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The end of the forced exclusivity era?
After the failure of Levatich's "More Roads" strategy (too dispersive) and the subsequent "Hardwire" by Zeitz (too focused on high margins at the expense of volume), Starrs proposes a third way. The analysis is clear: Harley-Davidson has realized, perhaps at the eleventh hour, that discontinuing icons like the Sportster alienated the younger customer base and drained dealership traffic.
The new plan rests on five pillars, but the beating heart is dealer profitability, which Starrs aims to quadruple by 2029. A healthy sales network does not need to fire-sale top-of-the-line models, thereby protecting the residual value of used bikes and the brand's aura.