[Rajeevraj]

Nice review. I was initially all set to buy this (subject to test rides and all), then the Triumph came and stole the thunder. Was gravitating towards the Triumph. With the mini hysteria the Triumph pricing has created and the massive bookings, I now get a feel that the initial months will be chaotic with Triumph. No clear update on deliveries. No clarity on the dealerships, looks like to start with it will be sold from Triumph showrooms only.

On the contrary Harley-Hero seem to have done better on these aspects. Hero showrooms are already allocated and we get to chose the dealer we want to do the booking with. Clear message that dealer will reach out before August 15th with deliveries starting in October. Seems more professional.

Getting an impression that the Harley purchase process and ownership will be more fuss free and there may be more of an exclusivity. if the test drives are positive may go for it. Still keeping an open mind though.

[Senotrius]

Any idea regarding the 0-100kmph time?

[marcussantiago]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

As the bike was unveiled, Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman of Hero MotoCorp and Jochen Zeitz, Chairman of Harley-Davidson, harped upon the main brief that was provided to the engineers, to design the bike:

• It should look like a Harley
• It should ride like a Harley
• It should sound like a Harley

And it accomplishes exactly zero of those three things

All the various complaints and criticisms can be distilled down to one critical point: What IS this bike?

• It's not a cruiser. Which is fine, I do agree that H-D needs to diversify / innovate / try new things. The LiveWire and Pan America are not "typical Harleys" but they're definitely interesting and well-made. But they're both quite expensive. Okay, fine. But there is such a thing as a cheap cruiser (anyone ever heard of this bike called the Avenger?) so I don't get why they couldn't have just made a baby entry level 400cc cruiser. There's a hole in the market there begging to be filled, too.
• It's not a sports naked, not really at 30 hp. Certainly it's not going to tempt KTM / Pulsar bros on any level.
• It's not a tourer. At least in photos it looks skinny and minimalistic and I'm not sure where you'll pile on saddlebags and a passenger for an all-day-long highway run. That said, of course people can (and do) tour on all sorts of bikes that aren't "meant" for touring, but at least they could have pulled a Dominar and said "here's a Harley everyone can afford for road trips," but it doesn't look like it's that kind of bike, at least not from the pics and stats anyway.
• It's not even a mass-market commuter bike, because I'm not sure which Splendor-riding urban uncle is going to consider a 400cc commuter.

That said, at that price point there will be some people who actually buy it, so I don't think it'll be a total failure. But it's just confusing is what it is. What is this bike for? Who is it aimed at? What market research did Hero do? Oh well.

And finally, one quick rant about the design to add to the pile: Now I'm a professional artist and illustrator. While I don't work in the automotive industry, this design absolutely reeks of "too many cooks spoil the broth" where you got a competent design team with a clear vision... and then their bosses and various managers all have to stick their fingers in and meddle with it with endless feedbacks and corrections while they don't really know what they're asking for in the first place. The end result is invariably a hodgepodge of ideas with no consistency or soul. I'm speaking from decades of experience as an artist here, trust me on this.

That's what the design of this bike looks like to me. I feel like sending a care package of booze and headache medication to the design team in sympathy, anyone got their address?

[ajay0612]

Originally Posted by marcussantiago

But it's just confusing is what it is. What is this bike for? Who is it aimed at? What market research did Hero do? Oh well.

There is something called 'All-rounder'. They are equally (if not more) valuable as a batsman or bowler :-). X440 is Kapil Dev of bikes.

[AtheK]

Great review, thanks for this. I think HD has done a commendable job, while yes Triumph looks great on paper, a more powerful single cylinder engine will eventually produce more vibes and hamper the riding experience. I still remember how vibey my Apache 310RR engine was and how my hands used to feel numb after long rides and holding speeds of 120-130.

X440 seems to have hit the right spot with a single cylinder engine, the bikes look good as well, add to it they will have shorter waiting period compared to Triumph bikes and a lot of buyers would not want to deal with Triumph dealers in general, this will sell a decent number.

