I always check to see where stuff is made before I buy it. I will buy foreign made stuff if it's high quality and a US made equivalent isn't available and remotely close in price, but I usualy try to buy US made. What brings this up is I was curious and checked out jackets you(H-D) were selling at the dealer. They all said "Made in China". Why is this? Most people equate H-D with "Made in USA". I have no idea how many other H-D accessories and parts are made in China or elsewhere, haven't really checked. But the jackets are a perfect example. I realize you are running a business, and a profit needs to be made, chinese labor is cheap, yada yada yada......., but when there are quality American companies who would be more than willing to make products for you (maybe at a slightly higher cost and a little less profit to you due to all the legal crap our own goverment a society imposes on businesses), why not use them? To me it's just another reason not to buy your H-D branded products. Granted , you can say "so what, we have plenty of others who will, and don't care where it's made", but to me that's just wrong and goes against "The US Made motorcycle company" theme. And who knows, with the prices you can sell H-D branded products for, and with a willing, motivated manufacturer, you can probably make close to the same profit per jacket(or whatever), AND sell more due to the fact that poeple like me would buy H-D branded stuff if it were made in the USA.
You didn't get to where you are at now by selling re-badged Chinese motorcycles, and that's not what brought the Company back in the early eighties. So how about it? Let's have some "Made in USA" pride.

I was dissapointed to find that My $250 H.D. Jacket was made in China. It seems to be very good quality but it would feel better if the tag said"MADE IN U.S.A."

i agree, but thats just how it is:dunno

I agree and I won't buy any HD clothing because of this made in China crap.
So HD listen you are loosing sales because of this.

I agree and I won't buy any HD clothing because of this made in China crap.
So HD listen you are loosing sales because of this.exactlyjust like he said

Most people equate H-D with "Made in USA". I have no idea how many other H-D accessories and parts are made in China or elsewhere, haven't really checked. Granted , you can say "so what, we have plenty of others who will, and don't care where it's made", but to me that's just wrong and goes against "The US Made motorcycle company" theme. And who knows, with the prices you can sell H-D branded products for, and with a willing, motivated manufacturer, you can probably make close to the same profit per jacket(or whatever), AND sell more due to the fact that poeple like me would buy H-D branded stuff if it were made in the USA.
You didn't get to where you are at now by selling re-badged Chinese motorcycles, and that's not what brought the Company back in the early eighties. So how about it? Let's have some "Made in USA" pride.

Half the bike itself is manufactured elsewhere around the globe and "kit biked" at the assembly plants. So, your point is?

Half the bike itself is manufactured elsewhere around the globe and "kit biked" at the assembly plants. So, your point is?

Exactly. People are just going to have to deal with the fact that we live in a GLOBAL economy. HD is a business first and their first order of business happens to be selling a lifestyle, not American-made anything. If they can cut costs and reach a broader base by having goods produced overseas, they will. Have you ever looked at the country of origin on ANY of their chrome trinkets?

As far as the leather jacket goes, $250 is a deal and a half on a somewhat quality garment. Price out some leathers made in the US (FoxCreek,Schott,Vanson, Bates, Langlitz,etc.). The low end would start with FoxCreek at around $350 going up to the Langlitz which if you've heard of them, you know what their jackets can cost.

What's my point? If you want to buy American, stop taking the easy way out by going to the Genuine Accessories section of the dealership:rolleyes: . Do a little research, find a great US company(My FoxCreek jacket is immeasurably nicer than any HD rag I've seen), spend twice as much money, and get what you pay for.

Cheers,

Luke

Half the bike itself is manufactured elsewhere around the globe....
Yeah and you'll find the very best quality parts on a HD are the wheels....and the reason for this is they are made right here in Australia!

So there! :p :D

I am all for a global economy. However, one of the reasons I bought the Sportster was because it was an American company. I've been wearing the same motorcycle jacket for the last 15 years, and it was made in Pakistan. I was very disappointed that I could not find one jacket in the Harley dealerships that were made in America when I was looking for something for my God daughter.

$250 is cheap for a quality leather jacket. My main objective is to get a quality jacket that I can afford. If the Harley shop had a American made jacket that cost $600 and a Chinese made jacket that cost $250, I'm buying the $250 one if the quality is the same.

In china people work for 62 cents an hour. They get no benefits. BTW where were your shoes made.

