Canadian dealership expects major blowback from Trump’s 50 per cent Harley-Davidson tariffs

Robb Hertzog, co-owner of the Prairie Harley-Davidson dealership in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, says the 50 per cent tariffs placed on large-capacity Harley motorcycles could have detrimental effects to his business.

On September 8, Canada introduced retaliatory tariffs on the US, which includes motorcycles built in the United States with internal combustion engines larger than 800cc. 

What this has the potential to cause, as result of the breakdown in trade negotiations between the two countries, is much higher prices being paid by customers. 

The 50 per cent tax placed on US-built motorcycles covers nearly the entire Harley-Davidson range, and most of Indian Motorcycle’s line-up, as it stands. 

The fallout from all of this, according to Hertzog, is that prices of motorcycles in Canada could double, which would therefore put increasing pressure on dealerships as sales would likely suffer.

That being said, the tariff is applied to the customs value of an imported motorcycle, meaning manufacturers, distributors and dealers are able to choose how much of the additional cost is passed on. Therefore, motorcycle prices rising by double the amount is by no means a guarantee. 

Harley sold 6,434 motorcycles in Canada during 2025, accounting for nearly five per cent of its total global retail sales. 

However, sales have taken a slight dip in 2026, with 3,735 motorcycles sold during the first six months of the year compared with 3,912 during the same period in 2025. 

With the new set of tariffs now introduced, it’s unlikely that this year’s sales will catch up to 2025’s numbers. 

It remains to be seen how much the new 50 per cent tariffs will affect Canadian dealerships going forward, although Hertzog predicted what the future could look like when speaking to 650 CKOM:

“It’ll affect everything we bring in because everything that we get, unfortunately, is U.S. [built]. We don’t have an alternative in Canada to switch over to. It’s going to make it very difficult to try to sell our product if this goes through and continues on.

“You have got to hold your ground, but we[‘ve] got to be really cautious on how we hold our ground. I don’t see that tariffs hurt the other country as much as it hurts their own country.”

Find the latest motorcycle news on Visordown