Harley-Davidson faces 'woke' accusations from Sturgis bikers: 'Breaks my heart.’

Iconic American motorcycle's muscular image and value of its bikes face headwinds.
Harley-Davidson is facing biker backlash over fears that the American motorcycle manufacturer born with the renegade image is now identifying as woke.

(UPDATE and link at the bottom of this article.) 

"@harleydavidson has been one of the most beloved brands in America but recently on CEO Jochen Zeitz’s watch, they’ve gone totally woke," filmmaker Robby Starbuck shared with his more than 528,000 followers on X in late July.
The bike brand's apparent decision to volunteer for the culture wars in America has been a high-octane topic at the 84th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota this week, according to both attendees and numerous social media postings.

"It’s branding suicide," Vinny Terranova, the owner of Pappy’s Vintage Cycles in Sturgis, South Dakota, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
"A lot of bikers are switching over to Indian," he said. "They killed Harley. It breaks my heart."
The situation has drawn comparisons to the Bud Light "unforced error" of 2023 in the wake of the beer brand's decision to partner with Dylan Mulvaney, a social media influencer and trans activist.
Joe Six Packs launched an organic nationwide boycott against America's then most-popular beer brand in response. Bud Light has not recovered.
Harley riders have been concerned about the direction of the company since the German-born Zeitz took over as CEO at the height of the COVID pandemic in May 2020, say motorcycle enthusiasts.
Harley-Davidson motorcycles have faced a sharp decline in perceived value among bikers since his arrival, said Terranova, who ran a Harley-Davidson dealership in Colorado for over 40 years.
"A Harley valued at $30,000 just a few years ago is now getting only $4,000," said Terranova.
"People don’t even want to be associated with Harley anymore," he added, expressing his opinion.
Fox News Digital reached out to Harley-Davidson for comment but did not receive a reply by publication time.
When filmmaker Starbuck shared on social media what he claims are Harley-Davidson's woke wishlist of internal policies, discontent turned to outrage for many.
Among the wishlist items as noted by Starbuck: sending White men to White male-only diversity training; supporting legislation that "would allow men into girls' bathrooms, sports and locker rooms"; and "an all-ages pride event that featured a ‘rage room’ next to ‘draq queen story time.'"
"Most people feel like they're having sexually explicit topics forced upon them at the workplace which, 10 years ago, anybody would have seen as sexual harassment," Starbuck, director of the film "The War on Children," told Fox News Digital by phone.
The company's alleged DEI focus today contrasts sharply with the loud, muscular, freedom-loving image that has appealed to core customers for decades.
Harley riders responded with full-throttle upset on social media and, it appears, at Sturgis.
"@Harleydavidson has turned to sh*te ... Buy something else," was among the comments posted on social media.
"I heard [Harley-Davidson] Sturgis HQ is gonna be like Bud Light tent was last year," a biker posted on X last week, before the start of the 2024 rally on August 2.
One video posted on social media on Monday showed only green grass and a few stragglers mingling outside a Harley-Davidson tent in Sturgis.
"Not a good look!" wrote Starbuck on his X account.
"I guess some bikers just don’t want to be associated with them after finding out that Harley went woke."
Some long-time Harley riders are saying on social media that they're ditching their bikes for new brands with their next purchase; others are removing the Harley-Davidson name from their motorcycles.
Attendance declined dramatically last week at the annual Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the motorcycle maker was founded in 1903.
About 60,000 people attended the event, according to the Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal — that's a 25% drop from the 80,000 who took in the festival last year.
"We changed our plans for the H-D homecoming after hearing how @harleydavidson supports pedophiles and grooms children," wrote one Harley rider, @LittleLuLu13131.
The outcry over Harley's apparent woke turn comes on the heels of noticeable changes in the public face of the brand.
Harley last year ditched its globally iconic logo of orange and white lettering on a black shield. Its new logo is an empty metallic shell – the same shape, but different colors and no words.
 
Mark Dice discusses Harley Davidson and the Woke Disease.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1340227149860018

 UPDATE: The Wokening of Harley has it’s roots in the DEI beliefs of the Board of Directors and CEO.

I caught one screenshot from this video which is 13:32.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYf9RS16950&t=809s