Harley-Davidson Reaches Out To Latino Bikers

By Michael Lopez

Ever heard of a Harlista? If Harley-Davidson has their way, it won't be long until you do. The legendary bike manufacturers are now in the middle of an aggressive push to sell their chrome hogs to the Latin American audience.

For the record, a Harlista is a die-hard Latin American Harley rider. According to HD's site, the concept has been around for over 50 years and represents biker subcultures in areas like Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Mexico. Even Tr3s fave Don Omar classifies himself as a proud member of the chopper clan.

"I had a chance to ride a Harley for one of my videos," he said on the site. "From that moment, I told my team 'I want to ride a Harley' and my dream came true."

Outside of El Dons testimonial, the Harley site includes snippets of a new Harlistas documentary, directed by Mexican filmmaker Alfredo de Villa. For the feature, de Villa followed the lives of nine Latino bikers in areas like L.A., Chicago, Laredo, and Corpus Christi. Not coincidentally, Harley-Davidson helped fund the movie, which has gotten some very positive reviews.

And don't think the company is stopping there. Harley is also planning to open a new Latin American headquarters in Miami. Judging by the stats they released this week, the chopper execs may be on to something big. Harley projects that sales of their bikes outside of the U.S. will go up by 40 percent in the next three years.

"Our new [Miami] location will help us better and more quickly respond to our Latin American customer’s needs," Harley-Davidson VP Mark Van Genderen said. "Harley-Davidson’s increased focus on customers outside of the US is an exciting time for us, since many Latin American countries have well-established motorcycle cultures and thousands of avid enthusiasts."

And seeing the responses that keep pouring in to their Harlistas page, they may have some growth with the American Latino market too. So far, hundreds of Hispanic bikers have shared their stories, videos, and chopper pix on the site. Who knows? Maybe if they're lucky, even the She Wolf will leave a post.

Have you ever ridden a Harley motorcycle? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Alfredo de Villa, Bikers, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Cultura, Don Omar, Harley-Davidson, Harlistas, motorcycles