An interesting article on cars.com lists the top ten American made cars. The determining factor is the percentage of parts by cost in the finished vehicle coming from the U.S. and Canada. The list has many of the usual cars and trucks from Ford and Chevy but also includes the Toyota Camry and Sienna. American cars, from Toyota? I understand their reasoning but does it make sense? Which gets me thinking, what is an American motorcycle?
In the global market we’re all part of these days, with parts and vehicles traveling both directions over the oceans, motorcycles from Harley Davidson are clearly American, right? But how about Honda and Kawasaki, both of whom build many motorcycles here in the U.S. with parts most likely made here as well. With Harley Davidson setting up shop all over the world, how long before production moves all over, too. If HD starts producing parts in Japan or China, is there a tipping point where they become Japanese or Chinese? For that matter, I don’t follow the production details very closely so HD could already be building a lot of parts overseas.
Company ownership, or more frequently, where the company originated, has often been the deciding factor, but that leads to Japanese companies building American motorcycles or perhaps vice versa. With cars it becomes the case quite often. GM and Ford build a lot of cars around the world that are never sold here. Are those European cars, American cars, or what?
Company nationality, if it’s important, can be one thing, vehicle nationality something else. In years past when a product was completely manufactured in one country with parts from that country the issue was clear. Jobs related to that product were the concern but now with Honda, Kawasaki and Toyota and many other foreign companies employing tens of thousands here in the U.S. the issue is pretty muddy.
It makes for an interesting discussion especially with last week’s suggestion that GM should partner with Renault and Nissan for a U.S., French, Japanese conglomerate like the German/American Daimler Chrysler. Maybe we should all just look at the company name and call it that and forget where it comes from. But will we ever do that? Should we do that? I have my own ideas but I would be interested in yours. Is it important to call a motorcycle American or Japanese? What do you say?
Link: Cars.com via Autoblog
Richard says
Hardly-Driveableson hasn’t been “American-made” since at least the early 90’s. Sure, they try to recycle previous years’ American-made parts from the parts bin as much as they can each year to come up with “new” models, but they have to run out of that junk eventually!
See http://www.goingfaster.com/angst/japcrap.jpg for proof that H-D just imports their carbs from Japan. (And that isn’t all they import: the V-Rod is a Porsche designed engine with French heads stuffed into an American built frame.)
John says
You are kidding, correct? Harley hasn’t been able to claim “Made in the USA” for many years. Yet my Honda Valkyrie can and does, printed prominently across the back of the seat.
I took a tour of the Harley plant many years ago and all the parts boxes had shipping labels from all over the world on them. I don’t think they let you see that area of the plant any more.
In this day and age, I doubt that many of the larger corporations are truly 100% AMERICAN owned, especially if they are publicly traded. Like it or not, we are now in a multi-national business world.
coho says
I think it depends on what parts of the motorcycle you consider to “be the motorcycle” and what parts are simply “attached to the motorcycle”.
I read an article in one of the bike mags nearly twenty years ago when HD began using Japanese (Showa) forks on almost every model. It may be all of them now, I don’t know. The Motor Company’s spokesman said that it was still an All American Motorcycle because the forks were just components in the (Milwaukee-built) front end assembly. He also said that lots of Fords and Chevies were built with components from “overseas”.
I assume that the engine and frame are Harley’s definition of “the motorcycle”, but doesn’t Honda build Goldwings in the Accord factory? Do they build Goldwings in any other country? Does the Commonwealth of Tennessee count as a country of origin?
I don’t normally take a bike’s native culture or politics into consideration when I buy it. If it’s well built and I can reasonably expect it to stay that way for awhile, I don’t give a rat’s who built it. If it’s the bike that suits my needs and my fancy (and my budget) then it gets a new label anyway…”mine”.
kneeslider says
My comment about HD being “clearly American” was a bit tongue in cheek, I should have added, “Or are they?” to make it more apparent.
It’s far easier to speak of a company’s country of origin these days than the product they produce. Almost everything manufactured is multinational in sourcing, unless you build it in your basement from home made parts.
