Podcast | Digging Deeper - Does Harley Davidson need a new breed of riders?

Harley Davidson, an all American classic that is celebrating its 115th anniversary and its merits a deeper dive than usual on this Moneycontrol podcast because of its long history, the current trade complications it is facing and their possible impact on its future.

Even before we attempt to vroom down that chequered path, let us try to get to the core of the complex appeal that the simple act of riding a bike exudes in popular culture. It is after all this appeal that sells bikes and makes grown men weep with joy when they get a bald eagle synonymous with Harley Davidson, tattooed on their limbs. On Digging Deeper with Moneycontrol, we examine the all American Harley Davidson and the all-new generation of riders it might need to lure in the coming years.

In popular culture, big bikes make men want to have them, and make the women want to be with the men who. In a way, stereotyping is obsolete today and even Indian cinema is waking up to that fact. Take the 2016 Marathi hit Sairat where the heroine Archie played by the spunky Rinku Rajguru rides a bike as she makes unflinching eye contact with the shy hero and calls the shots in their relationship. The bike here represents willfulness and feminine power, something that we don't always see associated with the imagery of big, masculine motorcycles.