Harley-Davidson India plans to wind up local production and concentrate only on import models
American motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson has not been doing well on sales in recent times. The company is undergoing a major restructuring process and as a result, it plans to exit or limit focus on certain markets outside the USA. In fact, unconfirmed statements claim that its wholly-owned Indian subsidiary, Harley-Davidson India is planning to shut down the manufacturing facility in Bawal, Haryana towards the end of next month.
Street 750 prices to shoot up in India
This means that the entry-level Harley-Davidson Street 750 will not be locally manufactured anymore. In other words, the most affordable Harley in India will substantially go up in pricing. Now, Harley-Davidson India has announced a discount of Rs 65,000 for its starter product.
Ex-showroom prices currently start at Rs 4.69 lakh (varies with colour). Last year, the limited-edition Harley-Davidson Street 750 10th Anniversary was launched at a special price of Rs 5.47 lakh ex-showroom.
The Harley-Davidson Street series debuted at 2013 EICMA show in ‘750’ format. For markets outside North America, the Harley-Davidson Street 750 is manufactured at the Bawal plant. Its lesser ‘500’ sibling is also manufactured in India even though it is not sold in the domestic market. At present, Harley-Davidson India has six products in ‘Street’ category: Street 750, Street Rod, Iron 883, Forty-Eight, Forty-Eight Special and 1200 Custom.
Specs
Powering the Harley-Davidson Street 750 is a 749cc liquid-cooled SOHC ‘Revolution X’ V-Twin engine. It generates roughly 68bhp @ 8,750rpm and 64Nm @ 4,000rpm while mated to 6-speed transmission. The motorcycle holds 13.1 litres of fuel and weighs 233kg. Front and rear tyre specifications stand at 100/80R17 and 140/75R15, respectively.
On the other hand, the Street 500 employs a 494cc engine (similar configuration with reduced bore) and makes about 33bhp and 40Nm of torque. In almost all other respect, it is identical to the more popular Street 750.
There are five colour choices: Vivid Black, Performance Orange, Black Denim, Vivid Black Deluxe and Barracuda Silver Deluxe. Except for Vivid Black, all other Street 750 shades add Rs 12,000 to the price tag.
The Milwaukee-based automaker aims to concentrate on key markets such as Europe, China and the USA to reduce further losses. Unlike its initial principles, Harley-Davidson has diluted its portfolio to smaller, more accessible choices, an adventure tourer (Pan America) and even an all-electric model dubbed LiveWire. Furthermore, it has teamed up with China’s Qianjiang Motorcycle (parent company of Benelli) to produce a 350cc twin-cylinder streetfighter — first images have leaked online.
