As trade war threatens US motorcycle makers, Harley-Davidson is offering a bike for under $10K
American motorcycle manufacturers are undoubtedly eyeballing the looming trade war between the US and the EU. Still, 2025’s volatility might be an opportunity for would-be motorcycle buyers. Harley-Davidson is offering a new motorcycle for under $10,000 for the first time in years. Just don’t expect it to sound like the Evolution-powered Nightsters of yesteryear.
The 2025 Harley-Davidson Nightster starts at under $10K just as trade war tariffs target the MoCo’s European operations
You read that right. Harley-Davidson wants to join the fraternity of motorcycle marques with, dare I say, cheap motorcycles. That’s why, for the first time in years, the Motor Company has listed its most affordable motorcycle at $9,999.
It’s the 2025 Harley-Davidson Nightster, one of the brand’s two motorcycles with the Revolution Max 975T mill as part of its core structure. Being the cheapest bike in the lineup, however, doesn’t mean it’s a compromise. Unlike the previous Evolution-powered XL1200N, the new Nighter produces 91 horsepower and 72 lb-ft of torque. For the sake of comparison, the similarly priced 2018 Sportster Iron 1200 produced just 59 horsepower in dyno testing, per Cycle World.
It’s reminiscent of the 2020 Harley-Davidson Street 750, another budget-minded liquid-cooled offering from the Bar & Shield. Still, while the Street series got screen time in Marvel films and came with an attractive $7,599 starting price tag, it was let down by its anemic 749cc Revolution X twin.
The new-age Nightster, however, isn’t a Street 750. With a sub-500-lb working weight and a 32-degree lean angle, the Nighster might be the most compliant, capable bike with a price tag under $10,000 that the MoCo has ever produced.
And the MoCo needs the win. US President Donald Trump’s trade policy is more stick and less carrot, using widespread tariffs with many of the United States’ closest trade partners. One of those partners is the European Union, and the EU isn’t pleased. In response to 25% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, the EU proposed counter-tariffs on American goods, including Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles.
However, Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle may not feel the squeeze of a trade war quite yet. On Thursday, the EU announced that it would delay some of its retaliatory tariffs until mid-April, per Yahoo! Finance. Still, unless things change, the MoCo’s European market could be a casualty of the latest trade wars.
