Great Business Stories

Harley Davidson: The Rise and Fall of a great American brand


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it's the story of how two childhood friends bolted a motor to a bicycle — and more or less ignited a cultural revolution because over the next century, Harley-Davidson became a symbol of rebellion, of freedom and of America

But behind  the myth, the company has had a turbulent time. There were strikes, near-bankruptcy, Japanese rivals, political trade wars, and even Warren Buffett riding to the rescue.

Today, Harley is still the most famous name in motorcycles... and yet it’s in dire straits, it’s big bike sales have been dwindling and it’s move to modernise has been disastrous- it just sold 33 of it’s electric bikes in the last quarter

So what happened?

This is the story of Harley Davidson. And it’s a cracking episode — enjoy.


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Great Business StoriesBy Caemin