Driving Into 2019: Harley Davidson Isn't Running Out Of Gas

While most of its overall income still flows from older, well-heeled riders who can afford H-D’s comfort-centric bikes, developing demographics and cultural trends make it clear Harley must evolve or become roadkill. So, the company needs to please its aging, dwindling but well-funded crop of veteran customers with one hand while grooming new products and concepts to attract younger riders with the other.

- John Scott Lewinski

Harley-Davidson’s 115th anniversary celebration kicked off earlier this year in Prague for the European faithful, but the party came home to Harley’s hometown of Milwaukee the last week of August. Early autumn weather greeted the Orange and Black as it offered the assembled motorcycle media a firsthand look at just how it plans to manage its temporal juggling act between the steady money of the past and economic demands of days inbound.

A party took over a city of more than 600,000 people with a mix of denim, leather and rattling engine noise. From the shores of Lake Michigan to the domain of dairy farms, special events and concerts brought riders from across the United States, and around the world, together to celebrate the metal and memories of their two-wheeled love affairs.

There’s still plenty of horsepower in the Bar and Shield’s cultural following. According to the tourism stats at VISIT Milwaukee, the four day #HD115 weekend brought more than 150,000 riders to the city, with an economic impact of more than $95 million. However, there was more than a touch of gray around most of the venues to go along with a bit of cosplay as many of the enthusiasts are looking a little long in the handlebars to pull of the badass biker vibe. While there were still a handful of dyed in the leather motorcycle gangs throwing back Black Jack here and there, the neutral observer expected to see a lot of the revving revelers in MKE return to their dentist officers, accountancy firms and assisted living apartments when they took off the cowhide vests and chaps.