Harley-Davidson to shift some bike production outside US

Harley-Davidson plans to shift some motorcycle production away from the US to avoid the "substantial" burden of European Union tariffs.

Last week, the EU imposed retaliatory tariffs on US goods, including bourbon, orange juice and motorcycles.

Wisconsin-based Harley-Davidson has assembly plants in Australia, Brazil, India and Thailand.

The company said it would raise investment in its international plants, but did not say which ones.

"To address the substantial cost of this tariff burden long-term, Harley-Davidson will be implementing a plan to shift production of motorcycles for EU destinations from the US to its international facilities to avoid the tariff burden," the company said.

Harley-Davidson said it expected the ramp-up in production to take nine to 18 months.

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The company's decision is one of the most visible consequences of the trade disputes triggered by US President Donald Trump's decision to levy tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

The duties, which Mr Trump says are necessary to maintain national security, have drawn retaliation from the EU, Canada, Mexico, India and others, while driving up the cost of metals for manufacturers in the US.