AMA Hall of Famer Passes
A
MA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Richard
Teerlink, who served as Chief Executive
Officer of Harley-Davidson in the 1980s and
'90s, passed away. He was 88 years old.
Teerlink's lifelong love for motorcycles
kickstarted when he was 14 years old,
despite his father's hesitancy to allow him
to own his own bike. He became enamored
with the Harley-Davidson 125s and Cushman
motor scooters that his friends would ride.
Later in his life, Teerlink turned to the mo
-
torcycle industry and relied on those child-
hood memories to help the rebuild of Harley-
Davidson throughout the 1980s and '90s.
Teerlink joined the famed motorcycle
marque in 1981 as the chief financial officer,
where he quickly went to work on finding
new financing for Harley-Davidson. His
persistence was rewarded quickly, and the
brand found new financing, serving as the
first step toward its remarkable rebuild dur
-
ing his time at the company.
Soon after, Teerlink took over as
Harley-Davidson's president and CEO,
utilizing his personal vision and val-
ues to rebuild the famed brand in his
image. As CEO, Teerlink was known
for ingraining himself at all levels of
the organization, working with employees
at all levels. He also forged relationships
with motorcycle dealers, suppliers and rid
-
ers to boost the brand nationwide.
Teerlink's impact was seen in Harley-
Davidson's economic rebound during his
tenure. In his first year as CFO, Harley
posted an operating loss $15.5 million on
revenue of $210 million, which expanded to
operating profits of $416 million on revenue
of $2.45 billion when he retired in 1999.
For his efforts within the industry, Teer
-
link was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle
Hall of Fame in 2015.
CN
WIND
IN THE
P70
AMA Motorcycle
Hall of Famer
Richard Teerlink
(far right) passed
away at the
age of 88.
