Honestly, I don't even know how to begin this story, so let's just get to the crux of it. A handful of right-wing and far-right influencers are calling Harley-Davidson "gay and woke." This isn't the first time this has occurred, as a D-list influencer had branded the company "woke" not that long ago, and RideApart was forced to show how the reason for Harley-Davidson's recent troubles were not its DEI initiatives or anything resembling how it "went woke."
Harley made its own bed by catering to a single crowd for over 30 years and never changing anything. I'd like to point you to the definition of insanity on that one, and the string of executives, board members, and CEOs the company has had over the years who've just shrugged and said, "Don't know why this isn't working?!"
But this attack is different. Not because of the scale or brazen idiocy and lack of understanding of economics or stagnant product lineups, but because there's an added component that even right-wing political commentators see plainly. See, within a lot of these attacks on Harley, you also get what is seemingly a promotion. A promotion of whom, you ask?
None other than Harley's main competitor, Indian Motorcycle. That's...interesting.
The twists and turns of this story are detailed by The Bulwark's Will Sommer, who's been covering all the infighting, cat-fighting, and generally bitchy relationships within the right and far-right movement over the last two years. In his latest dispatch, he noticed that a bunch of influencers in that sector recently, and simultaneously, started bashing Harley-Davidson for being too woke.
Again, this really isn't news, as barely-an-influencer Robby Starbuck leveled this attack on former CEO Jochen Zeitz a year or so ago, which caused some headaches and for the company to quasi-backtrack on its DEI plans. But the crux of that accusation was the phrase, "Go woke, go broke," which signifies that when a company accepts and adopts "woke" policies, it goes broke. Yet, Harley's troubles are rooted in what I described above: an aging demographic, economic factors that preclude many from even buying a new motorcycle, a lineup that's bloated and ancient and pricey, and its marketing catering toward boomer white guys.
That's a recipe for disaster, which is currently occurring within the Motor Co., and why there was a boardroom brawl last year, and the company swapped CEOs. But those accusations should've really blown over by now, as the original campaign likely had a hand in Harley's CEO changeup, and Harley's apparently bringing new life to the company. Yet, it's the additional lines within all these influencer posts that is interesting, as they point their followers directly toward Indian Motorcycle, just as you would an ad partnership.
The point of origin is seemingly MMA fighter Sean Strickland, who was part of the original Robby Starbuck campaign calling out Harley. At the time, Strickland said he was going to get rid of his Harleys, though it's unclear whether or not he did. His post, which he threw onto Twitter, states, "Officially made the switch to Indian Motorcycle. What does Indian stand for? No fucking clue, the way it should be. Everytime I got on my Harley, I was indirectly supporting radical ideology that actually pushing radical ideology on children. There is no going back from that."
Strickland and Indian, however, then collaborated on a far less rage-bait post for Instagram. The MMA fighter wasn't the only one posting about how Harley "sucks" and Indian is "cool."
Accounts such as Priya Patel highlighted Strickland's switch and applauded Indian Motorcycle, a meme account dubbed Prison Mitch was the originator of calling Harley "woke and gay" with an image of Secretary of State Marco Rubio wearing an Indian Motorcycle cut, the right-wing political strategist Isabella DeLuca stated "Harley Davidson went woke while Indian Motorcycle kept building bikes, honoring American heritage, and manufacturing in America," and so on and so on throughout the internet.
Many quote-Tweeted Strickland. Many didn't. But the message, like other coordinated messages that have swept through political social media in recent years from both sides of the aisle, felt too eerily similar in their wording for many not to notice. To not wonder whether or not this was, like others before it, a paid media campaign to trash-talk Harley-Davidson and highlight Indian Motorcycle.
Now, I reached out to Indian Motorcycle's communications folks, but didn't hear back, so I can't definitively say whether this was or not. But the addition of Strickland's collaborative post on Instagram, one initiated by Indian itself and not Strickland, seemingly points to some sort of partnership between the parties. And given Indian has a new CEO itself after being sold off to private equity, an early win over its competitor would likely be seen as beneficial to the brand's future security.
But again, I can't say Indian is the one behind this campaign, if money exchanged hands, or whether this is the type of media hype the brand is looking for as it navigates its post-Polaris world. I can say that I find the whole thing suspicious and if Indian responds to my inquiry, I'll be sure to update this post. For now, no, Harley-Davidson isn't woke. It's just at a crossroads. And Indian Motorcycle being the antithesis of Harley-Davidson? Come on.
