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Powersports Business • January 2026 • 3

Kawasaki has become the top-selling motorcycle brand in the United States for 2025, overtaking both Honda and Harley-Davidson amid one of the toughest sales climates in the past decade, according to New Atlas and MotorCyclesData.

MotorCyclesData’ s year-to-date figures through September show Kawasaki sales up 14.2 %, the strongest performance in the industry. Honda, last year’ s No. 1, slipped to second with an 8 % decline. In comparison, Harley-Davidson fell to third after a steep 15.9 % drop— a downturn highlighted in New Atlas reporting by Utkarsh Sood, who also cited Harley’ s internal turmoil and revenue challenges as contributing factors.

Overall, the U. S. motorcycle market remains under pressure. MotorCyclesData reports 401,035 YTD sales, down 6.5 %— including the worst first half in 10 years, at – 9.2 %. The third quarter softened slightly but remained negative at – 0.5 %. This compares to the Motorcycle Industry Council’ s data showing the motorcycle industry is down – 7.3 % YTD through September.

Despite the industry slump, Kawasaki found momentum in the U. S. even as the brand struggles globally. New Atlas credits strong demand for the Ninja lineup and the Vulcan S as key drivers of its domestic surge.

Behind the top three, Yamaha held fourth(– 0.4 %), while KTM suffered one of the largest declines(– 23.8 %). Indian Motorcycle, which was recently sold to private equity, remains a bright spot, posting 4.9 % growth, followed by Suzuki(– 13.7 %) and BMW(– 10.8 %).

Both reports point to a clear consumer trend: buyers are leaning toward reliable, price-competitive models from Japanese manufacturers. The entry-level pricing gap is significant— Kawasaki, Honda and Yamaha all offer sub- $ 5,500 models, while Harley-Davidson and Indian’ s least expensive bikes start around $ 9,999. To that end, Harley is rumored to be working on a sub- $ 6,000 bike that will be released this year.

For dealers, the shifting leaderboard underscores evolving customer priorities: affordability, dependability, and value. With the U. S. market projected to remain economically constrained into 2026, brands with competitive pricing and strong small- to mid-displacement lineups appear poised to gain further share.

Harley-Davidson announced a sweeping leadership reorganization on Dec. 10, designed to strengthen its dealer network, sharpen its brand identity, and renew its commitment to Milwaukee. At the center of the move: expanded roles for Bill Davidson and Karen Davidson, two of the most influential family stewards of The Motor Company’ s legacy.

Bill Davidson has been named special adviser to the CEO and brand ambassador, a newly created role that places him closer to product development, brand direction and rider culture. One of the most recognizable faces of Harley’ s heritage, Bill will work directly with CEO Artie Starrs to help guide the brand’ s next chapter.

Karen Davidson will continue as brand ambassador, now working more closely with the marketing and brand teams to deepen dealer engagement and strengthen community connections— areas where she has long been a trusted voice among riders.

“ Returning to what makes Harley-Davidson uniquely powerful means leaning into the people who are the culture,” says Starrs.“ Bill and Karen embody that spirit.”

The leadership overhaul also introduces new C-Suite roles:

Jonathan Root expands his responsibilities to become chief financial and commercial officer, reinforcing integration with HDFS and the company’ s dealerfacing strategy.

MotorCyclesData’ s year-to-date figures through September show Kawasaki sales up 14.2 %, the strongest performance in the industry.( Photo: Kawasaki Motor Corp. USA)

At the center of the leadership moves are expanded roles for Bill Davidson and Karen Davidson, two of the most influential family stewards of The Motor Company’ s legacy.( Photo: Born Free / YouTube screenshot)

Bryan Niketh returns to Harley-Davidson as chief operating officer, bringing two decades of H-D experience and fresh operational leadership from White River Marine Group.

Matt Ryan joins as chief marketing and technology officer, unifying marketing, digital and tech under one leader for more data-driven, connected rider experiences.

Marcus Fischer becomes chief brand officer, bringing creative leadership from Carmichael Lynch, the agency behind many of Harley’ s most iconic campaigns.

Harley-Davidson emphasized that Niketh, Ryan and Fischer will all be based at the company’ s historic Juneau Avenue campus, underscoring its continued commitment to Milwaukee as its global home.

“ These changes set us up to deepen our connection to riders and dealers, accelerate data-led and tech-enabled engagement, and unlock the full potential of our operations,” Starrs adds.

For dealers, the moves signal a renewed strategy built on heritage, brand strength and tighter operational alignment— anchored by two names that riders know and trust: Bill and Karen Davidson.

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