Harley-Davidson and the U.S. Miltary: A Match For the Ages

Home » Industry News

Harley-Davidson and the U.S. Miltary: A Match For the Ages

Armed Forces, Veterans, and Harley-Davidson go together like Red, White and Blue

by Tracey Lloyd

For over 80 years the Harley-Davidson Company has transported and protected soldiers with innovative technology and superior design. In return, thousands of Veterans and active duty soldiers bought and continue to buy H-D motorcycles, advancing the legendary motor company's growth into a pop culture icon. Harley-Davidson's long-standing policy of providing assistance to U.S. military personal remains consistent and firm. Through the years, H-D's unwavering military support cultivated America's love for the company so much that owning a Harley-Davidson motorcycle is now an integral part of the American dream.

During the Mexican Border conflict, Harley-Davidson got it's first military order and the company developed a long-term relationship with the United States Armed Forces. In 1916 William S. Harley designed and built the first twelve military motorcycles with sidecar gunner carriages. The order for armed forces motorcycles quickly doubled.

During WWI Harley-Davidson produced original, specialized, military motorcycles specifically designed for wartime use. The H-D legend grew into mystique when just one day after the World War I armistice, the first American to enter Germany rode a Harley-Davidson motorcycle across the border. By the end of WWII close to 70,000 American and Russian soldiers rode Harley-Davidson cycles. After the Persian Gulf War Harley-Davidson's production of military motorcycles ended. However, the company continues to support American troops, disabled Veterans, and military families.

In spite of Harley-Davidson's discontinuation of military production, literally thousands of Veterans, active duty soldiers, and their families will only ride American made Harley-Davidson motorcycles. At the Harley-Davidson website forums the question was asked, "How many combat veteran riders are out there?" There are 18 response pages from American Veterans who ride Harley's. There are 26 response pages in answer to "How many Patriot Guard Riders out there?" The answers come from brave soldiers who served their country with honor and pride. True patriots, these men and women believe in freedom enough to risk their lives for it. The soldiers ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles, because the Harley-Davidson Motor Company still supports American freedom.

In addition, thousands of motorcycle clubs include members who are Veterans or active duty soldiers. The clubs boast past, present, and future heroes who are fiercely loyal to America and to the Harley-Davidson Company. Following Harley-Davidson's example of social responsibility, Veteran motorcycle clubs are deeply committed to improving the quality of life for people in their communities. Each year Harley riders raise money for good causes like Toys for Tots or cancer victims. Through donations, bike runs, and fundraisers, local motorcycle clubs strive to make a positive difference in society while riding their Harley-Davidson motorcycles with pride.

Even though Harley-Davidson no longer builds military motorcycles, the company continues to honor active duty soldiers and Veterans. Last year in 2010, the Harley-Davidson Foundation granted $1 million to the Disabled American Veterans organization for the second time. The Harley website includes an entire section dedicated to the American soldiers and Veterans with links to special programs like Harley's Heroes and fundraisers for USO care packages.

Since the first military order in 1916 the legendary Harley-Davidson Motor Company has continuously worked to make a difference in the lives of American soldiers. Due to superior design technology and a long history of loyalty and commitment to American troops, the Harley-Davidson Company is a true American icon and HD motorcycles are still America's favorite ride.

To make a donation or learn more about Harley-Davidson's past and present military support efforts, visit the Harley-Davidson Foundation or the Harley's Heroes website.

Are we forgetting any momentous Harley/Military moments? Let us know in the Forums!

Photographs and captions courtesy of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company Archives.

Chris Toensing (Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:56:00 -0800): You know I'd believe this if I wasn't told I'd have to step aside for paying customers when I picked up my bike I ordered while overseas. For that I will never step foot in there again. Some dealerships have no idea what HD seems to claim about their relationship with the military customer.

RoxAnn Stumbo (Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:59:13 -0800): Good for you Chris, I'll make sure to pass the word on as well!

Mark Bucher (Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:00:00 -0800): ARe you serious? Burn the place to the ground!!!

