On March 1, Harley-Davidson announced it had suspended its business and shipments of its bikes to Russia following the invasion of Ukraine last week. Harley did not respond to a request for additional details on the suspension or the size of its operations in Russia, according to Reuters. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been photographed riding Harleys, and even joined a gathering of bikers in Ukraine back in 2010.
Europe is Milwaukee-based Harley's second-largest market for retail sales of bikes after the United States. Harley has approximately 369 dealerships in the European Union, but Russia's Harley-Davidson dealerships represent a fraction of its broader dealer network, with roughly 10 in Russia, said Chris Hodson, senior analyst and partner at Edgewater Research. "Russia is not that significant of a market to begin with," Hodson said. "Any units that have been earmarked for Russia can be diverted elsewhere."
