Every Motorcycle Brand Owned By Harley-davidson

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Harley-Davidson is arguably nan astir iconic sanction successful motorcycles, astatine slightest successful nan United States. But nan institution has owned aggregate different motorcycle brands, and each of them has contributed successful immoderate measurement to nan company's growth. Most are nary longer owned by Harley-Davidson —  LiveWire is nan only 1 still nether its umbrella — but they each near their mark.

In 1960, Harley-Davidson bought a 50% liking successful Aermacchi's motorcycle division, hoping this would thief it compete successful nan small-displacement market. The marque owned 100% of Aermacchi by nan mid-1970s, and nan team-up resulted successful 4 Grand Prix titles. In 1993, Harley-Davidson wanted to branch retired into athletics bikes, thing customers didn't really subordinate pinch nan name. So it bought a number liking successful Buell and gradually bought much and much shares until it owned nan motorcycle institution outright successful 2003.

In an effort to grow into nan European market, Harley-Davidson acquired nan MV Agusta Group, which was based successful Italy, successful 2008. This gave nan institution power of 2 brands: MV Agusta and Cagiva. This business wouldn't past long, however, arsenic Harley-Davidson made a halfway displacement a mates of years later. Then, successful 2019, Harley-Davidson expanded into nan EV motorcycle marketplace by creating nan LiveWire model. LiveWire was eventually spun retired into its ain institution successful 2021, but Harley-Davidson still owns a mostly stake.

Harley-Davidson itself was owned by different company, AMF, from 1969 to 1981. This era was not nan proudest clip successful Harley-Davidson's history. Notably, AMF slashed accumulation costs, which resulted successful a simplification successful value astatine a clip erstwhile Japanese companies, for illustration Honda, were providing stiff title pinch high-performance products. It almost crippled Harley's future. During this era, nan marque picked up nicknames for illustration "Hardly-Ableson" and "Hardly-Ridable" owed to customers' debased sentiment of its bikes astatine nan time.

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By nan 1960s, Harley-Davidson had tried its manus astatine smaller bikes with 21 cubic inch and 35 cubic inch models. But models for illustration nan Sport, S-125, Hummer, and Super 10 had produced less-than-stellar results for nan company. Eventually, Harley-Davidson decided it made much consciousness to bargain into a marque that was already producing value smaller-engine motorcycles. Enter nan Italian motorcycle manufacturer, Aermacchi.

Aermacchi had precocious built nan Aermacchi Ala d'Oro (Gold Wing), a high-performing 250cc four-stroke motorcycle that showed a batch of potential. However, Aeronautica Macchi, nan institution that owned nan brand, wanted to ore connected nan craft manufacturing broadside of its business. So, Harley-Davidson bought a 50% stock of Aermacchi successful 1960. A twelvemonth later, nan 250cc Aermacchi Harley-Davidson Wisconsin (renamed "Sprint" a short clip later) went connected waste successful nan U.S., and Harley owned each of Aermacchi by 1974.

The racing type of nan Sprint did very good successful competition. Ridden by Walter Villa, nan 250cc type won 3 titles from 1974 to 1976, while nan 347cc won 1 successful nan 350 people successful 1976. The Harley squad remained rather competitory successful nan racing world during nan 1970s pinch Aermacchi bikes. But racing occurrence did not construe to occurrence successful accumulation sales. American consumers did not return to nan kickstarter being positioned connected nan left, pinch nan kickstand and gearbox connected nan right. The motorcycle besides did not travel pinch an electrical starter until 1973, had nary move signals, and had a four-speed gearbox alternatively of nan promised five. These were each features offered by nan apical Japanese competitors. In a 1970 trial comparing nan Sprint pinch 5 of its competitors, it was clocked pinch nan slowest performance. Harley yet sold Aermacchi to Cagiva successful 1978.

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By 1993, Harley-Davidson's invention had been somewhat stagnant. Its customers ne'er seemed to respond good to nan institution trying to nutrient thing different than nan large cruisers they were utilized to. So, nan institution decided to bargain 49% of Buell Motor Corp., a mini shaper known for its innovations, peculiarly its state-of-the-art liquid-cooled motor technology. By 2003, Harley owned nan full business, which had been renamed Buell Motorcycle Company.

Harley had hoped Buell could thief it get a foothold successful nan American athletics motorcycle market, which was being dominated by Japanese and European manufacturers astatine nan time. Buell would spell connected to create awesome athletics bikes for illustration nan Thunderbolt, but besides low-cost, low-maintenance models for illustration nan Buell Blast. While its bikes were well-respected and considered by immoderate to beryllium much technically precocious than Harleys, they ne'er really group nan world connected occurrence successful respect to sales.

Harley-Davidson decided to discontinue nan Buell statement successful 2009 in bid to attraction much afloat connected its much profitable halfway brand. But it didn't waste Buell, arsenic it felt it had been excessively intimately associated pinch nan Harley-Davidson sanction by that time. In fact, the institution continued to usage nan Buell Blast arsenic nan training motorcycle for nan "Rider's Edge" training programme each nan measurement until 2014, erstwhile it was replaced astatine nan academy by nan Harley-Davidson Street 500. 

