Big, big, news coming from Harley Davidson today! They are shutting down their Pennsylvania plant! They will stop producing everything, but the Live Wire! No, they are not financially struggling!
It’s supply chain issues! They can’t get enough in! If you don’t know, this slows down HD produced this year, by 25%. They have four plants in America. They lose one, that’s a 1/4 production loss!
That’s terrible, really. A lot of folks have lost their jobs. Let’s face it though, if they are workers, plenty of work is available. If they want to get mad, get mad at those that voted for Sleepy Joe. We have never been as bad off as we are now, not in modern times.
The cool part… Do you know how to make things rare? Well, an American coin, the mint mark plays a huge role. The mint mark is the little letter beside the person on the coin’s heads.
If a mint closes down, this leads to a limited run of coins. That makes that coin rare, and more valuable than the rest! Do you see where this is going?
Now, a motorcycle has a “mint mark”, like a coin. This will be your VIN, or vehicle identification number. This number will tell you where your bike was made. An example, if it says 1HD as the first few characters, it’s made in America!
They don’t plan on reopening this plant. So, look at that VIN, if you go to get a 2023, or late model 2022! If it leads back to Pennsylvania, you have yourself a rare bike and a treasure! It is the same as a rare coin! The factory did not make many, so it is rare!
Every generation says they came up in “crazy” times, but I think we can all agree that these last 4 generations of people have them beat! This year, and all the crap that has got us here, gives those bikes one hell of a story!
Over the last few years, the Pennsylvania plant has taken a beating! This does suck. Nobody wants to see an American classic company losing a factory. We have lost enough companies, and factories, over the last few decades, and hate to see another one go.
All we can do is find the silver lining. 2022-2023 HD, made in Pennsylvania, are rare bikes! A closing of a factory means less is going to be made, adding value to every Harley Davidson.
What does Harley say? They will be closing the factory for the foreseeable future. The only Harley that will be produced in Pennsylvania is the Live Wire. This is due to a supply chain issue, that can’t be fixed.
What do I think has happened? War, and offshoring. The materials they need, they came from Ukraine or Russia, or a company that is supplying one or the other.
HD can no longer get the materials. It isn’t made here, because of Fair Trade. We gave up a lot of things, so the rest of the world can have jobs. World Trade, and Fair Trade, removed us from a lot of industries. Now we have demand, and no supply. That leaves us with empty factories.
Then, this could be the beginning of the end of fossil fueled motorcycles! Harley Davidson is king. If they stop, everyone will follow!
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