Harley Davidson in the Early 80's

1982 Harley Davidson

1981 saw AMF selling the company to a group led by the grandson of the co-founder William A Davidson and Vaughn Beals for $80 million.
The US International Trade Commission imposed in 1983 a 45% tariff on imported bikes over 700 cc to protect Harley-Davidson,as they claimed the japanese were dunmping bikes in their country.
Rather than trying to match the Japanese, the new management deliberately exploited the "retro" appeal of the machines, building motorcycles that deliberately adopted the look and feel of their earlier machines and the subsequent customizations of owners of that era. Many components such as brakes, forks, shocks, carburetors, electrics and wheels were outsourced from foreign manufacturers and quality increased, technical improvements were made, and buyers slowly returned. To remain profitable Harley continues to increase the amount of overseas-made parts it uses, while being careful not to harm its valuable "American Made" image.

Dave Burton
www.bargain-motors.com