With 2013 marking the 110th year of motorcycle building for Harley-Davidson, it looks like a new market will finally be reached: India. With a mind-boggling number of 2-wheelers on the Indian roads, around 37 million, this market can't be easily overlooked by a serious maunfacturer.
Now, it's true that most bikes in Asia are small-displacement ones, but still, with 37 million motorcycles and scooters whizzing around and increasing demand, it's well worth a try in the bigger segment.
No, H-D won't be making scooters, and if they have such plans, they've kept the secret very well hidden. Harley-Davidson are planning a smaller motorcycle, rumored to be in the 400-500cc segment and supposedly a V-twin. With small V-twins never selling like crazy anywhere around the world, nobody expects H-D to be the big surprise.
Local motorcycle industry connoisseurs claim the new H-D bikes will be around $6, 400 (€4,800). Still a long shot from the 200cc bikes in the vein of Hero and Bajaj and by all means a luxury product, but again, well worth a try in the Asian market.
Simply bringing a bike which retails for half the price of a Sportster might be incentive enough for some guys to get a loan just to ride a Harley-Davidson. The new H-D bike(s) might surface at the New Delhi 2014 Auto Expo, but we're pretty sure there's going to be more on this subject before that.
No, H-D won't be making scooters, and if they have such plans, they've kept the secret very well hidden. Harley-Davidson are planning a smaller motorcycle, rumored to be in the 400-500cc segment and supposedly a V-twin. With small V-twins never selling like crazy anywhere around the world, nobody expects H-D to be the big surprise.
Local motorcycle industry connoisseurs claim the new H-D bikes will be around $6, 400 (€4,800). Still a long shot from the 200cc bikes in the vein of Hero and Bajaj and by all means a luxury product, but again, well worth a try in the Asian market.
Simply bringing a bike which retails for half the price of a Sportster might be incentive enough for some guys to get a loan just to ride a Harley-Davidson. The new H-D bike(s) might surface at the New Delhi 2014 Auto Expo, but we're pretty sure there's going to be more on this subject before that.