[Richard230]

The article starts out with lots of good news for H-D and then ends up with the bad news. A 56% EU tariff screw job. The article doesn't explain why. Was KTM and BMW worried about the Pan American sticking its nose into their GS golden goose?:
https://www.motorcycle.com/mini-features/harley-davidson-records-positive-q1-2021-but-eu-tariff-threat-looms.html

[zimmemr]

The article starts out with lots of good news for H-D and then ends up with the bad news. A 56% EU tariff screw job. The article doesn't explain why. Was KTM and BMW worried about the Pan American sticking its nose into their GS golden goose?:
https://www.motorcycle.com/mini-features/harley-davidson-records-positive-q1-2021-but-eu-tariff-threat-looms.html

There was a story on it in todays Wall Street Journal, when they cover it you know it's big medicine

[gizzo]

That's nothing that HD didn't cause to happen when they were afraid of European and Japanese bikes stepping on their turf though....

Or maybe it's an EU ruse to keep those noisy open pipes away 😉

[Karl Fenn]

Rest assured with the transformation to main dealer service only that GS goose will lay golden eggs for BMW and their finance department.

[Richard230]

Note the sentence at the end of the article: By comparison, motorcycles from European OEMs shipped to the U.S. face a 1.2% tariff for displacements up to 800cc and 2.4% for motorcycles with larger engines. So it doesn't look like tit for tat between the U.S. and the EU.

[gizzo]

Note the sentence at the end of the article: By comparison, motorcycles from European OEMs shipped to the U.S. face a 1.2% tariff for displacements up to 800cc and 2.4% for motorcycles with larger engines. So it doesn't look like tit for tat between the U.S. and the EU.

Sure, but in the Regan era (?) it was something like 45% at HD's request, right?

[zimmemr]

HD has a long history of asking for tariffs on bikes from other countries. They asked for what amounted to a complete ban on British bikes in the 50's, which fortunately wasn't granted and went after the Japanese in the 80's. I don't have much sympathy for them, but apparently the EU tariffs aren't really about motorcycles and HD just got caught in the middle.

[Karl Fenn]

Well they just wanted a monopoly on the markets to secure more sales, that simple. I don't think anyone truely realises just how big these markets are with all the spin offs billions and billions.

[Richard230]

I suspect that the H-D tariff had to do with payback for Trump's aluminum and steel tariffs that he imposed a few years ago.  And maybe also have something with the long-running beef about beef.  However, you have to admit that the new tariff, coming at the same time that H-D introduced the Pan American to the EU last week, is kind of suspicious timing.

[Karl Fenn]

Well of course there is a lot of tit for tat type politics involved there always is.

[Richard230]

If you can stand a little U.S. political commentary for a moment, perhaps the H-D tariff will not bother President Biden all that much. I am not sure that the "Faithful" or the factory workers for that matter, are part of Biden's political "base".  He might just let the H-D tariff simmer for a while without addressing it while he moves along his own more important (to him - and many other people, for that matter) agenda.   

[Karl Fenn]

Well he might not be that bothered probably more important things on his mind, but many in the UK government are pleased Trump lost the election they did not seem to like him from the start.

[axman88]

Some months ago, HD announced the closing of the Bawal factory, and with that, The discontinuation of the HD Street 750s (and 500s?).  I seem to recall that there was an unofficial announcement that the Sportster models that were also assembled in Bawal for Asian and Euro markets, were similarly going to be made unavailable in Europe.

That would seem to leave only the Big Twins, and the new Pan Am available for sale to Europe?  I remember thinking, at the time, how in heck will Harley get their big air cooled engines to meet Euro 5 emissions standards?  That liquid cooled Pan American was looking like the only real contender.  Now this.

[AzCal Retred]

Biden is pro-Union. HD has a Union workforce. Unlikely he won't work to protect that. HD's problems didn't start 1/20/2021.

https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2019/04/15/harley-davidson-workers-pass-new-labor-contract.html

How Trump’s trade policies changed the game for Harley-Davidson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iENPSbkULVA

[Arschloch]

Note the sentence at the end of the article: By comparison, motorcycles from European OEMs shipped to the U.S. face a 1.2% tariff for displacements up to 800cc and 2.4% for motorcycles with larger engines. So it doesn't look like tit for tat between the U.S. and the EU.

The issue seems to be this time around though that apparently no one would be able to afford a motorbike if they were brought up to the price levels of HD.