Where Are Harley-Davidsons Made? (2026 Plant Guide)

TL;DR

• Final assembly for every current U.S.-market Harley happens at the York, Pennsylvania plant, officially called Vehicle Operations.
• Engines and transmissions come from the Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin plant, known internally as Pilgrim Road Powertrain Operations, just outside Milwaukee.
• Milwaukee is Harley’s headquarters and design home, but it hasn’t built complete motorcycles since 1973.
• Harley closed its Kansas City, Missouri plant in 2019 and folded that production into York.
• Some Revolution Max models (Pan America, Sportster S, Nightster) shifted to a Thailand plant for the 2025 model year; Harley has announced plans to bring that production back to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin by model year 2028.

Where Harleys Actually Get Built

credit: https://wilkinsharley.com/

Harley-Davidson builds its motorcycles at two main U.S. plants, and they split the job. York, Pennsylvania does final assembly. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin builds the engines and transmissions that ship to York and get bolted in.

That’s the short answer. Milwaukee gets the credit in most people’s heads because that’s where the company started in 1903, and it’s still where Harley’s headquarters and design studio sit.

But no complete motorcycle has rolled off a Milwaukee assembly line since 1973, when final assembly moved to York.

York, Pennsylvania: Where the Bikes Come Together

The York plant, officially named Harley-Davidson Vehicle Operations, handles final assembly for Softail, Touring, CVO, Trike, Sportster, and LiveWire models.

It’s the largest Harley-Davidson manufacturing facility in the world, spanning more than 1.5 million square feet on a site in Springettsbury Township, just east of the city.

Work at York goes well beyond bolting parts onto a frame. The plant does its own welding, painting, chrome plating, and machining, then runs every finished motorcycle through a roll test before it’s crated and shipped. Frames arrive as raw metal and leave as painted, badged, road-ready machines.

York picked up extra weight in 2019. Harley closed its 20-year-old Kansas City, Missouri plant that May and moved that production, which had covered Sportster, Dyna, and Street models, into York.

That consolidation is part of why York’s model list is so long today: one plant now does what two used to split.

As of mid-2026, York’s public factory tours are temporarily closed, with no reopening date announced. The powertrain plant in Wisconsin still offers tours if you want to see Harley manufacturing firsthand.

Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Where the Engines Get Built

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The Pilgrim Road Powertrain Operations plant in Menomonee Falls, about 15 miles northwest of downtown Milwaukee, is where Harley makes its engines and transmissions. This is the source of the Milwaukee-Eight, the Big Twin V-twin that powers most of the current touring, softail, and cruiser lineup.

Line workers here build multiple engine families on the same production line, timed so an engine doesn’t sit finished for long before it ships out to York for final assembly.

Harley has put tens of millions of dollars into the plant over the years to keep pace with production demand, tied to past labor agreements with United Steelworkers Local 2-209, which represents the plant’s workforce.

Harley runs public tours at Pilgrim Road, including a 90-minute “Walk the Line” engine tour that walks visitors through machining, assembly, and testing.

What About the Models Built Overseas?

Not every current Harley comes out of Pennsylvania or Wisconsin. For the 2025 model year, Harley shifted production of its Revolution Max-powered models, the Pan America adventure bike, Sportster S, and Nightster, to a plant in Rayong, Thailand, as part of a capacity-optimization move that freed up U.S. floor space for its higher-volume Touring and Softail lines.

That’s changing again. In June 2026, Harley announced it will bring Revolution Max engine and motorcycle production back to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin under its “Back to the Bricks” turnaround plan, with the transition set to finish before 2028 model year production starts in 2027. The company has said it expects to build more than 100,000 motorcycles at York in 2027.

Harley has also run smaller overseas plants for years, including facilities in Brazil and India, that assemble select models from U.S.-made parts for their regional markets rather than building bikes from scratch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Milwaukee where Harleys are made?

No, not anymore. Milwaukee is Harley-Davidson’s headquarters and where the company was founded in 1903, but complete motorcycle assembly moved out of Milwaukee to York, Pennsylvania in 1973. Menomonee Falls, a Milwaukee suburb, still builds engines.

Does Harley still make bikes in Kansas City?

No. Harley closed its Kansas City, Missouri plant in May 2019 after 22 years of operation and moved that production into the York, Pennsylvania plant. Around 800 jobs were lost in the closure.

Are all Harley-Davidson motorcycles made in the USA?

Most are, but not all. Final assembly for the core Softail, Touring, CVO, Trike, and Sportster lines happens at York, Pennsylvania. As of 2025, the Pan America, Sportster S, and Nightster were built in Thailand, though Harley has said it plans to move that production back to the U.S. by model year 2028.

Can you tour a Harley-Davidson factory?

Yes, but only one right now. The Pilgrim Road Powertrain Operations plant in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin runs public tours, including a 90-minute engine-manufacturing walkthrough. The York, Pennsylvania plant’s public tours are temporarily closed with no announced reopening date.

What’s the difference between the York and Menomonee Falls plants?

York handles final vehicle assembly: welding frames, painting, and putting complete motorcycles together. Menomonee Falls builds the powertrain, meaning engines and transmissions, which then ship to York to be installed. Neither plant alone builds a complete bike from start to finish.