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Harley-Davidson 'used' bikers before 'woke' controversy, former outlaw rider claims
Harley-Davidson accused of going ‘woke’
‘America Reports’ panelists Taylor Riggs and Jackie DeAngelis discuss the controversy surrounding the iconic motorcycle company and the importance of political neutrality in businesses.
Bikers who say they gave the Harley-Davidson brand its “bad—” image over the years, and even claim a role in helping to “build” its success, say they feel kicked to the curb amid the American motorcycle maker’s global expansion.
Recent concerns about the brand’s latest “woke” tendencies also appear to have quickened the discontent among some.
“Harley used the motorcycle clubs and used the loyalty of a lot of bikers for decades to build the brand,” James “Hollywood” Macecari, a former “one-percenter” – or outlaw – club member, told Fox News Digital this week in an interview.
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Macecari, a motorcycling media mogul, is founder of Insane Throttle, a biker content platform, host of the “Motorcycle Madhouse” podcast and author of four books on his life of crime as a Harley-riding outlaw gang member.
The bike maker, he believes, had already committed an offense worse than woke. Harley-Davidson, he said, was disloyal to many bikers.
Former outlaw biker James “Hollywood” Macecari, a motorcycling media mogul, said bikers stuck with Harley through hard times. (James “Hollywood” Macecari)
They were often bad boys and the worst were dangerous criminals. They were also very good Harley customers.
He said they kept the Milwaukee-based motorcycle maker alive when it was on the brink of failure, inking their devotion to the gritty, American-made bikes in their own flesh.
“Harley got loyalty from the bikers.”
“The bikers stuck with Harley through the AMF (American Machine and Foundry) years in the 1970s when the bikes were junk and nobody else wanted them,” said Macecari.
“C’mon. What brand gets tattooed all over people like Harley? You know? Harley got loyalty and billions in free advertising from the bikers.”
Fox News Digital reached out multiple times to Harley-Davidson for comment but did not receive a response.
Harley gained an almost mythic aura of American-made muscle, power and independence over the years.
A red, white and blue Harley-Davidson motorcycle is shown in Chicago, Illinois. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Harley prices soared in the 1990s, when accountants, doctors and lawyers proved they were willing to pay a premium to don the armor of a Harley rider.
“The relationship with bikers worked for Harley for decades,” said Macecari.
“Then all of a sudden, if I walked into a Harley-Davidson dealership with my patch, they snubbed their noses, even though I probably made more money than half the owners.”
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Many within the Harley-Davidson community, however, refute the narrative that the company has rejected its roots in an effort to appease political trends.
“Harley has not gone woke,” a longtime dealership employee in Texas told Fox News Digital this week.
“They’re not hiring transgender influencers to ride down the road on Harleys. None of these training programs [that led to the ‘woke’ accusations] were mandatory,” he also said.
Actress and model Cindy Crawford sits on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle on the set of a Pepsi commercial in 1992 in Los Angeles, California. Longtime biker club riders who stood by the brand when it was unpopular in the 1970s say its image began to change in the 1990s. (Roxanne McCann)
The Harley-Davidson devotee does agree the brand has changed and that street-hardened bikers are no longer its core market.
“The brand’s evolving. It’s always been evolving. A Harley now is a luxury item. You’re not going to finance a Harley with a 0%-interest loan because the banks now consider it a luxury item.”
For “a lot of these guys … their bike is all they have.”
Still, the sting of disloyalty runs deep, according to an author who has chronicled outlaw biker culture.
“A lot of these guys are dirt poor, they crash on couches, or they’re homeless and their bike is all they have,” Dave Wedge, co-author of the 2022 book “Riding with Evil: Taking Down the Notorious Pagan Motorcycle Gang,” told Fox News Digital.
Jeffrey “Mr. Meatloaf” Scales of Brooklyn, New York, is a celebrity in the customized motorcycle world. His flashy, colorful bikes, built on Harley-Davidson frames, already run contrary to the brand’s rough-and-tumble image. But still, he says, the brand’s evolving image creates “a stigma on the street.” (Jeffrey “Mr, Meatloaf” Scales)
“There’s a reason if you touch a gang member’s bike, you’re in trouble [and might even] get killed,” said Wedge. “These bikes are their family, in some cases their only family. It’s an extension of themselves.”
