Today we had the pleasure of welcoming a very special guest: Artie Starrs, the new CEO of Harley-Davidson, visited Thunderbike. As part of his tour of Europe, during which he wants to get a personal impression of Harley-Davidson dealers, he also stopped by our shop – and we are very happy about that.
Artie Starrs was officially appointed as the new President and CEO of Harley-Davidson and assumed his role on October 1, 2025. He is moving from Topgolf International, where he was most recently CEO. Prior to that, he gained extensive management experience at Pizza Hut, including as global CEO and president of the US division. Other stages in his career included positions as CFO at Rave Cinemas and as an investment banker. He studied economics at Princeton University.
Together with Kolja Rebstock (Senior Vice President International), Francesco Vanni (Sales Director EMEA), and Roland Höltke (District Sales Manager), we gave Artie a tour of our entire company. We showed him all areas – from the service workshop to the offices, the test bench, the warehouse, and the showroom to the welding rooms, the polishing shop, the pre-assembly area, and, of course, our production facility.
Of course, a detour to our American diner, the Roadhouse, was also a must. He particularly liked the interplay between the modern Harley-Davidson store and the rustic Roadhouse – a concept that he felt was a perfect fit.
We were particularly impressed by his open and warm manner. He took a lot of time to talk to each individual employee and introduce himself personally. He also showed great interest in Andreas’ opinion on the current models, our custom bikes, and our parts program.
At the end of his visit, Artie took a Thunderbike shirt with him as a souvenir—a small token of how much he enjoyed the visit.
Harley history at Thunderbike: Beate Bergerforth’s grandparents riding a Harley back in 1927 – a moment that also impressed Artie Starr.
He took time for each individual employee—personally, openly, and very sympathetically.
A look behind the scenes: Of course, we also showed him how our custom parts are manufactured.
As a souvenir of his visit, he took a Thunderbike × Rokker riding shirt with him.
It’s clear that Artie Starrs wants to make a difference. He values a strong connection to the brand, is curious about its history and what makes Harley-Davidson special—and brings a very relaxed, motivated, and committed attitude to the table.
We are very grateful for his visit and look forward to a shared future with a CEO who not only has vision, but also embraces direct exchange.
You can find Thunderbike Parts and original Harley-Davidson Parts in our online shop.