Yeah and you'll find the very best quality parts on a HD are the wheels....and the reason for this is they are made right here in Australia!
So there! :p :D

Pretty innovative - beating roo hides into wheels!

Half the bike itself is manufactured elsewhere around the globe and "kit biked" at the assembly plants. So, your point is?

My point is I'd like to see as much product as possible sourced from the US. Maybe they've already tried. Maybe they just want the largest possible profit margin they could have. I don't know, that's why I asked.

As far as the leather jacket goes, $250 is a deal and a half on a somewhat quality garment. Price out some leathers made in the US (FoxCreek,Schott,Vanson, Bates, Langlitz,etc.). The low end would start with FoxCreek at around $350 going up to the Langlitz which if you've heard of them, you know what their jackets can cost.

What's my point? If you want to buy American, stop taking the easy way out by going to the Genuine Accessories section of the dealership:rolleyes: . Do a little research, find a great US company(My FoxCreek jacket is immeasurably nicer than any HD rag I've seen), spend twice as much money, and get what you pay for.

Cheers,

Luke

I do buy from the above mentioned companies because they make a quality US made product even though they cost more. It's also more hassle as most don't have dealers (at least not near my area) that you can walk into and try the jacket on, so now you have to ship things back and forth constantly. More hassle and shipping costs. But there are Harley dealers everywhere now, so I thought it would be nice to have something like a "made for H-D by Fox Creek" jacket on the rack next to the cheaper "made in China" jacket as an option. Give us a choice at least. More sales for H-D (to people like me who are now shopping elsewhere), more work to keep another American based company and employees working, and hell, I might buy something else while I'm there since I might actually go into a dealer more often.

Most of us don't care where any of the other things we buy and use are made, so why get cranked up at the MoCo? To add to where were your shoes made, how about the clothes you're wearing, your TV, the computer you're reading this on, and on and on? If someone tried to hold to the 'buy American' only routine, they'd be spending a lot of money and doing without many things (maybe anything electronic) because they just don't make them here anymore.

I always hear that we're loosing all our job overseas. It's true most things are now made elsewhere. This isn't as bad as it seems. A good example is, when I was a kid, a bench grinder cost $250 to $350. Now you can buy a Chinese one for $39. These bench grinders are still distributed by Americans. The salesmen in the stores that sell them are Americans. The clerks that stock them are Americans, or if you live in Texas, illegal immigrants that want to be Americans.

Yeah, the pay is less, but you can live on less because you can now buy a $39 bench grinder and a nice $250 leather jacket.

Most of us don't care where any of the other things we buy and use are made, so why get cranked up at the MoCo? To add to where were your shoes made, how about the clothes you're wearing, your TV, the computer you're reading this on, and on and on? If someone tried to hold to the 'buy American' only routine, they'd be spending a lot of money and doing without many things (maybe anything electronic) because they just don't make them here anymore.

I care. I try. I realize and understand that a lot of things can't be US sourced. I'm not saying buy American only. I own a lot of things produced in other countries that I have chosen to purchase because they are quality and meet my needs. I like to have an option though and decide for myself and I thought the longest surviving American motorcycle company would like to know that it matters to some of us and we would like an option.

i suppose i agree with the all American buys to an extent. i dont mind things made elsewhere, however, i buy American made as often as i can. it is a little dissapointing that H-D sells other "made in" 's. it would be nice to see alot more made in America!!

I care. I try. I realize and understand that a lot of things can't be US sourced. I'm not saying buy American only. I own a lot of things produced in other countries that I have chosen to purchase because they are quality and meet my needs. I like to have an option though and decide for myself and I thought the longest surviving American motorcycle company would like to know that it matters to some of us and we would like an option.

+1

i TRY to buy American when the product is as good/better than an imported good yet still affordable.

i was in the market for some insulated riding gloves and just got some from foxcreekleathers.com. they have unbeatable service and i paid $39 for American made deerskin insulated gauntlets....which i found to be VERY reasonable.

i had to stop into the stealer this past saturday to get that '07 recall done.
of course while waiting i looked around the whole store.

the 'nice' jackets were around $300-500...

and some of them seemed to be pretty good quality. but of course they all said 'Made in China'

if i was planning on getting a non-armored heavy jacket, i think i'd go to foxcreekleathers and get one CUSTOM MADE for around the same price as one of these Chinese ones.

of course i DO own imported products and believe in free trade. but i figure that since MOST of the stuff we buy we don't have a choice because it's all imported (electronics, etc), i'll look into supporting the USA when I can.

