The recession hit Harley-Davidson really hard back in 2008. The company was already suffering from some of the worst sales numbers the iconic brand had ever faced, and when the housing market bubble burst people stopped buying items like classic American motorcycles. What was the manufacturer to do? It became leaner and meaner.

Is Harley-Davidson Recovering From The Recession?

The recession transformed Harley-Davidson. The company trimmed up by selling the Italian exotic motorcycle manufacturer, MV Augusta, and the company shuttered its sportbike division, Buell. However, even more sacrifices had to be made.

The Harley-Davidson brand has been about the “Harley Lifestyle” for decades, but during the recession, executives discovered that the people buying the company’s motorcycles were steadily getting older. This was weakening the brand, and so a campaign to bring young riders to the Harley-Davidson family began. New executives, new designs, and a fresh attitude was brought to the company—it even started manufacturing and selling bikes in India—but have their efforts paid off?

Harley-Davidson Inc. reported higher than expected earnings last quarter—despite the fact that the company also sold fewer motorcycles during that quarter. The company also announced that it would increase the amount of bikes it ships, which also helped drive the price of the company’s stock up almost 10 percent.

The Milwaukee icon says that its newer lighter street models are selling well, and seven out of ten buyers of these new models were new to the brand. Harley expects to ship anywhere between 269,000 to 274,000 motorcycles worldwide over the course of 2016, and if this trend continues, the brand could be looking at a pleasant future down the line. Keep reading our blog to find out more about motorcycling history and the future of American riding.

Brought to you by the motorcycle accident attorneys at the Metier Law Firm—we’re the lawyers that ride!