, is priced at $9,999 before dealer fees, where the comparable Yamaha Bolt R-Spec, is sitting a clean $1,000 less, at $8,999. Does a grand make a difference to someone like me? Right now- not really… when I was first starting out- absolutely. Currently, Yamaha’s lowest priced “cruiser style” motorcycle is the V-Star 250 at $4,799… so, if H-D can enter the market with a bike with double that displacement, but not double that price, I think it’s a strong move for Milwaukee.

The fact remains that this new generation is looking at the overall value for their dollar and, let’s be honest, why would a young, new, rider buy a 2008 Road King for $9,500, when they could buy a 2008 Roadliner for $4,500? After all, the 2008 ‘Liner has a 113 ci engine compared to the 2008 ‘King’s 96 ci mill. It’s a dollar for displacement disparity that favors the Japanese bike. Brand loyalty is often born with a first motorcycle, too… so getting someone into the culture of Harley-Davidson is imperative to gaining them as a lifelong customer. Don’t believe me? How many H-D loyalists started out on one of those very early single cylinder bikes (like the Hummer or the original Sprint), or more currently, on a Sportster? The EVO Sportster is probably the most popular motorcycle ever built by Harley-Davidson if you go by how long it was made, and total units sold (and are still sold in the used sector, today). The EVO Sporty used to be very affordable, with many of the basic models selling for close to- you guessed it- the $6,000 mark, so it’s my belief that this new Sprint’s pricing is right on par with being a, potentially, very successful offering for Harley-Davidson. 

Final thoughts

Hopefully this new bike is well-built, has the American soul  of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, performs well and, unlike the failed Street models, is reliable and well designed. I think one of the biggest reasons the Streets failed so miserably, isn’t because they were small displacement and low priced, but rather, because of the design. They didn’t look like a Harley, they didn’t sound like a Harley and they were not well made, at all. While ole Jochen is out, and this new bike was developed and designed under his leadership, hopefully, it is more than just a re-badged Chinese bike (like the X-440 trainer bikes), and better than the absolutely awful Street that was born, and built, under former CEO, Matt Levatich’s leadership.

For now, we’ll just have to wait and see, though. As for me, I am choosing to be optimistic about the new Sprint. I’m hoping to see a new single cylinder, fuel injected cruiser (or maybe even a sportier version for the kids that like to go zoomy-zoomy), a sharp, distinctly American design, and more importantly- very well built, with high quality components.

Until then… Ride safe and make good choices, MotoReaders!