:geek

I heard that 97 per cent of the clothing sold in the US is not made here.

I heard that 97 per cent of the clothing sold in the US is not made here.
i bet thats right!:(

I had visit 2 factory at southern part TAIWAN, they supply hundreds chrome part for HD. Chrome bussiness is high polution industry, they made small money and pay for the enviroment polution

I had visit 2 factory at southern part TAIWAN, they supply hundreds chrome part for HD. Chrome bussiness is high polution industry, they made small money and pay for the enviroment polution

Recently, the U.S significantly reduced the standards for permitted hexavalent chromium. Our chrome shop was shut down for two months getting required upgrades installed - to their "state of the art" ventilation system.

Here, H-D leather jackets are sold with the tag "made in China" and their price is around 4000 and 6000 mexican pesos ($350 - $550 US dollars).

I have a magazine with an article on a company that manufactures parts for H-D. This company is mexican.

Why worry about? Everything is made anywhere. Globalisation began soon after capitalism developed. It is nothing new. In fact, it has more than 100 years with us. It's not about technology and culture, but a business thing.

I don't care as long as it is well done, I mean, with quality and serves the purpose that it was made for.

Pretty much anything in the clothing line HD doesn't make it. They farm it out and license their trademark to who ever is making the product, so they have some say as to looks and style. So look around at the other name brands out there and see if you can find anything that is similar. Check where its made... there you go. The FXRG gear might be exclusive to HD haven't really seen anything like them around. But also remember if you want it to be made in USA be prepared for your $500-$600 leather to go to $700-$800...
Don't get me wrong I want to buy American too but our work force is changing, factories aren't like they usted to be. My parents, my grand parents all worked in a small shoe factory in PA... that went south of the boarder decades ago. New England was made of all textile mills way back when, all gone. I ride past them all the time. Now we are a service industry country. There are still factories here, don't get me wrong, most that stuck around make an awsome product. I plan on riding out to a Vanson Leather store this year...

Wel,we have done it to ourselves.We have overpriced everything cause of cost to manufacture,insurance,wages ect.Take a look around your house,tv,cell phone,microwave,the computer you are using right now.Its way too late to complain about it now.All we can do is demand quality from whoever we purchase from.As for american companys to bring back plants here it would take alot of butt kissing in congress to loosen up on the costs of operating here.I mean my dodge truck was made in canada,what are they doing that we could learn from??

In Canada there is government provided medical coverage, paid by income tax. In this country medical insurance is provided by your employer (if you are lucky enough to get medical coverage). This is a huge burden on American manufacturers so it should not be a surprise that the auto manufacturers produce in Canada. Think about that the next time national medical coverage becomes a political debate.
Actually, I always thought that when I retired I would open a store selling only american made goods. I now realize that it would be a very small store. But in reality, many of us buy H-D because it is an American company. As was said before, there are many good US companies that make leather. Yes they cost more, but if it saves your ass in a crash, it is cheap insurance.

My jacket is made in mexico, my gloves are made in china, and my ol lady's jacket made in china

I have a "Independence Leather Biker Jacket" I picked up at the local H-D shop, it was made in Mexico with leather from USA or so they claim. It is a top quality made jacket and I only payed a little over $350 but I too try and buy USA made things whenever I can.

Hang in there :tour

Maybe it's also a quality issue. I paid $460 for my Langlitz goat skin jacket almost 20 years ago. I'm still wearing it - I can't seem to wear the d**n thing out. Are you ready for a commitment like that?

i recently shopped the hd catalog,bought 14 items,only one was made in the us.most were taiwan,the rest were china.quality looks the same.no complaints everything fit like it was supposed to.

San Diego Leather. Check Them out online. They make the stuff right there. Most of it anyway.
TO read a label and expect to see "Hecho en USA" is naive. Or to get emotional about it saying "Made in China" is about fifteen years late. We have what is called an exporting deficit now kids, It means we don't ship out as much to the world as we used to. Get a name tag and welcome to the service industry. That should worry you more than where your jacket is made. It is one of my pastimes to see where something is manufactured. My latest was find was a Propane Heater Made in China, with directions in Spanish. Sold in the states. Middleman Completely eliminated. That is sadly the future.
Now where is my H-D Sanctioned Beef Jerky?