He added, “With the Pagans specifically … that bike was always a Harley.”
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Bikers are “anything but woke,” he also said.
So the notion that Harley has adopted a platform that conflicts with their worldview appears to be a final act of betrayal for them.
“These bikes are their family, in some cases their only family. It’s an extension of themselves.”
“The American dream has never been about backing those that back you. It’s always been about backing those that make you money,” John E. Bunch II, one of the nation’s most high-profile club leaders, told Fox News Digital.
American biker club culture helped turn Harley-Davidson into a global brand. (Paul Zinken/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Known as Black Dragon in the biker community, Bunch is the former national president of Black Sabbath Motorcycle Club Nation and the host of “Black Dragon Biker TV” on YouTube.
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“So as long as you make Harley-Davidson money, Harley-Davidson will be loyal to you,” said Bunch.
“And when they felt as though you’re not capable of making them money anymore, like any other company, they’re going where they can make the money.”
Harley-Davidson has grown globally while the old motorcycle clubs have shrunk domestically.
“Harley-Davidson today is a worldwide brand and the motorcycle clubs are dying. The reality is that Harley is not making motorcycles for motorcycle clubs,” he also said.
Those loyal old bikers are also just old.
“Easy Rider’ was 55 years ago,” said Bunch. “If you’re part of the ‘Easy Rider’ generation, you’re mother— old. You’re heading out, bro. You’re a dinosaur.”
Actors Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda and Luke Askew, on the back of Fonda’s motorcycle, in a publicity photo issued for the 1969 hit movie, “Easy Rider.” (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
Still, he said, “none of that changes the fact that Harley was disloyal to the people who made them what they are.”
Said Macecari, “Harley can crash and burn now for all I care.”
Harley-Davidson was founded in Milwaukee in 1903 by William Harley and partners and brothers Arthur, Walter and William Davidson.
Harley and the Davidson boys grew up as neighbors and friends. Harley and Arthur Davidson were both bicycle enthusiasts and mechanics, as Fox News Digital previously reported.
James “Hollywood” Macecari was a member of an outlaw biker gang before becoming an author and podcaster. (James “Hollywood” Macecari; Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
They began tinkering with small internal combustion engines. They put motors on bicycles – their first Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Harley-Davidson, its own museum notes, sold just three motorcycles in 1905. In 2023, it produced 163,000 bikes — making it one of the world’s largest motorcycle companies.
Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company of Harley-Davidson Motor Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services. Its vision, according to the company, is “building our legend and leading our industry through innovation, evolution and emotion. Our mission: More than building machines, we stand for the timeless pursuit of adventure. Freedom for the soul.”
Harley-Davidson also has a controlling interest in LiveWire Group, Inc., the first publicly traded all-electric motorcycle company in the U.S., the company notes.
Read the full article from Here
An American V-8 will be on the front row of France’s 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sunday. And the roar is about to get louder.
Motor City brands are front-and-center for the Saturday-Sunday, June 13-14 World Endurance Championship epic. A Cadillac Hypercar qualified on the front row for the second year in a row, while Ford announced its Hypercar driver lineup for 2027 as it prepares a sequel to its historic 1966-69 overall wins. That era was immortalized in the 2019 blockbuster film “Ford v Ferrari.”
Cadillac is determined to write its own chapter in the Le Mans history books.
The Detroit brand will be one of the favorites to dethrone defending champion Ferrari with three competitive V-Series.R Hypercars. A year after it won pole, the England-based, #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R secured second in qualifying behind the #15 BMW M Team car for the world’s premier sportscar race after its sister, #38 Team JOTA Cadillac won pole before being demoted to 10th over a technical infraction. A third, #101 Cadillac entered by U.S.-based Wayne Taylor Racing will start fifth.
“It was a good day for the team,” said #12 Cadillac ace Will Stevens after his 3:23.1 lap around the 8.5-mile track 130 miles west of Paris. “Thank you to everyone who has been involved in improving the package compared to last year. We know we are in a better position. It’s going to be a very exciting race, and I think it will be a battle.”
