Harley-Davidson Launched Their Most Affordable Bike.. Tough Competition For Royal Enfield ?

The X440, priced at Rs 2.29 lakh ex-showroom, is the most affordable motorcycle from the iconic U.S. brand 

The Harley-Davidson X440 marks Hero MotoCorp and Harley-Davidson’s foray into the 440cc segment for the first time in India. Co-developed by Hero MotoCorp and Harley-Davidson at the Hero CIT, the Harley-Davidson X440 will be manufactured at the company’s Garden Factory at Neemrana, Rajasthan. 

The new single cylinder bike will aim to challenge the dominance of Royal Enfield in the 8.5 lakh unit growing mid-size motorcycle market in the country. 

The model will be pitted against the Royal Enfield Classic, Hunter, Himalayan, upcoming Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 and Honda Highness. 

Developed in a record time, Harley Davidson's CEO and Chairman of the board  Jochen Zeitz  said that the company's 440 cc bike will expand the addressable market - and open up the brand to hundreds and thousands  of new customers who could not afford to own a brand.

A variant based on the same platform for Hero MotoCorp will be launched in Q4 of FY24, informed Pawan Munjal, Chairman of Hero MotoCorp. 

To be produced out of Hero MotoCorp's factory in India, the immediate focus is to cater to the domestic market, before planning to venture out of the global market. 

The U.S. cruiser motorbike maker on Monday launched the X440 starting at Rs 2.29 lakh (ex-showroom). The price can go up to Rs 2.69 lakh for the top variant. 

That compares with Royal Enfield Classic 350's starting price of Rs 1.93 lakh and the Hunter 350's Rs 1.5 lakh. This is Harley-Davidson's second coming in India after the maker of Fat Boy exited in 2021 as it failed to draw buyers for its high-powered motorbikes. 

Now, it has partnered with Hero MotoCorp to take a shot at the 250cc to 500cc segment in the middleweight category, where Royal Enfield dominates with over 90% share. Affordable products from global brands may dent Eicher Motors' aspiration to gain significant market share in the global mid-sized market, Dolat Capital said in a report.