Being there is not always the same as success. Harley for example is seen as overpriced extremely bad quality by almost all bikers outside the US, except maybe by the few who own a Harley. Pretty much the same as Jack Daniels, except that is at least as cheap as it tastes.
> Harley for example is seen as overpriced extremely bad quality by almost all bikers outside the US
This is true in the US as well, in my experience, for both HD and Jack. I think the point is that the Harley brand still holds value among a community of fans both in and outside of the US in a way that [some Japanese sport bike manufacturer] isn't differentiated against its competitors.
This also means the sport bike manufacturers that have competitors have to at least pretend to constantly improve, so there's a lower risk of stagnation which HD is now dealing with.