For most of the company’s history, the majority of Harley-Davidson motorcycles and their parts were made in the United States. In fact, four U.S.-based factories were in operation until 2019, with thousands of employees and hundreds of U.S. material suppliers. But with rising global demands and increasing steel-import costs in the 21st century, one plant in Kansas was closed, and a new one was set up in Thailand.
If you’re buying a Harley in the United States, however, you can still trust that it was assembled in either Wisconsin or Pennsylvania. In this way, the company’s American-made reputation continues to this day, and the three existing American plants employ thousands. Such a legacy has led to some highly sought-after and rare Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, with many bikes that still rip after decades. But the parts themselves aren’t necessarily produced in the states.
The manufacturing of the motorcycle parts used by Harley-Davidson occurs in several factories located across the world. There are parts manufacturers in Mexico, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, and Japan. Some of the parts are still made in the U.S. and used with enough frequency to earn the “Made in America” label on any Harley purchased in America. However, with so many different sources, parts, and motorcycle models, it’s nearly impossible to pinpoint the exact origins of every motorcycle that rolls off the line.
[Featured image by Ank Kumar via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]
