4385| Veni M. Nair HAS HARLEY’S SCREAMING EAGLE BECOME JUST A WHIMPER IN INDIA? HARLEY DAVIDSON’S ENTRY INTO INDIA HAS HARLEY’S SCREAMING EAGLE BECOME JUST A WHIMPER IN INDIA? HARLEY DAVIDSON’S ENTRY INTO INDIA

Abstract

“We ride to fly, to feel, to touch, to breathe, to laugh, to soar, to overcome, to relax, to prove them wrong, to belong, to feel strong, to love. We ride to LIVE” ( HoG) The above lines summarise the true fanatic in the Harley Davidson rider. Harley Davidson brings us memories of the all American leather-clad rider sporting long hair and bad boy looks. Rebels by Choice or outlaws as they are known belong to a community of equals (HoG) .Like a religious fanatic, they create and follow a cult, becoming the true brand evangelist. But are we witnessing some cracks in the cult? Are these evangelists losing their trust and faith in their iconic brand now?. Is the quintessential American cult image fading ? “It’s not cool if everyone else has the same stuff as you,” Carlos Dos Santos, owner of Brooklyn Motorworks, a New York motorcycle repair and customization shop said. “They’re flooding the market with these cookie-cutter bikes, and it’s not special any more if everyone can just buy instant cool.”. Is it the death knell for the all-American Terminator brand? Is there a strategic decision failure or a deep rooted cultural issue?. Let us go on to fnd out …