Comparsion with RE is futile they go about doing there job perfectly, if this was launched by RE, we would have already seen bikes in showroom with Test drives completed. They might have already delivered a few by now as well. They will continue to sell in great numbers as they now understand the Indian bike market just like how Maruti Understands the car market. 650 Triplets are still some of the best bikes and absolute VFM for what they offer, the twin cylinders is what you want if you want to continue riding long without the vibes.

This is Interesting times for Indian market and being a biker I am very excited to see how this will unfold in near future. If both hero and bajaj can sustain the service levels we will see a lot of these bikes on the roads, which is a good thing for the biking community.

[Senotrius]

Can this been seen as a luxury commuter?! New segment.

[nasirkaka]

That said, at that price point there will be some people who actually buy it, so I don't think it'll be a total failure. But it's just confusing is what it is. What is this bike for? Who is it aimed at? What market research did Hero do? Oh well.

If we were to take a survey, more number of Indians would have heard the name HARLEY DAVIDSON then lets say TRIUMPH. That itself creates an aspirational value, just like what Royal Enfield does.

Triumph 400 would appeal to the younger urban target audience in their 20s and early 30s, where speed, acceleration, agility, sporty look and stance, flashy colors, tech features etc are desirable. Harley440 may better appeal to mature audience in late 30s and above, where adjectives like relaxed, laid back, torquey, bassy, thumpy, etc maybe more relevant.

Who is it aimed at? I guess same folks who are buying Royal Enfield classics, interceptors, Honda CB350s, Jawas, Ronins, and the likes which forms a substantial target audience. With Hero's sale and support, pan India reach,and affordable product pricing, it should do fairly good numbers. The target segment is slowly opening up in B & C class cities where folks have budget of 2-3 lakh for a lifestyle motorcycle. Just like Royal Enfield, Harley Davidson has too has a strong brand name which should help the cause. And to top it all, from whatever media reviews we have come across, this seems like a good product, built to a price and without any major shortfalls.

[inline4]

The very fact that the older rider gravitates towards the X440 would be their win. 2.29L for a 40 year vs a 30 year old- the average 40yr old can afford 2.29 way more than the average 30 year old.

[antz.bin]

A good review done by Motorinc.

Check it out here.

https://youtu.be/JV6SHlMVQSo

Key Takeaways:
It sounds like a Harley under the helmet.
It goes like a Harley - little poke beyond 5000 RPM
It looks like a Harley when you sit on it, but not the Cruiser Harley that we are used to seeing.
It handles better than a Harley
Nothing on the ride quality yet.

OT: There was an implied mention of the Triumph towards the end of the video with an opinion that has been under embargo till now.

[aviator1101]

Sharing a Specification Sheet of few comparable bikes available in the Indian Market - Street/Roadster Category

• Boxes in Green denote Best in Class figures
• Boxes in Red represent the minimum figures
• The First two columns in Pink are just for reference because the products are not directly comparable, the Interceptor being a twin cylinder class and the Classic 350 being of much lesser cubic capacity and air cooled as compared to much better technology in the other engines.

However, as predicted by many and without any doubt, there is a hint what the Hero-HD joint venture has clearly targetted with the X440. And say what you may, they have achieved the aim to a great extent as far as the capability of the product is concerned.

Refer the chart and legend above, you will find it outshining its competitors on many of the attributes (on paper at least)

Despite all the initial flak that the baby Harley has faced, it seems that though it has arrived as an underdog, it is here and here to stay.

[ReventonLover]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

The X440 is powered by a 440cc single-cylinder, oil-cooled engine that puts out 27 BHP at 6,000 rpm and 38 Nm torque at 4,000 rpm.

This probably was the thing for me that made me feel overjoyed and dejected at the same time. I own a Classic 500 and I always wished it had a 6th gear to hold high speeds. It definitely fills the void left by RE ditching the 500cc platform, which was great mill (barring the vibrations). Old school enthusiasts of Classic 500 would definitely appreciate the engine figures and associated characteristic.

