The very first wholly-Japanese manufactured motorcycle was a Harley-Davidson, sold as Rikou. We really shouldn't be surprised that decades later the MoCo is going out into that region again! Plenty of Eastern vehicle brands have done the same thing in reverse, setting up factories in the West, to gain access to Western markets. Good on H-D!

 

My company does something similar in another country to avoid the import tariffs that country charges on foreign made products. All the components are built in the same place they are now, the final product is shipped to the other country in four or five pieces. A couple of guys there put the four pieces together and now it was "assembled" in the new country and becomes a product of that country. No tariff.

Smart business. Production of the components will increase here in the US and other countries that make the parts. The assembly line here will increase as the build "components" to be shipped to Thailand. HD will sell more bikes in the east because they can drop the price without having to pass along the tariffs to the buyer.

 

Same philosophy as Toyota and Honda having plants in the US.
Just part of global economy.

 

Now, that's funny!

 

I like to think HD has one eye on the future and is not fixated on their glorious past. This could benefit them and ensure they have the means for R&D to innovate their whole product line. I want HD to dominate! Not just build nostalgic relicts.

 

Good thinking.
I was at the dealer the other day, and the showroom was dominated by touring machines, but Harley is back into the "smaller" sized bikes - 500 cc and stuff like that, which are big bikes in Aisa. For the few big bike minded wealthy people, the cost of importing a tourer with the local duties won't matter. For recreational younger riders there, this is their ticket to Big Boy fun