Also sharing Hypercar headlines this year is Ford, which will bring a thundering, Mustang-based, 5.4-liter Coyote V-8 to Le Mans’ legendary 200-mph Mulsanne straightaway in 2027. The Hypercar class has grown in popularity thanks to its formula of combining a hybrid-electric drivetrain (which dovetails with current production electrification trends) and the gas engine of the manufacturer’s choice.
For Motor City brands, that means earthshaking V-8s.
Ford Racing announced its driver’s lineup at the track for its first entry into top class since it dominated Le Mans six decades ago with the legendary GT40. It will join a packed Hypercar field next year with entries from Cadillac, McLaren, Toyota, Ferrari, Aston Martin, BMW, Peugeot, Alpine and Genesis (which debuts this year).
Motor City makers have ramped up their assault on Le Mans as they have taken their production models to international markets. The Cadillac Hypercar’s hybrid powertrain complements Cadillac’s electrification strategy as it now sells Optiq, Lyriq and Visitq EVs in Europe — including from its flagship showroom in downtown Paris.
The Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang sell in markets across the globe and their GT3 cars — which will be competing for glory in the Le Mans GT3 class — are sold to international racing teams.
Ford will bring a formidable driver lineup in 2027.
IMSA Weathertech Sportscar champion Matt Campbell, Le Mans class-winner Nick Yelloly and IMSA champion and ex-IndyCar racer Tom Blomqvist complete an all-star, six-driver roster that includes the already-announced lineup of IMSA-champ Mike Rockenfeller, ex-Formula One racer Logan Sargeant and GT3-ace Sebastian Priaulx (the latter pair are competing at this year’s Le Mans in Mustangs).
“As America’s Race Team, it is only right we carry the banner ourselves. With the additions of Matt, Nick and Tom alongside Logan, Rocky and Seb, we have finalized a driver lineup capable of winning races,” said Ford Racing Global Director Mark Rushbrook. “We aren’t just returning to Le Mans to participate — we are returning to fight for overall victory.”
Campbell’s presence on the Ford Racing team, however, represents the loss of another Detroit racing brand at Le Mans, Team Penske.
Partnered with Porsche, Penske nearly won in 2025, finishing second to Ferrari. Financial troubles compelled Porsche to pull its Le Mans racing program this year. Campbell’s co-drivers, Yelloly and Blomqvist, are refugees from Acura’s IMSA Weathetech program. Acura pulled the plug after parent Honda, like Porsche, suffered losses related to electrification and Chinese market investments.
The #38 Team JOTA Cadillac celebrated after Hypercar qualifying when ace driver Jack Aitken (who also races for Cadillac in North America’s IMSA series) set a Hypercar-era record lap of 3:22.559 — just five thousandths of a second quicker than the #15 BMW M Team Hybrid V-8.
A pit lane infraction, however, robbed the Caddy of pole glory. BMW won the last WEC race at Spa in Belgium.
Cadillac’s prospects to win this year have improved — not just because of the withdrawal of Porsche Penske — but because its so-called LMDh Hypecar chassis appears to be the quickest design.
Like BMW and the French Alpine team (and Ford next year), Cadillac’s LMDh car was developed using a third-party chassis manufacturer (even as powertrains are homegrown). Cadillac, for example, partners on its chassis with Italy’s Dallara. So-called LMH cars are made in-house — for example, the Ferrari and Toyota teams. This year Cadillac, BMW and Alpine (which qualified third) consistently topped the class of the field in practice and qualifying.
Defending champion Ferrari has entered three Hypercars, with its top qualifier in 8th. The #009 Aston Martin THOR Valkyrie in seventh is the quickest LMH chassis. Toyota’s LMH Hypercar, which has consistently been a threat for overall Le Mans wins, qualified 14th and 15th.
“(Thursday qualifying) we saw there was a two-class qualifying with LMDh on top and LMH behind. That seems to be the picture,” said Toyota Racing technical director David Floury. “We are focused on optimizing our package, and the rest is not in our control.”
