Harley-Davidson X440 Launched in India By Ben Purvis
Harley-Davidson's tie-in with India's Hero MotoCorp was inked in 2020 after the American company's decision to close its own Indian factory and discontinue the Street 750 and Street Rod models that were built there. It allowed Hero to not only distribute H-D's existing range but also to develop India-specific models to wear the Harley-Davidson badge - and less than three years later the first of them has hit the market.
The X440 has already been the subject of an extended teaser campaign in India, with staged 'spy' photos followed by official pictures but no technical information. Now all the tech information has been released along with pictures of three versions of the bike that will make Harley-Davidson affordable to a vast number of Indian riders.
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| X440 S |
All three variants are technically identical, sharing the same 440 cc engine, an air-cooled, fuel-injected single-cylinder that makes 27 hp at 6,000 rpm and 28 lb ft at 4,000 rpm, mounted in a steel frame. There are upside-down, non-adjustable KYB forks at the front and twin shocks at the rear, adjustable for preload in seven stages to account for different loads. It's low-spec stuff but compares favourably to rival models like Royal Enfield's Hunter 350.
The engine itself features a 79.6 mm bore and 88.4 mm stroke, with a low 9.5:1 compression ratio that suggests it will be able to cope with poor-quality fuel. It drives via a six-speed transmission and chain final drive, achieving impressive economy of 35 km/l (82 mpg US, 98 mpg imperial).
There are some luxury touches, including a small 3.5" TFT dash that features phone connectivity to allow turn-by-turn navigation and control for calls and media. Brakes are discs at both ends - a single 320 mm rotor at the front and a 240mm one at the rear - with ABS as standard. All the lights are LED.
The base version of the bike is the X440 Denim, available only in one colour - Mustard - and with wire wheels. It costs INR 229,000 (equivalent to around $2,800 US). Stepping up to the mid-range 'Vivid' model gives access to two colour options - silver or red, both featuring a two-tone tank with a black side insert - and includes cast alloy wheels, with a price of INR 249,000 ($3,000). Finally, there's the X440 S, which comes in matte black with grey and orange graphics, machined edges to its cast alloy wheels, and a three-dimensional Harley badge on the tank, all for INR 269,000 ($3,200).
The X440 will be built in Hero's manufacturing facilities in India and is very unlikely to be sold in Europe or the USA. It is the cheapest motorcycle to wear a Harley badge, costing less than some of the company's bicycles.