PICKERINGTON, OH – April 30, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – The American Motorcyclist Association mourns the loss of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Richard Teerlink, who served as Chief Executive Officer of Harley-Davidson in the 1980s and ’90s. 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 motorcycle industry and relied on those childhood 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 during his time at the company.
Soon after, Teerlink took over as Harley-Davidson’s president and CEO, utilizing his personal vision and values 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 riders 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, Teerlink was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2015.
About the American Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. Besides offering members money-saving discounts on products and services, the AMA also publishes American Motorcyclist, a recently revitalized and monthly full-color magazine (and digital version of same) that covers current events and motorcycle history with brilliant photography and compelling writing. American Motorcyclist is also North America’s largest-circulation magazine. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com.
Source: America Motorcyclist Association
####