In the production-based GT class, V8-powered beasts from Corvette (two entries) and Mustang (two entries) will compete for a class win Sunday as well.
The #77 and #88 Mustang GT3s will start 10th and 11th Sunday while four Corvette Z06 GT3.R entries will start 17th, 23rd, 24th and 25th in class.
The green flag drops at 4 p.m. (10 a.m. EDT) Saturday in France.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
MILWAUKEE — A family is suing the City of Milwaukee after their son was left inside a car at a tow lot following a fatal crash.
The lawsuit says James Edward Stokes, Jr. was a passenger in the car involved in a crash on June 1, 2023, where the car hit a pole or tree near 9000 West Fond Du Lac Avenue. It suffered significant damage, including a shattered windshield, blown tires and more, the lawsuit says.
When police arrived on scene, the lawsuit claims that witnesses told police to check for a body in the car, but were ignored.
Instead, Milwaukee police took control and custody of the car, the lawsuit says, claiming it was evidence and contraband, since the car had been reported stolen.
The police had it towed to a city tow lot, located at 3811 West Lincoln Avenue, where it was locked up and left there.
The lawsuit claims officers and the tow lot workers failed to search the car to make sure there were no trapped occupants. In the lawsuit, the family called this an “act of shocking and deliberate indifference.”
As a result of lacking a search, the lawsuit says Stokes died a slow death, trapped inside the car for the next four days.
On June 5, 2023, the owner of the car came to get some of their belongings and noticed a foot hanging over the back seat. Upon seeing that, the owner called the police.
A Medical examiner’s report said Stokes, Jr. had advanced signs of decomposition, one of which was bloating, which the lawsuit says is consistent with being trapped in an unventilated car for days. The report also states that he had survived the initial impact of the crash.
The lawsuit is not only against the city but also against Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, manager of the city tow lot Peter Knox, and MPD officers Shate Doughty, Brett Stegerwald, Andrew Fuerte and Alex Bartoshevich.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis-based Sleep Number enters bankruptcy, has sale deal with Canadian company
Mattress maker Sleep Number Corp. announced Friday that it has filed bankruptcy, with an agreement to sell the firm to one-time retail partner Sleep Country Canada Inc. after years of weak demand, mounting financial pressure and unpredictable tariffs.
Minneapolis-based Sleep Number blamed its bankruptcy, in part, on “the unpredictable shifting of trade rules imposed by the current U.S. government on top of an already vulnerable global supply chain,” according to the Friday court filing.
Even after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down some of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, “the broader trade landscape remained complex and the company continued to manage ongoing regulatory uncertainties, particularly regarding potential alternative tariff frameworks that may be imposed” on U.S. imports, Chief Financial Officer Amy O’Keefe said in the filing.
Sleep Number filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in order to hold an auction, at which Sleep Country would be the so-called stalking horse bidder. Its all-cash opening offer for “substantially” all of the firm’s assets is $415 million, O’Keefe said.
Because the firm tried to sell itself in the months leading up to the Chapter 11 filing, O’Keefe said Sleep Number is seeking a 26-day sale process. Any competing bids would be due July 8 and the sale would close by July 31 under the company’s proposed timeline.
Sleep Number, which operates 572 stores and is known for its customizable beds, will continue operations while seeking a quicker-than-usual court-supervised sale process, according to the filing.
The company, whose shares have plunged more than 95% the past four months, has been hurt by declining store traffic amid broader industry pressures.
In response to mounting financial woes, O’Keefe said Sleep Number restructured its real estate portfolio and launched a number of cost-cutting initiatives in recent years. The firm had reported its operating costs fell by $136 million last year, but its net loss still widened as net sales dropped 16%.
Sleep Number said in a statement that will continue to review its footprint with the aim of retaining as many retail locations as possible. It added that as much of $65 million of new borrowing has been arranged to pay for the restructuring process. Sleep Number would also refinance $195 million of older debt should the loan package be approved by the judge overseeing the bankruptcy case.
The company listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion, with lenders owned about $672.5 million.
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