Harley Suspends Business in Russia

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Harley-Davidson has suspended operations in Russia. (harley-davidson/)

The press release that came in over the transom from Milwaukee was short but firm: Harley-Davidson was halting its motorcycle shipments to Russia. The full statement from a company representative reads: “In light of the crisis in Ukraine, Harley-Davidson has suspended its business in Russia and all shipments of its bikes to the country. Our thoughts continue for the safety of the people of Ukraine and those impacted by the crisis.”

How long that suspension will last remains to be seen, but H-D has a fairly large presence in Russia. The company doesn’t offer sales figures by country, but its Europe, Middle East, and Africa arm, which includes Russia, was responsible for 31 percent of its 2021 motorcycle sales and 36.9 percent of 2020 sales, so presumably the disruption will have some effect on that country’s riders, even if it’s nothing compared to the horrors the Ukrainian population is experiencing from a brutal assault by its neighbor.

Related: 2022 Harley-Davidson Lineup First Look

Exports and bike shipments to the country will be halted for an undetermined amount of time. (Harley-Davidson/)

Ukrainian-Americans might be somewhat disappointed in Harley’s wishy-washy statement, which calls the invasion “a crisis,” but that’s corporate America for you; voice concern, pray for peace, and avoid controversy rather than offering a strong condemnation of the outrageous action. That’s just business.

It would be more disappointing if H-D did nothing at all, even if feral-eyed strongman Vladimir Putin has been seen riding the company’s products in the past. (Not full-fledged motorcycles, though; apparently the little dude needed a trike to try to project the impression of power, which actually sent the opposite message.) Banning motorcycles in a time of war would be inconsequential, but the application of so-called “soft power” sends a message that can also pay dividends. Harley’s message, when joined to the many others who are now speaking out, can inspire and embolden part of the population to turn against their government’s unwarranted actions.

For a classic example, look no further than Apple’s announcement that the company would suspend sales in Russia: “Last week, we stopped all exports into our sales channel in the country. Apple Pay and other services have been limited. And we have disabled both traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps in Ukraine as a safety and precautionary measure for Ukrainian citizens.” That’s a huge move from the usually reticent tech company: iPhones represent a third of all smartphone sales in Russia, and the sales restrictions are already having an effect.

BMW, which also has a large presence in Russia, has said it will stop production in and exports to that country, and we assume that extends to its motorcycle business arm as well. (Jeff Allen/)

Harley and Apple join Ford, GM, Volvo, and other vehicle and tech firms in a freeze of business activities in Russia. BMW also says it has halted the export of cars to Russia and would stop production in the country—almost the entire European production of the automaker is being impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine—but we have yet to hear back from BMW’s motorcycle division, whom we contacted earlier. And on its US subsidiary’s Instagram page, Ural, the only Russian manufacturer of high-capacity motorcycles, posted a simple message: “No War.”

The paradox for international companies in a globally interconnected economy is the need to present the appearance of impartiality even in times of conflict. But given the unprovoked aggression by Russia to its peaceful democratic neighbor, the choice of whether to speak out or stay silent has never been clearer.

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