It is easy for us to get caught up in the bad economy talk and embrace the importance of buying American products, but how many of us actually buy American on a regular basis? I am in the motorcycle industry (www.allamericanharleyparts.com) and the amount of patriotism seems to be overwhelming as many bikers are ex military and want to be represented as patriotic Americans, but how many of these “patriots” have imported parts on their “American” bikes?
It sickens me to see the amount of imported parts on the market for Harleys these days. It seems that every time I turn around I find more and more crap from China out there! Walk into any Harley dealership and start looking at tags on jackets that have the Harley brand smeared all over them. I looked at a $500 FXRG jacket that states “An American Legend” on the tag in prominent letters and then I looked a little closer to find a small tag that said, “Made in Indonesia”.
The Encarta dictionary defines the word legend as a story that has been passed down for generations, especially one that is presented as history but is unlikely to be true. Well if that doesn’t sum up the truth than I don’t know what does. The “legend” verbiage on the tag must refer to the fact that it seems like these products are American but in actuality the whole representation is bullshit!
I am not trying to bash the Harley organization but jeez… WAKE UP HARLEY!!! WHAT THE HELL??? Harley owners are some of the most “patriotic” consumers out there and they are being slapped in the face by the company that they embrace with every fiber of their beings.
I am a self proclaimed Harley Davidson supporter. Hell, I even have the Harley bar and shield tattooed over my elbow. Maybe I should add some small text to my tattoo that says, made in China?? Or maybe… An American Legend???
I walked into my local dealer the other day in need of some parts for my ride and I attempted to find out the country of origin for these parts. The parts guy said he wasn’t sure and there was no made in the USA sticker or any info on them at all. Is Harley intentionally hiding the country that manufactures their parts?? I guess it is up to us to figure it out. Good luck with that!
Ok… I feel a little better now. Yes my ranting and raving and feelings of disgust actually motivated me to make a difference in the motorcycle aftermarket parts industry. I decided it was time to put up or shut up and created www.AllAmericanHarleyParts.com where every single part is made in the USA by Americans. Every purchase you make will support American companies and you can be assured that your parts are made with care by actual bikers that have a REAL passion for what they do and not a ten year old Chinese kid.
The choice is yours… buy American, be American; or be a poser wannabe!!!
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