That being said, why would I spend close to 3 or 3.5 lakhs just to get a similar riding experience (albeit with some different ergonomics)? I would just use my motorcycle till it chugs along and then upgrade to something better. Picking out the perfect motorcycle is a nightmare indeed!

[aviator1101]

Originally Posted by ReventonLover

Picking out the perfect motorcycle is a nightmare indeed!

Indeed Sir.

Some wise man has correctly said THERE IS NOTHING CALLED A PERFECT MOTORCYCLE. YOU BUY ONE AND THEN FALL IN LOVE WITH IT, EVEN LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT'S FLAWS

[nasirkaka]

That being said, why would I spend close to 3 or 3.5 lakhs just to get a similar riding experience (albeit with some different ergonomics)? I would just use my motorcycle till it chugs along and then upgrade to something better. Picking out the perfect motorcycle is a nightmare indeed!

I had the first generation Classic 500 (well captured on the very old C5 thread by Randhawa here itself on TBHP), and trust me, there are multiple reasons why a modern design makes more sense over the old.

FRAME: The backbone of the bike. Classic 500 had a single down-tube frame from the 60s which affected the handling. I had many performance mods on my C5 and managed to make the engine fast, but the frame was not able to support the speed. Modern frame design be it perimeter, dual cradle or trellis type which the HD440 has, is structurally much stable, stronger, and handles much better. The Duke is also called scalpel due to its handling, where the main credit goes to its modern frame and suspension geometry.

SWING ARM: Classic 500 had an old school tubular swing arm, plagued with issues, where the design was changed multiple times including the altercations in the length. A modern, die-casted swing arm makes the bike more stable, sure-footed, light and agile which is a big safety factor, especially at higher speeds.

ABS: Another very important feature which can make a difference between "met with an accident" and "almost had an accident". I have learnt the hard way crashing my non-ABS 2015 Bonnie while i was used to riding other bikes with ABS. (of course later they introduced ABS to the classic range, but initial years did not have them).

ENGINE & VIBRATIONS: Long stroke C5s use to vibrate a lot, where as similar modern engines have controlled the same to a great extent. Heat is managed better with oil cooling. the pickup is more instantaneous and all these small parts adds to the sum of a more refined riding experience.

OTHERS: There would be many other features & nuances which would make riding a modern neo-retro like HD440 "not same" as riding an oldie like classic 500. Better tech like much advanced console giving a lot of accurate information, accurate fuel gauge, blue tooth connectivity, longer lasting LED lights, hazard light, USB socket, puncture friendly alloys etc.

On paper, the specs may be very similar to old classic 500, but overall riding experience of a modern bike like HD440 would be much more different, reliable and "SAFER" than, lets say, my first gen classic 500.

[ReventonLover]

On paper, the specs may be very similar to old classic 500, but overall riding experience of a modern bike like HD440 would be much more different, reliable and "SAFER" than, lets say, my first gen classic 500.[/quote]

You are right my friend, I may have generalised my observations for all the C500 owners. The hardcore lovers of the C500 would possible be interested in giving the X440 a shot, but for others it might be a let down (if not interested in get that HHOG badge), specially if they are on the look out for upgraded engine requirements (liquid cooled, multi-cylinder etc). For younger audience who wanted to give C500 a shot, this might be a good starting point with the host of safety features that are available here.

[inline4]

Originally Posted by ReventonLover

On paper, the specs may be very similar to old classic 500, but overall riding experience of a modern bike like HD440 would be much more different, reliable and "SAFER" than, lets say, my first gen classic 500.

You are right my friend, I may have generalised my observations for all the C500 owners. The hardcore lovers of the C500 would possible be interested in giving the X440 a shot, but for others it might be a let down (if not interested in get that HHOG badge), specially if they are on the look out for upgraded engine requirements (liquid cooled, multi-cylinder etc). For younger audience who wanted to give C500 a shot, this might be a good starting point with the host of safety features that are available here.[/quote]

From what I hear- this rides like a hoot. I think its the best of both worlds. Relaxed when you want it. Fun when you need it. And the badge on the tank entitles you to claim you have a "Harley" in the garage.

That is priceless. At least to me.