It is a great time to be a motorcycle enthusiast in India, and we’re spoiled for choice right now, with options across segments! India is the largest two-wheeler market in the world and with the right product, positioning and price, each new two-wheeler launch has enormous potential! And yes, we are talking about the newest, smallest and the most affordable Harley to go on sale in India - the new Harley-Davidson X440.
Also Read: Harley-Davidson X440 Review: Dawn Of A New Hero?
The H-D X440 is the first model to go on sale, from the Hero-Harley collaboration. Prices start from Rs. 2.29 lakh and go up to Rs. 2.69 lakh (ex-showroom).
The Harley-Davidson X 440 looks the part of a modern-classic roadster, with the design inspired by the XR 1200, rather than being a full-blown cruiser. We believe the millennial and Gen-Z audience is likely to relate better to that. The exposed trellis frame, along with the blacked out bits and the flat handlebar along with the round LED headlight make for a motorcycle with a muscular stance and likeable appeal.
Also Read: Harley-Davidson X440 Launched In India
With a ground clearance of 170 mm, the bike should be able to tackle whatever Indian roads have to throw at it.
The engine makes 27 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 38 Nm at 4,000 rpm. It is is paired to a 6-speed gearbox and comes with a slip and assist clutch.
Braking duties are handled by a 320 mm disc up front and a 240 mm disc at the rear, with axially mounted ByBre calipers, Brembo’s made-in-India brand. The Harley makes use of an 18-inch wheel up front and a 17-inch unit at the rear, shod with MRF Zapper Hyke tyres. The ergonomics on the bike is comfy.
Also Read: Harley-Davidson X440: Variants Explained
The seat itself is nicely padded and will serve you well even on daily commutes and on long distance highway road trips. So, you feel in control at all times. And yes, the overall ergonomics of the bike, like I said, is very comfortable and you will enjoy riding this motorcycle.
Our first impression of the performance on the motorcycle is quite good! There is a nice, thick spread of torque right at the bottom end and in the mid-range, which propels the motorcycle forward with a sense of urgency, thanks to a sporty throttle. Harley says that up to 90 per cent of the torque comes in at 2,000 rpm.
On the whole, the engine and the gearbox combo is smooth and will work well in the urban scheme of things. The way the motorcycle handled was pleasantly surprising. We rode the bike on Harley’s test track at the CIT and I have to say that the motorcycle feels quite flickable for its kerb weight of 190.5 kg.
With the kind of grip on offer from the MRF tyres, scraping the footpegs felt like a cake walk and the feeler bolts were completely destroyed. If you want to ride this motorcycle like a true enthusiast, the bike is capable of doing that.
In terms of features, the bike gets full LED lighting, and we must mention that the Harley-Davidson badge on the LED headlight and the indicators is a neat, premium touch.
Then, you have a 3.5-inch colour TFT display which is housed in a circular pod and offers crisp output. The readouts on the console are nice and big and offer decent information such as real-time efficiency, range, speed, gear and so on. The top-spec model also gets Harley’s connectivity system, which includes features like turn-by-turn navigation, call and message alerts, music controls and so on.
Harley offers three variants on the X440 – Denim, Vivid and the ‘S’. Yes, three names which are not so related to each other. The denim variant is the base model, that gets wire-spoked wheels and is priced at Rs. 2.29 lakh. The Vivid gets alloy wheels along with few added features. It is priced at Rs. 2.49 lakh. The top-spec S variant gets diamond-cut alloys, machined fins on the engine head cover and Harley connectivity tech and it is priced at Rs. 2.69 lakh. All prices are ex-showroom.
The H-D X440 is a well-rounded product and yes, you won't be wrong in putting your money down for it. It has enough chutzpah to give a few scares to the likes of Royal Enfield.