The original laminitis of Buell Motorcycle Company, Erik Buell, went connected to recovered Erik Buell Racing and to support producing and processing nan Buell 1125RR racing bike. That institution went into receivership successful 2015 and was later bought by Bill Melvin successful 2020. Melvin revived nan Buell Motorcycle Company name, acquiring it from Harley-Davidson, and yet resurrected nan aged Buell models.

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In 2008, Harley-Davidson decided it needed to grow its stock successful nan European market. So, it bought nan MV Agusta Group, but not conscionable a number stock this clip — it acquired full ownership of nan group, paying $109 cardinal for a 100% liking successful nan company. This gave Harley power of 2 European brands, MV Agusta and Cagiva.

Harley-Davidson wasn't willing successful making immoderate existent changes, though. The office stayed successful Varese, Italy, and nan MV Agusta Group proprietor and CEO, Claudio Castiglioni, stayed connected arsenic chairman. In addition, Massimo Tamburini was kept arsenic caput of design. But nan business was short-lived. Harley-Davidson knowledgeable superior financial difficulties successful 2009, pinch income falling 91% successful nan 2nd 4th of that twelvemonth and gross falling by 27%. Changes needed to beryllium made, and Harley's solution was to trim costs and ore connected its halfway business, nan original Harley-Davidson brand. The institution conducted wide layoffs and trim production, consolidating immoderate of its trial facilities. This would each beryllium a portion of its "Delivering Results Through Focus" strategy.

Another portion of that strategy was to divest itself of its non-Harley brands, including nan MV Agusta group. As we already noted, it was during this aforesaid time, successful precocious 2009, that nan accumulation of nan Buell marque was discontinued. Harley sold MV Agusta backmost to Castiglioni successful 2010. After nan sale, Castiglioni appointed his son, Giovanni, president of nan company, while retaining nan title of honorary president. He died nan pursuing year.

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In 2014, Harley-Davidson launched Project LiveWire, an inaugural to create an EV statement of motorcycles, unveiling its first prototype later that year. Harley-Davidson's first accumulation electrical motorcycle was rolled retired successful 2019 pinch nan LiveWire sanction attached. The motorcycle could spell from 0 to 60 mph successful nether 3.5 seconds and produced 100% of its torque from nan first twist of nan throttle. It had an estimated scope of 110 miles connected metropolis streets.

As portion of its push into nan two-wheeled EV market, Harley acquired Stacyc, a shaper of e-bikes for kids. Stacyc had been founded successful 2016 and was producing its "electric equilibrium bikes" successful a 12-inch type and a 16-inch version, targeting riders arsenic young arsenic 3 years old. The powerfulness packs were nan size of drill batteries and could propel nan bikes to speeds of up to 11 mph.

In 2021, Harley-Davidson began a five-year strategy called "The Hardwire," designed to reinvigorate its business, and an important portion of that strategy was titled "Lead successful Electric." In keeping pinch that angle, Harley turned LiveWire into its ain dedicated division, past spun it disconnected into its ain institution later that twelvemonth by merging it pinch AEA-Bridges Impact Corp. Harley retained 74% ownership of nan recently formed entity, though, and Stacyc was included arsenic 1 of its brands.

LiveWire is still successful business, pinch aggregate sleek-looking models and improved specs. The LiveWire ONE exemplary has a scope of 146 miles and tin spell from 0 to 60 mph successful 3 seconds. All of its models, isolated from for nan S2 Del Mar LE, commencement astatine astir $16,000. The S2 Del Mar LE is somewhat much expensive, starting astatine complete $17,000. Stacyc is likewise still around, trading e-bikes for kids, including a mates of Harley-Davidson-branded models.

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Motorcycle income had taken a downturn successful nan 1980s, truthful Harley-Davidson decided to diversify. It had already branched retired into manufacturing bombshell casings, engines for subject drone aircraft, and machine cables. But successful 1986 it acquired Holiday Rambler, 1 of nan world's largest RV manufacturers astatine nan time. The volition was to bring successful an further root of income, arsenic nan RV shaper was expected to gain complete $270 cardinal that year. This didn't look for illustration nan wisest move to some, arsenic RV sales, for illustration motorcycle sales, thin to up and down arsenic well.

But RVs weren't each that Holiday Rambler sold. It besides made civilization conversion trucks, mobile and modular homes, RV parts, civilization wood products, and civilization injection-molded integrative components. With that overmuch diversification, net would not beryllium a problem for Holiday Rambler, and Harley beautiful overmuch near nan marque unsocial to do its ain thing.

Motorcycle income picked up again successful nan 1990s, truthful Harley erstwhile again decided to refocus connected its halfway business. In 1996, it sold Holiday Rambler's manufacturing operations and 10 dealerships to Monaco Coach Corp., a institution owned by Navistar, for $50 million. In 2013, Navistar sold Holiday Rambler to nan REV Group, past known arsenic Allied Special Vehicles. The marque is still alive, producing Class A centrifugal homes for Navistar.

Harley-Davidson has a storied history, acknowledgment successful portion to nan various brands it has taken nether its umbrella. Those brands person enabled nan institution to triumph titles successful master motorcycle races, create superbikes, and moreover concisely grow its beingness successful nan European market. And it's still progressive successful making electrical motorcycles and e-bikes, but it ever comes backmost to nan halfway marque and making nan large cruisers folks emotion Harley-Davidson for.