Harley Davidson Started Production Abroad in Obama Era (2014)

Harley Davidson started moving production offshore during the Obama administration in 2014. Street motorcycles to be sold abroad were then planned to be built in India. Harley was just late in getting into the trend toward globalization that has devastated American jobs and wages for decades. https://www.reuters.com/article/harleydavidson-results-offshoring/harley-davidson-a-u-s-icon-highlights-offshorings-perils-idUSL2N0PX1MT20140722

Harley Davidson had planned to build a motorcycle production facility in Thailand years before the recent tariffs President Trump established.. 

 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/23/business/harley-davidson-thailand-factory-manufacturing.html

https://fox43.com/2017/05/23/usw-condemns-harley-davidsons-plan-to-manufacture-motorcycles-in-thailand/

The iconic American motorcycle manufacturer has had declining U.S. sales as younger Americans have alternative transport preferences to the Hog. In fact by 2017 at least 40% of Harleys were sold abroad.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-puts-spotlight-on-harley-davidsons-overseas-sales-challenges-1488372741

In 2016 an article in the Wall Street publication The Street called Harley Davidson stock "a dog" and said that it had nowhere to go but down. Apparently the company was evaluated as having poor customer relations.  https://www.thestreet.com/story/13508474/1/here-s-why-harley-davidson-stock-will-soon-plunge.html

http://fortune.com/2018/01/30/harley-davidson-to-lay-off-workers-again-as-motorcycle-shipments-slump/

So the new corporate strategy appears to have been to expand overseas.