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-   -   Harley-Davidson X440 launched in India at Rs 2.29 lakh (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/267581-harley-davidson-x440-launched-india-rs-2-29-lakh-3.html)

Is this the same bike that they launched in China earlier?

No. It is 440cc single cylinder bike with oil cooler, to be launched on 3rd July.
(Chinese ones are twin cylinder types based on
QJ Motor engines).

That is ugly to my eyes. Even the design language is not HD-esque.
I agree with Athek, and doubt if the bike will find followers here in India.

Heh! I’ve said it before and I’ll stand by it, I trust Hero more than Harley by several orders! I don’t care what they call this bike or where the design comes from, it’s rather pleasant to my eyes and certainly takes inspiration from the XR1200X - the least Harley-looking Harley of its era, and that’s a very good thing in my book! A QJ Motors engine is going to be far more reliable than any budget offering from the American Harley stable and the service backup of Hero is again going to be streets ahead of anything Harley has ever been able to (or been inclined to) offer here in India. Frankly, I’d be happy if this thing were to bear the Hero brand instead of Harley! Whatever it is, I’d evaluate this as just a motorcycle first before dismissing it as a ‘fake Harley’ but, then again, I’ve never been a fan of an ancient brand hawking century-old technology at astronomical prices to a public desperately seeking middle-age nirvana on roads totally unsuited for it.

There, I said it.

Harley-Davidson X440 India launch on July 3.





Source

Mahindra first launched a motor in a different looking frame and called it Mojo. It was a decent bike but coming from Mahindra you didn't see many on the roads.
The second avatar was a smart repackaging into Java frame - well the sales numbers did change due to the Neo retro mould!
Now the reason I bring this up is because while Mahindra moved from modern to retro looks, for sales and continues to explore market through BSA, Harley had a forte' in retro look and classic biker clubs which was almost abandoned and here is a false Harley with a unlike Harley, skin and heart.

Asian markets don't work like Western markets. People buy other bikes, because they want to turn their nose up on Bullet, not to because they have experienced REs' poor sales & service. But frankly, the Triumphs' and the Benellis' are offering no better in service despite a quantum jump in price - the service workforce, my guess, is not properly trained because no dealer is forced to invest in that skill set.
Coming back to Harley, they sought Indian partners in Hero hoping to take Munjal money, for selling Harley products! I'm sure Hero would have none of that- they have more brand worth than Harley in Indian market.
So here we have Harley, which typically brought snob value bikes but, they want numbers too from the one of the most populous markets. But once Harley snob value is gone - which will, once it becomes Hero - the bike might as well be sold under Hero, maybe a premium brand.
Better for Hero to wean off and pitch it under Hero brand because this definitely is not one for the HOG!:Shockked:

This looks more like a TVS Ronin 440. Heck even the Yezdi Roadster has a better looking stance than this.

If this is priced and built better than a H'ness, does 3500/mth, Hero-Harley will consider this a sales success.

There is simply no point in talking about taking on RE. That would be waste of PR energy and money.

Harley though has some of the USP that make RE successful - brand pull and a riding group in HOGS. Hopefully they improve the quality and are able to price this well which might help them do decent numbers (relatively). Even with the stupid showroom strategy that HMSIL adopted for H'ness. If they manage to make this bike available through a higher number of stores using Hero network, it will have a real fighting chance.

The design is entirely opposite to the design that flows in Harley Davidsons, they have very little resemblance to the original Harleys.

IMO it looks like "AMEERO KI SPLENDOR" (translation- Rich Man's Splendor)

I can envision the rexine cover over the tank with a gigantic pouch to hold groceries and a saree guard to complete the "Ameero ka Splendor" look.

Lol ameero ki splendor sounds apt. The design dept at hero really needs to take more risks and make better designs. I wonder who is the target market for a powerful commuter bike, someone planning a swiggy power biker side hustle might take this into consideration.

Bad choices, the development of this bike itself. Should have built a localised chassis around one of their bigger engines, and priced it just above the Super Meteor.

Another option could have been piggybacking on the popularity of Xpulse and ADV in general. Launch Xpulse 440 first. Then launch the Harley 440 ADV at a slight premium. Nobody in India cares about HD's cruiser history and all that. If it's a badass looking ADV with a HD badge at a reasonable price, it'll sell.

Although, imagine this thing turning out to be a reliable mill...
It'll be a great used option, not to mention the dozens of models Hero will come up with. I sort of want an actual Super Splendor xd

I personally liked it. especially that, it's a 440 mill. This gets me excited, as now I think XPulse will be a 450 and not a 400. Given their investment in Motorsport, this will be the motor for their Dakar team, and that will be awesome.

This is what I keep wondering. Who is the kind of person they're targeting with this bizarre thing?

• The Harley purist won't even consider it. Remember the Harley purist crowd had an aneurysm over the Street 500/ 750 twins "not being a real Harley", I can't imagine what they'll make of this.

• It's not a cruiser (not really, the Avenger is more of a cruiser than this weird naked bike thing) so it won't attract someone who wants a Harley-like cruiser experience: laid back comfort, even if it's not big-bike-powerful. This doesn't offer that. So even the casual cruiser fan who's not partial to the H-D badge won't look at it.

• Now if it's priced really right, people will buy it, no question. But then if it's priced cheap enough to attract buyers, then it'll be bought by the Splendor-riding commuter crowd. And they don't really care about anything except price and fuel economy. So maybe they'll have some takers there.

That last point does admittedly make sense from a business standpoint. H-D has been hemorrhaging money for a decade now, so they need to put out something that sells. If that's the aim then this might work. But this is what marketing guru types would call "diluting the brand image" because if they go low enough, then that hardcore image they've been cultivating for a century goes into the dustbin and the marketing will fall flat and seem transparently insincere.

On a tangential note, can you imagine people buying these and showing up at a HOG group ride? Should be hilarious rl:

We receive a whole lot of interesting invites & packages from car / bike manufacturers, but this one truly stands out. A gentleman in a suit turns up at my door. Wearing a hat & shades too, like a detective or someone from the CIA. Asks for my name and checks my photo ID. He refused to mention who he works for, what's in the box...all very secretive. Hat's off to the PR team for the style & execution :thumbs up.

He then hands over this mysterious looking & very solid-feeling box:


No code given, so we opened it with force:


Inside is a tablet with a Harley-Davidson logo:


Wear the glasses & read the invite! Something's cooking with Hero & Harley in July. Perhaps, we get a photoshoot or even better, a test-ride :thumbs up