Harley Davidson usually put in a short form as H-D or Harley, is a motorcycle manufacturer. Created by Arthur and Walter Davidson and William Harley in the early of the 20th century (1903) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the united state of America, it was one of the best motorcycle manufacturers in USA to endure the Great Depression. The company also survived a period of poor quality control and competition from Japanese manufacturers.
By 1918 Harley-Davidson became the world’s largest motorcycle company by producing 28,000 motorcycles. During the 1920s, even with a sinking economy, the company manage to invest in research and development, experimented with its famous V-twin design, built a new four-cylinder engine, and concentrated on making better the reliability of its machines. The company sells heavyweight over 750 cc motorcycles designed for cruising on the highway.
Harley Davidson motorcycles known as “Harleys” have a unique design and exhaust note. They are especially well-known for the tradition of heavy customization that gave rise to the chopper-style of motorcycle. Except for the modern VRSC model family, current Harley Davidson motorcycles imitate the styles of classic Harley designs. Harley Davidson’s tries to establish itself in the light motorcycle market but met limited success and have been abandoned since the 1978 sale of its Italian Aermacchi subsidiary.
Our task here is to seriously evaluate the transformation process undertaken in Harley Davidson, and deeply examine the contribution that the transformation made to the success or failure of the organization. Then finally with key argument of our analysis, we should critically compare and contrast the response of Harley Davidson with a competitor.