I just thought I'd reiterate the fact that I would like the Company, or even just the dealers, on their own, to at least contract with a US manufacturer to carry a US made option, even if it costs more, and see if it sells. Put them out there on the rack, side by side, clearly labled, and let us choose. I also know I can buy them direct on my own(which I do), I just wanted to ask our beloved American motorcycle manufacturer why they don't care.

So how would you all feel if Harley decided to have Hyosung motors(or whoever) start totally building Sportsters? Hell, they might even drop the MSRP a couple hun.

And to all those who say it's just a fact of life, who cares?, I think that is part of the problem. I'm not saying everything can and should or needs to be produced here, but things like a Vanson or Fox Creek jacket support the lives of people like you and me, people who are proud of what they produce, and proud to support their families by doing so. After all, we all can't be lawyers or State and Federal employees.

LOL a harley leather jacket for $250? for $250 you might be able to get a couple harley t shirts and maybe a hat, Sh!t you can't even get a harley textile jacket for $250 all the decent leather comes in close to $500 plus tax. Harley as a company knows that they can do whatever they want and charge whatever they want and people will still buy it. They could market dog sh!t with a harley logo, and it will sell. They probally wouldn't even use American dogs(they might be union), there would be a little tag on your sh!t saying made in China. Then you would see a bunch of ass clowns with harley sh!t on their face waving the american flag and making fun of hondas which are probally more American than Harleys are nowadays.

They could market dog sh!t with a harley logo, and it will sell. They probally wouldn't even use American dogs(they might be union), there would be a little tag on your sh!t saying made in China. Then you would see a bunch of ass clowns with harley sh!t on their face waving the american flag and making fun of hondas which are probally more American than Harleys are nowadays.

That's just funny! ....................and sadly true.

Thank God I can buy a 250.00 bench grinder for 39.00 now. Take a look at your school and local taxes in the last 10yrs., government and the cost of it keeps growing but the commercial tax base has left the USA, Wealthy people can afford tax attorneys to avoid paying large sums of tax, guess who is left to pay! Every year I see more people moving out of their homes due to taxes going up.

My home town which has always been a blue collar factory town has nothing but one specialized steel mill left. We build strip shopping malls like crazy and 300-500k houses, no one knows where these people are working, but its not in this town.

Where is Al Gore.. US wants to clean up by sending all our manufactoring to countries not signed on to the Kyoto agreement. So we really dont give a sh#t about the enviroment as long as we can dump it in somone elses yard.

Im in the Hvac business, You know how bad r-12 and r-22 refrigerant is for the atmosphere. All the inside residential a/c coils are now made in Mexico, in the last 3-4 years we have seen a 40-50% failure rate, guess where all that bad refrigerant is going.... Thank God things are getting beter.

I guess as long as your job isnt effected then the hell with anyone else.

At least we have a strong Porn Business to fall back on.

the china label on my jacket was a major turn off. i felt scammed. american made? what's that? everything has a foreign hand on it somewhere. cars, trucks, boats, tv's, stereos, toasters, tools, computers, condoms, shower caps, lamps, tooth brushes, tires, 7 11's, toys, lawn mowers, bicycles, hell, furniture that i paid an arm and leg for, i checked my wife...she's mixed as well. next yard sale though and she's gone.

Everything is so global now they might as well simplify the "Made in" tags to read "Made on Earth, by Humans"

Or machines...

--Chris

LOL a harley leather jacket for $250? for $250 you might be able to get a couple harley t shirts and maybe a hat, Sh!t you can't even get a harley textile jacket for $250 all the decent leather comes in close to $500 plus tax. Harley as a company knows that they can do whatever they want and charge whatever they want and people will still buy it. They could market dog sh!t with a harley logo, and it will sell. They probally wouldn't even use American dogs(they might be union), there would be a little tag on your sh!t saying made in China. Then you would see a bunch of ass clowns with harley sh!t on their face waving the american flag and making fun of hondas which are probally more American than Harleys are nowadays.
i love it:clap :clap :clap :clap :clap :clap :clap :clap :clap yet so true,btw anyone who makes serious (does that sound right?)fun of of mine or anothers bike is not my friend...imho

I paid 241.00 for my Harley Jacket, and it says Made in America.

It was the reason I bought it.