Harley Davidson to produce a made for India motorcycle
By: Dodsfall
January 7th, 2013
7:11 pm
Harley Davidson is paying close attention to the growth of the motorcycle market in India. In recent years, very few units from the motor company made it into India for sale. High import taxes and the popularity of smaller motorcycles have become somewhat of a barrier.
About 700 Harley Davidson motorcycles were sold in India last year. The current year's numbers are projected to be about 2000 units. By 2015, the number should be 10,000 motorcycles.
Competition from Honda and Kawasaki, who produce motorcycles in the country to avoid the import taxes, is proving to be tough. They both sell motorcycles in the range of $6000. Current prices for an American-built Harley Davidson in India range from $9799 and up.
Harley Davidson is currently in talks with Indian vendors and dealers to bring a smaller, mid-sized V-twin motorcycle to the country manufactured at plants there. Starting in 2014, the 400-500 cc machine would retail at about $6300. The new model will compete against the popular Ninja 250R and KTM 390 Duke.
Sanjay Tripathi, Marketing Director of Harley Davidson India said, “Harley-Davidson is highly focused on the ramp-up of CKD (Complete Knock Down) operations in India as it allows us to improve our market responsiveness and production flexibility while reducing the tariff burden. We currently do not have plans to set up another plant in India.”
[Rushlane]
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9 comments on "Harley Davidson to produce a made for India motorcycle"
January 16, 2013 at 12:05 pm
It would be interesting to see what they end up building.
January 23, 2013 at 5:55 pm
They'd have to seriously cut their budget, and limit their bikes to a cafe-style, or Suzuki S40 style bike.
I don't think a lot of indians are quite there yet to buy the more expensive models on the market.
If it's built in india, it'll have to compete with Royal Enfield, now taken over from the Brittish; and focus on fuel economy, and affordability.
Unless HD can sell their bikes at half the US price, there won't be a lot of buyers.
January 23, 2013 at 6:47 pm
A quick search on google produced this:
January 23, 2013 at 7:43 pm
Thanks for searching. That's interesting! Not my kind of bike at all, but I bet it does quite well.
January 24, 2013 at 6:28 am
A quick search on google produced this:
January 25, 2013 at 1:26 pm
why would it need such a large front disc brake?
January 25, 2013 at 2:01 pm
why would it need such a large front disc brake?
January 25, 2013 at 4:56 pm
why would it need such a large front disc brake?
Buell XB models also incorporated the industry's first Zero Torsional Load (ZTL) perimeter floating front disc brake system, a patented "inside-out" wheel/brake design that puts the brake disc on the outer edge of the wheel,[10] rather than at the hub. This lets the suspension function better, improving control and traction, through reducing unsprung weight on the front wheel, because only a single disc and caliper—with a corresponding reduction in bolts and brake fluid—is needed compared with the conventional dual-disc brake setup on most modern sport bikes. In an exchange in the pages of Motorcyclist magazine between Suzuki engineer James Parker, creator of the GSX-RADD hub-center steering system,[11] and Buell's Director of Analysis, Test & Engineering Process, Abraham Askenazi, Parker conceded the ZTL system's advantage in unsprung weight. But he pointed out the remaining weight is located further out on the rim where it is most detrimental to acceleration and braking, and that there were potential heat transfer issues, and the need for one fork leg to be stronger than the other. Responding, Askenazi disputed all of Parker's criticisms, saying the ZTL system was 30% lighter than the brakes on the Suzuki GSX-R1000, and that the inertia of having the weight further out on the rim, and the heat generation near the tire, were not negative factors, based on testing. Askenazi concluded that testing and race track experience had proven the ZTL to be "state of the art."[12][13]
January 25, 2013 at 10:14 pm
Perhaps it's a kids bike, and the disc is actually the only thing that's the normal size
I like the simplicity of the bike.
Belt driven, love belt design, and very low maintenance.
Looks like an aluminum exhaust, simple, no rust, may 'tick' a lot when cooling down though; but aluminum is an excellent carrier/transporter of heat.
From the looks of it, it looks like a 500cc single cylinder bike.
India loves single cylinder bikes, because of their greater fuel economy.
Though 500cc is not that much. They could equip it with a 250cc engine if they want to maximize fuel economy, or use 2x250cc cylinders if they want to maximize performance over MPG; but it seems they're targeting all 3 aspects, fairly good MPG, ok performance (for city), and economy (budget) in one.
Rear center monoshock suspension, and the saddle looks like it's made for 1 person only (I wouldn't want to be the passenger on that bike).
The Indians prefer a transport where a lot of people can go on, so from marketing perspective it would be best if they made it a 2 people's bike.
And lastly, most Indians put more value in a bike that is rugged, and can carry a lot of stuff, than a bike that just looks nice (like a sports bike).
Give them a bike that has the capability of putting lots of trunks, and saddlebags on, on top of looking nice, and they're more happy with that (as would I).
So I don't think the above design would be a wise design to release in India.