This would be an interesting study to do in more depth, finding out where all of the parts for various motorcycles currently come from. Hmm …
Doug K says
I must have read the same article coho mentioned. I recall the H-D guy saying that the engine, frame, and gas tank were the heart of the motorcycle and that everything else was just parts. My ’86 H-D, bought new back then, already had a host of Asian parts attached to it. Some years later my boss bought an H-D and I had gone to a BMW. He challenged me to “ride American” and I challenged him to count the number of “Jap parts” on his ’92 H-D vs my ’92 BMW R100RT. Shut him up pretty quick. My next raise wasn’t so hot though…
1RS says
Worked at a Harley dealer for two years, owned 14 Harley’s over the 38 years of riding. 33 percent of the 80+90’s HD’s were made in Japan back then, don’t know about the newer bikes, I would guess they still are. All the front forks other then the remake Springer from 1973 on are Showa! The mag wheels are Jap, the starter, carb and so on, but it’s made in the US, take a look at the aftermarket stuff and see where it made?? The Victory is more US made then any!!!!! Yes, I too have gone back with BMW, I have another oil head R1100S Boxer Cup Prep “04 The BMW will hold it’s value, not that the Jap bikes are bad by any means, I’ve had them all.
Manuel Enos says
I have been riding HONDA motorcycles for 45 years, and decided to buy a harley roadglide this year. I enjoy riding it and I know it is’nt 100% american made. I would like to see a tv program on the percentage of parts on an american made product that qualify’s that product to be labeld MADE IN AMERICA. I think alot of people would be surprised to find out how america depends on foreign country’s.
todd says
Do you hear what’s going on? People are saying they switched to BMW because Harley uses Japanese parts. I don’t thing anything on a BMW is made in the USA except the license plate, and that is made in a sweat shop with workers gaurded by men with rifles. I think the point that people are making is that they only want to buy bikes built by white people!
I think there has to be at least 50% (by weight or quantity?) of the compenents manufactured in a single country to claim “MADE in …”. Something around those lines.
-todd
Steve h. says
After more than forty years of riding, with nine of those on a ’77 FXS (ending up as a Harley Factory Tech), currently owning two ’80s Goldwings (for sixteen years), it seems to come down to this: People ride what makes them feel the best. That “best” feeling is accomplished based on the individual’s priorities. Personally, I need and feel “best” on a motorcycle that will get me through the real world of daily riding in the Northwest USA. That means 12 months a year. Day in and Day out. My Harley couldn’t do it, but my Goldwings do. ‘Nuff said.
Steve h. says
Well, not quite ’nuff said, guys. How about design intent? What and where was the Goldwing designed for?
Right here, specifically the American market. Where were they made? Both of mine were built in Ohio. So, my conclusion is that it really doesn’t matter where a bike is made or where the parts come from. What matters is how it makes a person feel. I guess it would be nice if certain manufacturers did not promote an image that was based on untruth with very hefty profits gladly accepted.
John K says
There’s an article at http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/09/05/yourmoney/make.php?page=2 in which Matt Levatich, VP of materials management for Harley, claimed that Harleys contained more domestic content, at least in 2005, than 15 years earlier. If anyone is in a position to know, then he is.
Let’s suppose Harley imports some sheet steel, stamps it, trims it, welds it, paints it, and makes a gas tank. Is that a “made in the USA” gas tank? How about tires? There were never any rubber trees grown on U.S. soil, so all tires have some foreign component. Do you consider that foreign component when talking about “made in the USA”?
The Federal Trade Commission standard for “made in the USA” can be found at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/madeusa.shtm
All Gold Wings are assembled in the U.S. using US- and foreign-made components.
All Harleys are assembled in the U.S. using US- and foreign-made components. Some are sent to Brazil in knocked-down form where they are re-assembled for sale in Brazil (and presumably other South American countries). I can’t say whether Honda re-assembles Wings in Brazil.
Harley is reluctant to publish the share of the value of a Harley that is foreign-sourced, but I find it hard to believe there was ever a time when 33 percent of the value of a Harley was foreign. Beyond the mere value of the parts you have the value added by the labor. The assembled machine is a lot more valuable than the pile of parts, otherwise basketcases would be a lot more expensive!
Based on the latest Annual Survey of Manufactures, 62% of the value of shipments of motorcycles (and bicycles)(NAICS 336991) in 2005 was materials. So even if 20% of materials was foreign-sourced, that would mean that 88% of the value was US. Really not too bad. And I think 20% is high.
I thought Harley got its cast wheels from a company in Australia, not Japan. As a matter of fact, Harley just bought the company.