These 3 Harley-Davidson Bikes Aren't Made In America Anymore
It's difficult to find a brand more American than Harley-Davidson. Founded in 1903, the Milwaukee-based brand has been one of the longest-lasting and longest-standing motorcycle brands in the United States. The company quickly became a part of American culture. First seen as a symbol of counterculture in the '60s, the brand became synonymous with freedom and the open road.
Now over 120 years old, Harley remains at the forefront of choppers, selling nearly 150,000 bikes worldwide in 2024. It's certainly been a rocky road in past decades, and it still isn't out of the woods yet, with the company selling loans to stay afloat. But there's more, with a controversial decision from the company's suits in Milwaukee has made a difficult choice to relocate production for several of the brand's models.
The decision comes in the wake of a 31% tariff the EU put on American-built bikes — a reaction to Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs. As a result, Harley's elected to transfer all of the bikes powered by the Revolution Max Engine over to the company's plant in Rayong, Thailand, for the 2025 model year. Here are the bikes that made that leap.
Pan-America
Knobbies on a Harley-Davidson? It's more likely than you think. As part of the "More Roads to Harley-Davidson" initiative in 2018, the brand was broadening its horizons outside of traditional cruisers and tourers. Watching adventure bikes like Ducati's Multistrada, the KTM 1290 and BMW's R1250GS sell great in the states, Harley wanted its own long-distance tourer that could handle the dirt.
Its answer came in 2018 with the introduction of the Pan Am. Equipped with Showa Shocks and Brembo Disk brakes, combined with Harley's iconic Twin V cranking out an impressive 150 horsepower, It was a venture into a new market while remaining Iconically Harley. And it was as good in the dirt as it was on paper. Our test a few years back saw Harley's first venture into the off-road market pass with flying colors. Harley making an ADV felt as weird as Ferrari making an SUV, but it worked, with the Pan America having an unreal output on launch on its way to being the top-selling adventure bike in North America.
Sportster and Nightster
Alongside a five-year-old ADV bike, the other bikes leaving America are some of Harley's most iconic and historied models. When the Sportster was introduced in 1957, and just like the Pan Am, it had the goal of giving customers an alternative to the heavyweight cruisers the brand was known for. Over 60 years ago, that answer came in a trimmed-down, more athletic bike meant to challenge sportsbikes being built by British brands like Triumph and BSA.
Following a long lineage of iconic bikes, The latest generation Sportster S was launched in 2021. With liquid-cooled Revolution Max engines replacing the iconic air-cooled ironheads, the S was a major tech leap in the Sportster name. Beyond the engine, traction control was offered to help tame the 121 horses, and ABS to help the bike's 502 pounds manage corners and heavy braking. The peanut tank and Aircooled V-twin are gone, but the bike's still a Sporster to the core.
Alongside the Sportster is its evil twin, the Nightster. First introduced in 2007 to give buyers a darker-looking alternative to the Sportster's chrome, it's evolved into the entry-level model in the Sportster family. Offering a Max 975 engine, just passing 90 horsepower, the Nightster makes less power than its bigger brother, but for a sportbike starting under $10,000, that's a damn good compromise.
What stays, and what might return
Again, the selection of bikes was centered around all three being powered by Harley's liquid-cooled Revolution Max family of engines. That means that Harley's core lineup of old-school, big-displacement bikes will remain made in the USA. From the brand's legendary Cruisers like the Low Rider and Fat Boy to touring bikes like the Street Glide and Road Glide, used in King of the Baggers.
As always, these bikes will have their engines and transmissions built at the company's plant in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, before being assembled in its main facility in York, Pennsylvania. Although Unions and workers have their doubts, Harley promises that the move is only temporary, as the company is building on an $89 million grant from the Department of Energy, as well as putting $9 million into its American factories. Only time will tell, but for now, we can only hope this is the only year that American-sold Harleys aren't American-made.
