Harley-Davidson Backsliding On Wokeness
Despite Previous Policy Reversal
Daily Caller News Foundation,
by
Faith Miller
Original Article
Posted By: ConservativeYankee,
6/4/2026 6:05:26 AM
Harley-Davidson hired a CEO and a Chief Brand Officer that have pushed “woke” initiatives in the past despite the motorcycle company’s vow to backtrack away from such policies.
The companies that Artie Starrs, now Harley-Davidson’s CEO, and Marcus Fischer, now Harley-Davidson’s chief brand officer, previously helped lead strongly promoted diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies during their respective tenures, according to conservative activist Robby Starbuck.
Harley-Davidson hired both Starrs and Fischer in 2025, a year after the company said it would change such policies following significant backlash. In 2025, former CEO of Harley-Davidson, Jochen Zeitz, retired after he was accused of pushing a leftist political agenda and overseeing over a decline
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Reply 1 - Posted by:
Highlander 6/4/2026 6:23:10 AM (No. 2112472)
One thing the Hell’s Angels and other hard-core MC clubs aren’t, and that’s being woke. I wonder what’s going to happen to them in the long run. Their entire identities are tied to this American classic brand. What are Angels without Harleys? There’s a possibly of a whole new industry of Harley bike restoration.
10 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Mad Dog 6/4/2026 6:30:53 AM (No. 2112475)
Buy an Indian or a Honda.
8 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Highlander 6/4/2026 6:37:37 AM (No. 2112481)
Reply 2: it ain’t gonna be a Honda. That’s for sure!
Indian, maybe.
10 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
5 handicap 6/4/2026 6:53:17 AM (No. 2112491)
My favorite clients sold their dealership just in time!😁About 5 years ago! I imagine now it's only worth about half of what it was then.
12 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
voxpopuli 6/4/2026 7:05:24 AM (No. 2112500)
How would you like to be riding a Harley
down the freeway that was put together
by a suicidal trans, out to GET someone...
12 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Venturer 6/4/2026 7:49:50 AM (No. 2112521)
The "woke problem that Harley has is small time. Their biggest problem is that their customers are aging out.
Their next biggest problem is that I c*an buy a Toyota Camry for the price of their best selling Dresser.
Their product selling for $35,000 to $50,000 dollars is insane. Filled with electronics that riders don't need.
The bottom has dropped out of the used market.
Sure a 60 year old man with a good financial outlook can buy a new one, but a real rider who just loves riding can pick up a good used ,low mileage Harley for $10,000 dollars and enjoy the ride.
21 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
varkdriver 6/4/2026 8:49:09 AM (No. 2112559)
As noted, the aging out of the solid long-time customer is one big problem. Cost, unnecessary electronic stuff are also huge problems. Plus, this wokeness and stupid CEO thinking is this: close all dealership/shops that are not near major interstate highways. In SE Virginia and coastal North Carolina, four HD stores are closing. Gonna be hard to convince people to buy your product if they CAN'T FIND IT, or can't get reliable mechanics to wrench on it. If I'm gonna buy, it will be Indian.
8 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
varkdriver 6/4/2026 9:18:38 AM (No. 2112570)
Forgive the second post, but another thought: ya gotta figure out what you want the bike for. A 'bar bike', short range between favorite local watering holes, or a long-distance serious cruiser? As noted, a good used bike for about $10K will do the bar-bike deed perfectly
6 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Axeman 6/4/2026 9:46:14 AM (No. 2112577)
'90 FLSTF rider here.
There is something about the classic look and feel, why some models are named Heritage, that appeals to people that like a product to be traditional. Keep it the way people want it and keep improving what's wrong. They put out new types of products that are redesigned "modern" versions that don't seem to take hold. That should be a strong message.
I rode my '90 on a 5600 mile trip alone in '92. I had to drain the float bowl once because of dirty gas, replace the battery, and replace a gasket on the exhaust because of popping during deceleration. Rode a 16 hour day one day. Good times. Now it's a bar bike. Restored to mostly stock. I wish the company well.
4 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
DVC 6/4/2026 9:48:05 AM (No. 2112578)
Leftists destroying another once great American company.
7 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
sanspeur 6/4/2026 10:08:58 AM (No. 2112591)
When Willie G retired the soul departed . His sister introduced the dei frou frou stuff . Then i remember when some new mgt came in and they had to teach them to RIDE !! Wasn’t one of the guys from McD’s ? And the tv thing with big bad riding ? Those folk had no experience either
. This was after Elton john and bruce springstein were the “entertainment “ at a birthday party rally (riding back home from milwaukee all the overpasses had signs : Ride Safe , Sorry about Elton !! .. that was mord frou frou dei sillyness
3 people like this.
I can't claim to withhold my business from them, but I have not been back to Cracker Barrel.
3 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
JHHolliday 6/4/2026 11:33:02 AM (No. 2112625)
Good grief. No clue about their customer base. I don't understand alienating at least half of the people who buy Harleys. What is it with these woke suits. They can't seem to get beyond their ideology and just sell bikes without trying to push it on every one. They don't seem to learn. Bud Lite had to learn the hard way.
7 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
JimBob 6/5/2026 12:10:17 AM (No. 2112764)
I think that the Harley board of directors are the same people who make up General Motor's board of directors, or a least they are cut from the same cloth, as they make the same kind of really dumb decisions.
I believe that successfully running the company is like a three-legged stool.
1) You HAVE to understand how the finances work.
2) You HAVE to work with, understand, and properly treat the people working in the company, from top to bottom.
3) MOST IMPORTANTLY, You HAVE to UNDERSTAND YOUR PRODUCT AND YOUR CUSTOMERS! In this case, You HAVE to understand MOTORCYCLES and MOTORCYCLISTS! You have to LIVE IT!
I recall around 2009, the senior management at Harley retired, and the directors hired a new CEO- he was some business bureaucrat who contracted with the military to provide facilities- water, housing, cafeteria, electricity, sewerage treatment, etc. at overseas military bases.
This guy was NOT a motorcyclist (he may be the one that #11 mentioned that they had to teach him how to ride) and I believe that the decline started with the decisions that he made.
Widening the field of view..... it seems that many American companies were started by hard-working Geniuses, but are now being 'managed' (into the ground) by Morons who graduated from 'Business School', and have no clue as to their product or their customers.
1 person likes this.
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