Interesting that Harlay, a clothing and accessories company that happens to also make motorcycles, gets caught up in the tariff issue again. Back in the '80s, the company lobbied Reagan and got tariffs bumped from 4.4% to 49.4% on imported motorcycles over 700ccs. The tariff was scheduled to phase out in five years, was hailed as saving the company, and Harley even claimed "victory" by having it ended early. But there were side effects. This resulted in the Japanese manufacturers suddenly coming out with 698cc models, the construction of several foreign motorcycle assembly plants in the U.S., and naturally higher motorcycle prices for all brands.
So now they want to open a European plant to skirt the recent increase in EU tariffs. Okay, makes business sense I suppose, but will result in a loss of American jobs, and probably higher prices for everyone. <sigh>
Trade is a complex issue, and free trade is pretty much a myth. Trump has a ton of work to do to reverse decades of corporate initiatives that moved so many jobs offshore. It's gonna be fun to watch the fireworks, but not so much fun to watch prices shoot higher, and the side effects of fiddling with trade have huge impacts, mostly negative, on the economy. Those decades of "cheap foreign-made products" promoting policies will be crashing back on us with some serious blowback. The financial chickens will be coming home to roost.
As a side note, I've ridden a few Harleys, and while the Sportster is kinda fun to ride, I find the bigger models too heavy. Harley has never come close to making something like my current ride, a BMW R1200GS, with the 125HP water boxer engine, space shuttle electronics, and a svelte 525 pounds wet. It's heavenly...
