Perhaps none other than late Senator John McCain broadcasted both the appeal and the pitfall of motorcycle icon Harley-Davidson (HOG). During the 2008 presidential campaign, McCain declared emphatically that he’ll “take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day,” a sharp dig at then-rival Barack Obama and his appeal to a global audience rather than a purely American one.
It made for great drama. Indeed, nothing quite encapsulates the American spirit quite like a rumbling Harley storming across a dusty highway. At the same time, such romanticism largely appeals to older consumer demographics; namely the baby boomers and first-out-of-the-gate members of Generation X. For young millennials and Gen Z, HOG stock is effectively anathema to their go-green idealism and avocado toast.
