Upcoming made-in-India Harley-Davidson will primarily go up against the likes of Royal Enfield Classic 350 and Honda H’ness CB350
As part of its renewed global strategy, iconic Harley-Davidson is aggressively targeting emerging markets with smaller capacity, single-cylinder bikes. The company has formed partnerships with local OEMs to achieve a competitive price point. For example, Harley is working with QJ Motor in China, whereas the partner of choice in India is Hero MotoCorp.
Made-in-India Harley bike will be a neo-retro roadster. Based on recent spy shots, here are some digital renders created by Pratyush Rout. Expected to be a 400+ cc bike, new Harley 420cc bike has a sharp profile, more comparable to RE 650 twins. It’s quite distinct from the fleshier 350ccc bikes like Classic 350 and CB350.
Harley-Davidson roadster styling – Render based on spy shots
Harley may be looking to avoid a direct confrontation with the core strengths of RE bikes. Instead, the objective could be to target folks who may want a more agile machine for their everyday commutes. Even Royal Enfield has the slimmer Hunter 350, which has emerged as the second best selling RE bike.
Some of the key highlights of Harley-Davidson upcoming bike include round LED headlamp, vertically positioned LED DRL, circular rear view mirrors, sculpted fuel tank, sleek seat, rugged engine guard, slightly upswept exhaust and short tail section. Riding stance seems fairly comfortable with centrally mounted foot pegs and wide, ergonomically positioned handlebar. Harley’s new bike uses a fully digital instrument console, which could be either TFT or LCD.
Harley-Davidson roadster specs, performance
It is likely that an entirely new platform is being used for Harley’s new small-capacity bike. While the roadster will debut first, Harley could later introduce other versions such as scrambler, adventure, etc. Hero may also use this new platform to launch its own versions. However, there is no official confirmation on such possibilities.
Harley’s new 420cc motorcycle can be seen with USD forks at front and twin gas-charged shock absorbers at rear. While a monoshock could have been used, the dual shocks look a lot more elegant. The bike has dual-tone alloy wheels and Bybre disc brakes at both ends. Dual-channel ABS is expected to be offered as standard. Wheels are shod with 100-section and 140-section CEAT Zoom Cruz tyres, at front and rear, respectively.
Powering Harley’s upcoming bike will be a new air and oil-cooled single-cylinder engine. HD 4XX lettering on the number plate most likely indicates a 400+ cc bike. It is likely to be a 420cc machine. As revealed in spy shots, the bike looks production ready. While an official timeline is not available, the motorcycle is expected to be launched in coming months. Festive season will probably be the best time for the Harley 420cc launch. It could be priced at around Rs 2.50 lakh.
Harley Davidson Vs Royal Enfield – Round 2
It won’t be an easy road for Harley in middleweight segment, as this space is dominated by Royal Enfield. It will be interesting to see the face-off between two legendary brands, both of which are more than a hundred years old. Earlier too RE and Harley had competed, in the 500cc-750cc twin cylinder segment. In that round of competition, Royal Enfield came out on top as their 650cc range turned out to be a global success, while Harley Davidson had to discontinue their Street 500 and Street 750 due to low sales. Time will tell if Harley manages to beat RE in the 350-450cc single cylinder segment or not.
Disclaimer – Design renders presented in this blog are solely for illustrative purposes and have not been commissioned, approved, or endorsed by the manufacturer. Designs presented here may not reflect the final product or the manufacturer’s intentions. The renders are provided as conceptual designs or artistic interpretations only, and their accuracy or feasibility cannot be guaranteed.
