Harley-Davidson designs, manufactures, and sells motorcycles, parts and accessories, and apparel, primarily under the Harley-Davidson brand. The company is best known for heavyweight Touring and Cruiser motorcycles used for recreational riding, and dominates the U.S. 601+cc motorcycle segment with roughly 35% overall market share. Harley-Davidson sells through a global network of ~1,174 independent dealerships, with the U.S. and Europe accounting for roughly 79% of global dealer retail sales. The core motorcycle business generates revenue from wholesale shipments to dealers, with higher-margin Touring and CVO models contributing disproportionately to profitability. Parts and accessories — tied to the large installed base of Harley motorcycles — is a recurring, higher-margin revenue stream central to the brand's customization culture. Harley-Davidson Financial Services provides retail consumer financing and wholesale floorplan credit to dealers; in 2025, Harley-Davidson sold ~$6B in retail loan receivables to KKR and PIMCO, transforming HDFS from a capital-intensive balance sheet lender into a capital-light model earning origination and servicing fees. The company also operates LiveWire, a small, loss-making electric motorcycle brand currently being restructured. Harley-Davidson is in the midst of a business reset under new CEO Arthur Starrs, focused on realigning wholesale shipments with retail demand, cutting costs by at least $150M annually, and reinvigorating brand marketing, following a period of dealer inventory overhang, demand softness, and tariff headwinds.
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