Vikki Pfeilsticker (Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:04:20 -0800): I am confused. What do you mean by step aside? Please explain...I need more details before I get upset!

Denver Eldridge (Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:03:35 -0800): Not really sure about what you are referring too but reminds me of why I never bought my 1st Harley when I wanted to. I was ready to buy but the dealer was getting ready for some event and told me to come back when they had more time. What? Are you kidding me? I went straight down the road and bought a 1986 Yamaha Virago XV1100. I love it too but I would have bought the an HD. Many years later and I do ride an HD now but man that really rubbed me the wrong way.

Chris Toensing (Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:38:45 -0800): Vikki Pfeilsticker, I went in to pick up my bike that I ordered and paid for using the overseas program; You get a slight discount. A few days before I was to pick up the bike (after having to stop in there to even find out it had arrived) I stopped in to the dealership (this after never getting the call I was told I'd get from the dealership) to make sure the paperwork and all was complete. The bike still hadn't been looked at by the mechanic. So I arranged the date to pick up the bike with the salesman (Saturday). He proceeds to tell me I need to come in early because most customers that would buy a bike from them don't come in till later, BUT if there was a paying customer (I guess I'm not a paying customer because I didn't actually buy the bike from the dealership) that I'd have to step aside and allow him to complete that transaction before they could finish mine. Basically he put me on the back burner for someone that was actually going to put money in the dealerships pocket directly. And now I won't be buying any accessories or parts either because that didn't sit well with me. Hew knew full well I was military and had ordered the bike overseas so I took it as a they don't really value the military customer. Anyone that treats a customer like that doesn't deserve repeat business....or word of mouth advertising. Funny, I never got a follow up from the dealership to see how things went either. @ Denver, this will be the last one I buy.

Vikki Pfeilsticker (Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:46:22 -0800): Got it. Yea I get it. What they don't get, is that the minute you step foot in their establishment, you are a customer. And you were a customer with potential to buy more through them, but because of the way they treated you, they lost out. Stinks.

Matt Schildgen (Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:50:45 -0800): T, was this at Albuquerque? I have a problem with a rude salesman there too.

Chuck Hughes (Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:14:48 -0800): I get the impression that stateside dealers are not fond of the overseas military sales. The overseas dealers get the sale, commission, profit, etc... and the stateside dealers have to do the work associated with delivery. The stateside dealers do get a "crate fee" from corporate but that barely covers the cost of involved with delivery. So you're really not doing your local dealers any favors by buying overseas. I think the solution would be for corporate to raise the crate fee or share the commission with your local dealer that you select for delivery.

Bill Bohart (Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:57:50 -0800): Really?

Dave Shumaker (Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:54:56 -0800): Nice bit of history.

Alex Da'Man (Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:20:06 -0800): Sorry Vikki/Chris: I had posted a long reply to answer Vikki's question as to Why? Because of the way this page was displayed, I couldn't see that Chris had replied and pretty much give the same response I'd typed out for Vikki. However, I will add the last half of my original message (because this happens a lot, and not just HD... Military Sales also does American cars, and there are other programs where you can buy BMW, Lotus if you are station in England, and I hear Mercedes and Volvo offer special packages to GIs). BLUF: This has happen to a couple of my friends... But because of the great deal, most just shrug it off, and don't mind waiting for that guy (in the local store) who has to pay full price plus taxes... So I don't excuse the HD's dealers' behavior, but I can understand why they may choose to act in this manner... If the GI feels jilted, he/she has options: return the product/cancel the order prior to taking delivery, try to sale it off to someone else, don't use the discounted service and pay 5% to 15% more - plus sales taxes, or do what over xx-years (22-for me, not sure about yours) of military life has train us to do... "hurry up and wait" and "stop your whining." BTW: You got your bike, you look like every other want to be cool, red-blooded American, and you only paid a fiction of the cost. Really? Not trying to clown you bro, but your post not only makes HD look bad, it makes military warriors look like spoiled yuppies. With that being said, I must log off the virtual world, prepare for duty, jump on my soft-tail, and go work my twelve hour shift here in the middle-east so we can continue to enjoy our freedom to complain about nothing. Good luck with your next purchase (I'm sure as bad of an experience it was, you'll do it again to save a dime. Regards, Alex Da'Man

