America’s best-known motorcycle brand is having trouble at home. Harley-Davidson’s U.S. sales are down to the lowest levels in years, and the company’s stock has fallen about 13 percent so far in 2018. The Milwaukee-based bike builder is shuttering a factory in Kansas City as forecasts for 2018 predict continued declines. International sales have fared better, but possible steel and aluminum tariffs threaten to rock the manufacturer overseas.
The underlying problem that has plagued Harley for years is the slow demise of its core rider group—the bandana-clad riders rolling through curvy backwood highways, traveling in packs from bar to bar across America. They’re getting older, and younger riders are opting for snappier, sportier, and cheaper bikes. Harley is hoping to right the ship with some help from its recently-announced electric motorcycle, the production bike that will result from the LiveWire prototype unveiled in 2014. But it remains to be seen if the sporty electric two-wheeler will have broader appeal.