RE: Tariffs4 Feb 2025 13:03
Quady said
"Slug you are deluded , you say the American car and motorbike industry flourished.
Are you completely mad.
Look at Harley Davidson compared to Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki. "
You've chosen my favourite topic Quady and you are wrong ! The story of Harley-Davidson vs the Japanese M/cycle industry is well known, In the 60's the Japanese exported M/cycles to the world, the USA weren't that bothered because they didn't make small capacity machines and the Japanese didn't make large capacity ones so things were okay. Then in 1969 Honda brought out the CB750 four and everything changed, soon the likes of Kawasaki were in on the act with the Z1, a 900cc machine that ran rings around Harleys. Harley nearly went bust but were bought out by AMF, the ten pin bowling people who bought and rebadged Aermacchi and Cagiva two strokes to complete. The quality of the US made machines went downhill though and AMF Harleys are regarded as the worst quality machines they ever produced. The big Harley market continued to suffer until Reagan imposed a 45% tariff on all m/cycles over 900cc. This was introduced to save Harley-Davidson as they didn't manufacture a m/cycle under 900cc. It worked and by the mid 80's Harley were bought out by management including Willie G who was grandson of one of the founders. They went on to have huge success until relatively recently but that's another story.
Meanwhile in the UK we carried on as if there wasn't a problem and consequently the British M/cycle industry collapsed due to old men with their heads in the sand, under development and over priced inferior machines. It took the likes of John Bloor to resurrect Triumph but it never regained it's position in the world, most of the rest disappeared completely with a few coming back as badge engineered foreign machines. If we had imposed tariffs maybe it would have been different.
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