Harley-Davidson faces 'woke' accusations from Sturgis rider: 'It breaks my heart

Harley-Davidson is facing backlash from bikers, who fear the American motorcycle maker, which has a rebellious image, is turning into a woke one.

"@harleydavidson is one of the most popular brands in America, but lately, CEO Jochen Zeitz thinks they've all woken up," filmmaker Robby Starbuck shared with his 528,000 followers on X in late July.

The motorcycle brand's apparent decision to join the culture war in America was a major topic at this week's 84th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, according to attendees and numerous social media posts.

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"It's brand suicide," Vinny Terranova, owner of Pappy's Vintage Cycles in Sturgis, South Dakota, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

"A lot of bikers are drinking more Indian beer," he said. "They're killing Harleys. It breaks my heart.”

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The situation has drawn comparisons to Bud Light’s “unintentional error” in 2023 after the beer brand decided to team up with social media influencer and transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.

Joe Six Packers have launched a nationwide boycott of organic beer against the most popular beer brand in America at the time, in response to Bud Light’s failure to recover.

Harley riders have been concerned about the company’s direction since the German-born Zeitz took over as CEO at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, motorcycle enthusiasts said.

Harley-Davidson motorcycles have seen a rapid decline in perceived value among riders since he arrived, said Terranova, who has operated a Harley-Davidson dealership in Colorado for more than 40 years.

“A few years ago, a Harley was worth $30,000. Now it’s only $4,000,” Terranova said.

“People don’t want to be associated with Harley anymore,” he added, commenting.

Fox News Digital reached out to Harley-Davidson for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

When filmmaker Starbuck shared what he claims is a list of internal policies Harley-Davidson wants on social media, the outrage turned to anger for many.

Among the items Starbuck mentioned were sending white men to gender diversity training that was for white men only, supporting legislation that “would allow men into women’s restrooms, gyms and locker rooms,” and “all-ages Pride events that have ‘rage rooms’ next to ‘drag queen storytime.'”

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"Most people feel like they're being forced to talk about sex in the workplace, which 10 years ago would have been considered sexual harassment," Starbuck, who directed the film "The War on Children," told Fox News Digital over the phone.

The company's current focus on DEI stands in stark contrast to the brash, tough, independent image that has attracted its core customers for decades.

Harley riders have been responding with outrage on social media, and it seems that Sturgis is no exception.

"@Harleydavidson turn to the nonsense ... buy something else," was one comment posted on social media.

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