Editing Harley-Davidson (section)

===Restructuring and revival===
In 1981, AMF sold the company to a group of 13 investors led by [[Vaughn Beals]] and [[Willie G. Davidson]] for $80&nbsp;million.<ref name="wild_thing">''Smithsonian'' magazine, August 2003, p. 36 – "Wild Thing", Robert F. Howe</ref> The new management team improved product quality, introduced new technologies, and adopted [[just-in-time (business)|just-in-time]] inventory management.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Duprey |first1=Rich |title=33 Years Ago, Tariffs Saved Harley-Davidson Inc. – or Did They? |url=https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/05/33-years-ago-today-tariffs-saved-harley-davidson.aspx |access-date=October 21, 2018 |work=[[The Motley Fool]] |date=April 5, 2016 |archive-date=October 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021232224/https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/05/33-years-ago-today-tariffs-saved-harley-davidson.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> These operational and product improvements were matched with a strategy of seeking tariff protection for large-displacement motorcycles in the face of intense competition with Japanese manufacturers. These protections were granted by the Reagan administration in 1983, giving Harley-Davidson time to implement their new strategies.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Lemmy |title=Motorcycle tariffs and Harley-Davidson Lessons from the last time |url=https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/motorcycle-tariffs-and-harley-davidson |website=RevZilla.com |publisher=[[RevZilla.com|RevZilla]] |access-date=October 21, 2018 |date=March 5, 2018 |quote=Harley again requested federal assistance in 1982, this time citing Article XIX of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade of 1974, better known as 'the escape clause.' |archive-date=October 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021232352/https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/motorcycle-tariffs-and-harley-davidson |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="7/83 US Imposes 45% Tariff on Imported Motorcycles">{{cite web |editor=Roderick Seeman |title=7/83 US Imposes 45% Tariff on Imported Motorcycles |work=The Japan Lawletter |date=July–August 1983 |url=http://www.japanlaw.info/lawletter/july83/ase.htm |access-date=December 12, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308143411/http://www.japanlaw.info/lawletter/july83/ase.htm |archive-date=March 8, 2008}}</ref>

Revising stagnated product designs was a crucial centerpiece of Harley-Davidson's turnaround strategy. Rather than trying to mimic popular Japanese designs, the new management deliberately exploited the "retro" appeal of Harley motorcycles, building machines that deliberately adopted the look and feel of their earlier bikes and the subsequent customizations of owners of that era. Many components such as brakes, forks, shocks, carburetors, electrics and wheels were outsourced from foreign manufacturers and quality increased, technical improvements were made, and buyers slowly returned.

Harley-Davidson bought the "Sub Shock" cantilever-swingarm rear suspension design from Missouri engineer Bill Davis and developed it into its [[Softail]] series of motorcycles, introduced in 1984 with the FXST Softail.<ref name="HDCentury_FatherSoftail">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Field|first=Greg|editor=Darwin Holmstrom|encyclopedia=The Harley-Davidson Century|title=Father of the Softail|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kUidavBaEbUC|access-date=December 26, 2012|date=September 1, 2002|publisher=MotorBooks International|location=St. Paul, Minn.|isbn=0-7603-1155-2|pages=242–243}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In response to possible motorcycle market loss due to the aging of baby-boomers, Harley-Davidson bought luxury [[motorhome]] manufacturer [[Holiday Rambler]] in 1986.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Harley-Davidson Evolution Motorcycles|author=Greg Field|page=33|year=2001|isbn=978-0-7603-0500-3|publisher=Motorbooks}}</ref> In 1996, the company sold Holiday Rambler to the [[Monaco Coach Corporation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pedatarvcenter.com/rvtopics/holidayramblerrv.html |title=The Holiday Rambler RV: A Historic Look |work=Pedata RV Center |publisher=Pedata Resales |location=Tucson, AZ USA |access-date=May 17, 2011 |quote=In 1996, the Holiday Rambler RV line became one of the prestigious lines backed by Monaco Coach Corporation. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715061441/http://www.pedatarvcenter.com/rvtopics/holidayramblerrv.html |archive-date=July 15, 2011}}</ref>

The "Sturgis" model, boasting a dual belt-drive, was introduced initially in 1980 and was made for three years. This bike was then brought back as a commemorative model in 1991.