The results were not unexpected, as the company’s downward trending figures have been much discussed, though it did come with some positive news in a net increase of 8% in retail motorcycle sales, and dealer inventory levels are down 22% year-over-year, even factoring the delivery of new 2026 model year products.
What mattered more than the latest balance sheet is the much anticipated new business plan from recently-appointed Chief Executive Officer Artie Starrs. Like predecessors Mark Levatich’s “More Roads” plan, and Jochen Zeitz’s “Rewire” and “Hardwire” plans, Starrs’ strategy has a fancy name: “Back to the Bricks”, a reference to the nickname of Harley-Davidson’s Juneau Avenue headquarters in Milwaukee, “the Bricks.” We’ve already reported on two important parts of the new plan in the return of the Sportster 883 and the new Sprint 440.
The More Roads plan was ambitious, perhaps too much so, with Harley-Davidson making bold moves to reach a broader audience by introducing the Revolution Max platform and the Pan America adventure bike, investing into electric motorcycles, and partnering with QJ Motors for what eventually became the X350. Zeitz replaced Levatich when the More Roads plan wasn’t working as well as some members of Harley’s board liked, and he introduced the Rewire to reset the playing field, followed by the Hardwire plan. That plan put more focus on the core large cruiser and touring motorcycle segments, and making Harley-Davidson an aspirational brand with premium prices…