As part of its renewed global strategy, iconic Harley-Davidson is aggressively targeting emerging markets with smaller capacity, single-cylinder bikes. The company has formed partnerships with local OEMs to achieve a competitive price point. For example, Harley is working with QJ Motor in China, whereas the partner of choice in India is Hero MotoCorp.
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Made-in-India Harley bike will be a neo-retro roadster. Based on recent spy shots, expected to be a 400+ cc bike, the new Harley 420cc bike has a sharp profile, more comparable to RE 650 twins. It’s quite distinct from the fleshier 350ccc bikes like Classic 350 and CB350.
Harley-Davidson Roadster styling
Harley may be looking to avoid a direct confrontation with the core strengths of RE bikes. Instead, the objective could be to target folks who may want a more agile machine for their everyday commutes. Even Royal Enfield has the slimmer Hunter 350, which has emerged as the second best-selling RE bike.
Some of the key highlights of Harley-Davidson’s upcoming bike include a round LED headlamp, vertically positioned LED DRL, circular rear view mirrors, sculpted fuel tank, sleek seat, rugged engine guard, slightly upswept exhaust, and short tail section. The riding stance seems fairly comfortable with centrally mounted footpegs and a wide, ergonomically positioned handlebar. Harley’s new bike uses a fully digital instrument console, which could be either TFT or LCD.
Harley-Davidson Roadster specs, performance
It is likely that an entirely new platform is being used for Harley’s new small-capacity bike. While the roadster will debut first, Harley could later introduce other versions such as scrambler, adventure, etc. Hero may also use this new platform to launch its own versions. However, there is no official confirmation of such possibilities.
Harley’s new 420cc motorcycle can be seen with USD forks at the front and twin gas-charged shock absorbers at rear. While a mono-shock could have been used, the dual shocks look a lot more elegant. The bike has dual-tone alloy wheels and Bybre disc brakes at both ends. Dual-channel ABS is expected to be offered as standard. Wheels are shod with 100-section and 140-section CEAT Zoom Cruz tyres, at the front and rear, respectively.
Powering Harley’s upcoming bike will be a new air and oil-cooled single-cylinder engine. HD 4XX lettering on the number plate most likely indicates a 400+ cc bike. It is likely to be a 420cc machine. As revealed in spy shots, the bike looks production ready. While an official timeline is not available, the motorcycle is expected to be launched in the coming months. The festive season will probably be the best time for the Harley 420cc launch. It could be priced at around Rs 3 lakh (ex-showroom).
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