What The Trump Era Could Mean For Us Motorcycle Riders
Posted by Mike Werner on Jan 26th 2017
| Whether you are for or against Donald Trump, his recent communications to the public will not leave you indifferent, especially if you ride motorcycles. |
| Trump is “threating” to impose hefty importation duties on vehicles coming from Europe (and Asia). Although initially meant to curb the imports of cars like BMW, Mercedes, Volvo etc, it would also mean motorcycles. You can’t impose an extra import duty on cars and not levy them on motorcycles. In other words, that means us bikers. |
| So, what does this mean for us motorcycle riders? Well, if you are content with riding a Harley or Indian bike (now that Victory Motorcycles is no longer with us, that’s about all you can buy made-in-the-USA), no worries. You just keep buying American. |
| But if you like riding off road, sports bikes or other types of motorcycles, then you have no choice; European or Japanese. Brands like BMW, Ducati, KTM and Asian brands like Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki or Kawasaki might just receive an at least 35% import duty (there’s even talk of raising duties to 100%). Which would make these already expensive brands even more expensive. |
| But it’s not all doom & gloom… foreign brands that are made in the USA would not need to pay these import duties since they are already made here. Brands like Honda would be in a favorable position. And maybe with the “coming closer” of the United Kingdom after the BREXIT vote, you’ll be able to buy a Triumph motorcycle for a bit cheaper. |
| The American Motorcycle Association (AMA) is fighting a part of the proposed new import duties. |
| So…. Good news or bad news? Are you quickly going out of buy a new motorcycle before it becomes to expensive? |