Despite going till Rs. 2.69 lakh (ex-sh), Harley-Davidson X440 seems to be the most appropriate bet considering brand value
Hero and Harley-Davidson’s strategic partnership has yielded the first product. It is Harley-Davidson X440 and will primarily rival the likes of Royal Enfield 350cc products, Scram 411 to some extent, Yezdi Roadster and Honda CB350. In the battle of retro classics, Royal Enfield Classic 350 is by far the most popular.
Royal Enfield makes around 60k units of 350cc motorcycles every month and 25,000 to 30,000 of them are Classic 350. Honda CB350 and Yezdi sell way less than that. Keeping specs under consideration, we think RE Scram 411 would be a great contender too and so we have included it in this comparison. Let’s see where the X440 stands.
Harley-Davidson X440 Vs Rivals – The most expensive, the most VFM?
Starting with pricing, Harley-Davidson has pulled quite a trump card with the Rs. 2.29 lakh base price. The primary target is Classic 350 and is now just Rs. 36,000 more expensive at base trims and Rs. 45,000 more expensive at top-spec trims. Considering the specs and features, Harley-Davidson seems more value for money than Classic 350.
Harley-Davidson brand name will be a strong point while purchasing, ownership and selling too. In contrast, Royal Enfield has become extremely common and novelty factor is not there anymore. If we take the powertrain, Classic 350 is the weakest on paper and weighs the most as well. Even its arch-rival CB350 poses better numbers and better hardware like a slipper clutch and 4V head.
Bringing Scram 411 into the picture, Harley-Davidson X440 Vs rivals comparison brings interesting results. Scram 411 weighs 5 kg lighter and has a bigger 15L fuel tank. 24.3 bhp and 32 Nm figures are behind 440X’s 27 bhp and 38 Nm. That said, Yezdi Roadster is the most powerful of the lot with 29.23 bhp and has a superior DOHC setup with 4 valves.
Only X440 and Roadster get a 6-speed gearbox. Scram 411 has the longest wheelbase and the highest ground clearance. CB350 is the lightest of the bunch. Yezdi has the lowest seat height at 790 mm, but X440’s and Classic 350’s 805 mm highest seat height is not far off too. Harley-Davidson offers both wire-spoke and alloy wheel options. Honda and Yezdi offer only alloys and Royal Enfield offers only wire spokes.
Who has the most features?
All motorcycles offer 100-section front tyre. But Harley’s 140-section rear tyre is the fattest. Both X440 and Roadster get 18” front and 17” rear wheel setup. Classic 350 has 18” wheels at both ends, CB350 offers 19” front and 18” rear combo and Scram offers 19” front and 17” rear. All motorcycles offer single disc setup at both ends and dual-channel ABS.
Only Harley-Davidson X440 offers USD telescopic front forks. These are fatter 43mm ones from KYB. While the rest offer RSU telescopic forks. Except for the Scram 411 with mono-shock, all motorcycles in this list offer twin-shock absorbers. Classic 350 is the only one with all-halogen lighting, while Harley-Davidson, Yezdi and Honda offer all-LED setups. Scram 411 gets LED tail lights.
Both X440 and Roadster offer a fully-digital instrument console. Royal Enfields offer a Tripper screen tacked on. The Roadster should have gotten the same instrument console from Adventure that features Bluetooth connectivity and navigation. None of these motorcycles offer ride modes. Considering all the attributes, Roadster and CB350 come off as very underrated (on paper) when compared to Classic 350. But impact of Harley-Davidson’s pricing strategy is may have a noticeable effect on Royal Enfield’s 350cc bike sales.
