Does Powersports Love Affair With Pakistan Fuel Terrorism?

Over the top title, yeah, maybe just a bit.  But in light of current events this topic has never been more relevant. Fact is, if you toil in the powersports industry, especially in the clothing segment, I'll bet that right this second you're feeling just a twinge of guilt and unease, kinda like right after leaving a strip club at 3am...again, alone. Why? Because you know the truth, that's why. I know it too. All too well. It's our dirty little "not so secret". And you're not gonna find any enthusiast website or magazine, at least any that survive by selling advertising, tackling this issue either. Not gonna happen. You'd have better luck finding Charlie Sheen at an AA meeting.

The issue is simply this, the vast majority of inexpensive (and in many cases now, not so inexpensive) leather products sold to motorcyclists are manufactured in Pakistan. From gloves to boots, vests to jackets, leather goods from Pakistan dominate the market. Attend any rally in America and start checking labels, I dare you to find a bovine skinned goody that doesn't trace its origins to that little piece of Islamic heaven. Hot Leathers, Renegade Classics, and countless other brands of motorcycle apparel you've known and bought for years, and many more you've never heard of, are nearly one hundred percent; "Made in Pakistan". Nothing says all American biker better than Paki leather. Or so it would seem.

Bet you've seen these guys at a rally or two

And it's not just rally vendors, oh no, if only it were. Many of the most successful low to mid priced leather brands sold by top powersports retailers are produced by Pakistani manufacturers. I speak from some level of first hand knowledge here. As the former CMO and VP of own brand development of one of the largest retailers in the industry, I was at the forefront of developing "authentic brands" that would find their "origin" in a Pakistani factory. You can trust me on this, I've been personally responsible for selling millions of dollars of Paki made leather to the American riding community for years. Sadly, there was almost never any question as to if a given leather good was going to be produced in Pakistan, the cost advantage was simply too great. we needed the margin, and the customer needed a bargain price point. You have to hand it to them, when it comes to leather, they know how to process and build the stuff cheap. I mean, they kicked the Chinese out of the low end market for gripes sake!

In that regard, hats off to them. That's how the free market system is supposed to work, the most efficient producers are the ones that should get the business. No exceptions. And Pakistan "wins" the low end market battle a majority of the time, regardless of how many corners they have to cut to do it. Oh sure, you might not want to be working in the warehouse when the boxes are unloaded, there's a very distinctive "odor" to Paki leather that takes a bit of time to dissipate (I've always surmised that the source of the nasty smell was perhaps their little "gift" to the infidels, just a thought), and yeah; fit, finish and build quality can vary greatly, but overall, if you don't look too closely they do a passable job. But that's not the point here, not really, it's the blind eye we are willing turn to certain countries; no matter how corrupt, despotic, or antithetical to American interests, just to get a cheaper "build cost".

Come on, Pakistan!? Oh I know, they're an "ally" in the war on terror, much like your local mobbed up loan shark is just a friendly neighborhood "financial advisor". Without a ninth grade civics flashback, we'll fact you up. Pakistan installed and supported the Taliban in Afghanistan (you remember those enlightened souls; honor killings, suicide bombings, no education for woman, and oh yeah, aid and comfort for some guys in a club called al Qaeda???). Ever heard the term "madrasah"? Think "hate factory" for up and coming martyrs, there's tons of them throughout Pakistan spewing venom on a daily basis, and oddly enough, the Paki government sees no cause to shut them down (most likely because they agree with the curriculum I would suspect). Oh, and the fact that the Pakistani government, and especially the ISI and army were no doubt complicit in harboring UBL (the mastermind behind the deadliest attack on US soil ever, and responsible for tens of thousands of deaths worldwide) tells your humble scribe that Pakistan is no real ally to the US, at least not in the sense that you and I understand it. Sure they've lost thousands of their own citizens and soldiers to terrorists...home grown Pakistani terrorist, folks inside and outside the government that so hate the west that they're willing to blow up their own people for not towing the militant line! Incredible.

Terrorists in training, maybe with your dollars

And that's the fly in the guacamole for me. I don't have anything against the people of Pakistan, well at least ones that don't fervently pray for the death of Satan America and all us western infidels on a daily basis. Over the years I've met some really fine folks from the middle east, honest business people that did exactly what they said they would, every time. So no, this isn't a "racist thing", it's an American interest thing. The Pakistani regime and unfortunately a majority of its people are not friends of the west. Facts are facts, look it up.

So what does that have to do with the powersports industry, and more to the point the supposition that the industry maybe fueling terrorism? It's pretty simple really, we support Pakistani businesses by buying their goods, those businesses then pay taxes, which in turn supports a government that actively and covertly works against the interests of the United States; A plus B equals C. Not to mention the fact that some of the very factory owners and employees of the companies we do business are actively contributing our dollars directly to terrorist organizations. And don't think that some aren't, they are and we know it. It's all just a bit ugly.

Do I think that the powersports industry is in any way actually supporting enemies of the United States? Of course not, I can't imagine a single company that would engage in such activity, no way. As a matter of fact, as a group, I'd say the people turning the knobs and pulling the levers in powersports are some of the finest business people on the planet. Period. If they're guilty of anything, it's their relentless drive to give the market what it demands. And yes, sometimes that pursuit leads to holding ones nose and engaging in strategies and tactics that mom might not ultimately be too proud of.

OK then, just who's responsible for our propensity for making a pact with the devil just to save a buck? Look in the mirror pal, just look in the mirror. It's us. It's not the powersports industry, they're just busting their collective asses trying to give us what we've told them we want...cheap stuff. They're merely our enablers. We love our $29 vests, $49 chaps, and $99 jackets, we really do. And we don't care what the industry has to do to get us our fix. Faster, faster, cheaper, cheaper. Built in a country that hates the west, so what. Profits funneled to terrorist organizations that kill innocent people around the world, not my problem. How much are those boots again?

If we're gonna straighten this mess out, and frankly, I don't think enough of us really care at the moment, it's pretty easy. Don't buy products made in Pakistan, or other countries that are not friends of the US. Done, what could be simpler? Except most likely we'd have to be OK with spending more dough on our favorite goodies. What!? Blasphemy! So far we haven't actually been able to get over that hump, have we? Looks like for now we'll go on beating or chests about how nothing's made in America any more, we'll go on shipping our hard earned dollars off to shit-hole countries that abuse their own people while hating us and what we stand for. And we'll wring our hands in frustration when more innocents are blown to bits at a bus stop or a market somewhere in the world. But at least we'll still be able to continue to mainline cheap stuff, and in the end, that seems to be what it's really all about. Shame on us.