uld look like a genuine milestone, a gala company birthday party was held. This was in 1988, its 85th anniversary. Every motorcyclist was invited, even those driving other makes of cycles. To qualify, they needed only to contribute $10 to the company's favorite charity, the Muscular Dystrophy Association. More than 40,000 bikers did so. Groups of cyclists from all over the country began to converge on Milwaukee, where the firm is located, and each group was led by a Harley corporate executive. Along the way, com-pany memorabilia were auctioned off to raise more money for the philanthropic organization, which received over half a million dollars from this event. Even some of the less reputable types of bikers participated--the "Sinners" and the "Saracens"--but the proceed-ings were peaceful, and there were many games and races for entertainment [H3, p. 164]. Such publicity could not be equalled by millions of dollars' worth of media advertising. Conclusion. It is impossible to judge the extent to which Harley's rebound was due to the pro-tective tariff or its own efforts. Certainly each contributed to it. However, it seems that even if the tariff were lifted, the loss of market share the company would suffer due to imports of cheaper but otherwise comparable bikes might be serious, but not fatal. Honda and Yamaha are well-known and their bikes are well-made, but they simply do not have, and could never build, the kind of reputation that Harley enjoys. Its customers do not buy a mere conveyance, they buy into an image and for some, a way of life. The company knows this and has marketed it, with great success....
