"Back in the day, smoking was the “cool” thing to do. Before its health effects were fully revealed and the war against the tobacco industry started, smoking was everywhere, from music and movies, to ads, magazines and, perhaps more importantly, a fixture to the image of the Harley biker.

So, at the start of the ‘80s, Harley-Davidson decided to sell Harley cigarettes, as part of a limited-time partnership with Lorillard Tobacco Company. The decision was perhaps prompted by a 1985 Lorillard study that showed that, while people had a positive image of the Harley bike, they had a negative one of the Hells Angels members who rode it.



The goal was, as with the other two items on this short list, to broaden the Harley appeal, present a softer and more relatable image, and capitalize on the existing Harley image. The cigarettes were a hit among the bikers, but it’s not known if they helped Harley reach that stated goal.

In the early 1990s, Harley and Lorillard had a major falling out, which saw both companies sue and countersue each other. By then, the image of the good Harley biker was on the rise, so the maker wanted to distance itself from the tobacco war that had started. In court documents unsealed years later, it was revealed that its biggest concern was that cigarette ads would appeal to minors, and it would get dragged into tobacco litigation.

Lorillard was granted the right to sell the cigarettes until 2001, but in 1998, decided to rebrand them as Maverick. The Harley-Davidson Cigarette officially died then. Empty packs are still sold as collectibles online, if you’re the nostalgic type."

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/3...t-142002.html#

An interesting bit of nostalgia, Anybody ever smoke this brand, back in the day?

 

Yes, my dealer brought them in from from Mexico..

 

nope never seen or even herd of it til now. i would buy a pack just for the harley room. i dont smoke cigs only because the gov taxed the crap out of them. i enjoyed smoking when i did smoke. but i wont pay that much for cigs. man i so glad i live in a free country where they dont tell you what you can and cant do

 

Is Harley selling Vaping supplies now??? Would seem to go with a livewire and a touchscreen dash. I am amazed at how we pretty much broke the back of the Tobacco industry, and the next generation starts right up an begins Vaping as a healthier alternative. Gee, Do you think any could be unhealthy about a concoction of chemicals and Nicotine?

 

I have a pack from a long time ago and the pack is black in color. Also have a couple of cans of the HD beer from many years ago. Just a novelty. The cig. pack is getting brittle.

 

They should offer cannabis vape supplies. Might close more deals if prospects are stoned.

 

If you did that you could have a tie-in with the sale of munchies in the dealership. Harley branded Cheetos anyone?

I think you're onto something here.

 

I have a pack of cigarettes from Air Force One when Reagan was president..

 

Wow I had forgotten those....they were popular around here when HD was using the Talladega speedway as a test-track and the prototype team rode new bikes all over the area.

 

Tha dealer by me has free beer every day, probably works to some degree. I rarely go there but did see a guy more than half in the bag working on a deal with a salesman.