Chris Toensing (Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:02:36 -0800): BLUF: I paid the same taxes as any other person that walked in that door. And the discount wasn't anything special I couldn't have gotten from a dealership with some negotiation. I guess I'll continue to stay spoiled and expect customer service equal to anyone else that walks in the door. Notice I didn't say I expected a red carpet to be rolled out, just fair and equatable treatment. Anyone that would have been told that would have been upset, doesn't matter if you wear the uniform or not. The dealership is not run by the military so the adage of "hurry up and wait" doesn't apply. Superior customer service is what makes people want to return to spend more money. Customer service isn't taught or expected inside the fence. They [dealership] lost out on a ton of accessory sales and an additional bike sale, and funny thing is I'm not the only one that's had a bad experience from the same dealership. So instead of sitting on my hands and doing nothing I'm going to voice my opinion and experience so it doesn't happen to the next guy, or at least he/she can watch out for it; since I've fought for that right! I did my time in the middle-east, Europe, and the Pacific. 24 years of service and I guess I still haven't figured out how to "hurry up and wait" and "stop my whining".

Matt Schildgen (Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:44:12 -0800): so an acceptable reaction if you don't like their treatment is to "sell the bike off to someone else." What?!?! Yeah that'll teach 'em! Oh and since you got it for a FRACTION of the cost you can really cash-in baby!

Alex Da'Man (Fri, 09 Dec 2011 02:43:50 -0800): You seem like a smart person, and thanks for catching my typo. Blame me rushing, the auto correct feature, or my CCAF education. Continuing on… The point I was trying to make is poor customer service comes and goes... It really just depends on who you interact with and what kind of a mood they are in at the time. I do not think it mattered if Chris paid regular rate or got a military discount, poor service is just poor service. I am sure this is not his first time nor will it be the last buying something from a rude seller, sells agent, etc. If not acceptable, I guess you could just give it away and/or never buy another one, use a different dealer, build one yourself, etc…. There are always options, including complaining. Do which ever that makes you feel warm and cozy inside.

Matt Schildgen (Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:40:49 -0800): What? Seems you're saying the sale amount translates to the level of service you deserve. Sure that philosophy helped us deal with the hurry-up-and-wait mentality of the basic training immunization line back in the 80s....so what. With that standard, when we negotiated several thousand off our car we should've been placed on a waiting list to take delivery so the customers paying "full price" could take theirs home first? I think not. It's common knowledge that car/bike dealers have more to gain through long-term maintenance service and accessories purchaseing relationships than a few hundred bucks (or even couple thousand) sacrificed at the point of sale. And here they clearly shot themselves in the foot. If the sales manager allows them to be jerks it's natural to assume the rest of the place doesn't deserve business either. I also left this dealer with a bad taste. I've been in dozens of Harley shops -- we hit them on trips, and see what's on sale, etc. and it's been a long time since I was belittled like this same shop's salesman talked to me. I am considering trading and was looking at the newest Road King and Glide upgrades. Of course salesmen commonly ask what you ride and this guy scoffed at my having an "old" 2004. He chuckled, did the pfffft noise, and even alerted his co-worker 'hey man this guy here still has an '04 Road King." I simply said that's not going to get me to buy something and went to see the overpriced T-shirts. This was common treatment in the days I showed up at the shop on a Kawasaki, asking about how high I had moved up on their 275-person waiting list for a Low Rider, but those days are gone! Perhaps it's my bad for not asking to see the sales manager and ask if they are actually trained to "shame" customers into a newer bike, and if that actually works on regular folk who don't know anything about marketing...cuz for me it makes it doubtful I'll ever shop there again.

Michelle Schildgen (Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:13:58 -0800): When your ready to buy that new bike we'll have to go back to that Vegas dealer or even Minneapolis. They knew how to treat customers and I'd support their dealerships any day. What a shame our nearest Harley shop blows.