Aspirations ride high on Hero-built Harley-Davidson X440

Harley-Davidson's partnership with Hero MotoCorp heralded a new beginning for the brand after its exit from India in 2020.

Few international brands in India have the sort of aspirational appeal that Harley-Davidson commands. A full-fat, big-bore Harley almost never goes unnoticed and quickly finds itself surrounded by throngs of admirers seeking empowerment from its innately masculinising characteristics. The problem? Harleys are too expensive. This issue isn’t exclusive to the Indian motorcycle market. Globally, Harley-Davidson finds itself in dire straits as its promise of wind-swept, Pan-American highway voyages finds few takers within Gen-Z.

So, its partnership with Hero MotoCorp heralded a new beginning for the brand after its exit from India in 2020. The brand returned the year after that, having signed a distribution pact with the country’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp, which could now enter the premium motorcycle segment using the Harley-Davidson name. For the first time since the discontinuation of the Street 750, the market was going to get a budget Harley, this time with a single-cylinder engine developed in India by Hero. The X440 is the first product of that alliance. Hero also began retailing Harley’s high-end motorcycle range through its outlets in April 2021.

Developed in-house by Hero MotoCorp at its test facility in Jaipur – with input from the engineers at Milwaukee – the X440 aims to tackle the growing 350-400 cc retro single-cylinder motorcycle tribe defined by the likes of the Royal Enfield Hunter, the Royal Enfield Meteor, the Honda CB H’Ness and the Yezdi Roadster. With prices starting at Rs 2.29 lakh (ex-showroom) it offers entry into the Harley-Davidson club for many aspiring motorcycle riders whose next best option costs Rs 15 lakh more. With its pricing having comprehensively caught everyone’s attention, the question remains: Does the X440 look like a Harley? Does it sound like one? And, perhaps most importantly, does it feel like one?

Looking the part

Harley-Davidson is a company in flux. In recent years, it has tried to move past its image as a maker of luxury cruisers, going on to incorporate more street-friendly muscle bikes, and it's in the image of that crop of upright, retro motorcycles that the X440 has been designed. In fact, one look at the XR1200 and its flat-tracker style will tell you where the X440 gets its design cues from. There are also elements of Iron 883 here. But the overall look and finish of this motorcycle are likely to polarise diehard H-D fans, whose famous group of owners will likely keep owners of the X440 at arm’s length.

Among its cadre of sub-Rs 2.5 lakh retro street bikes, the X440 brings a bit more muscle to the design while retaining essentials like the tear-drop tank, trellis frame, and tapering exhaust can. The bike gets MRF Zappers Hyke tyres as standard, with a retro tread pattern. On the whole, it’s an impressive-looking machine, especially in the entry-level retro trim with spokes instead of alloys. However, it does get tubeless tyres, and an upgrade to the mid-level variant costs an additional Rs 20,000. But it’s not flattering from all angles, and the fit and finish, while impressive for a Hero, aren’t quite up to par for a Harley.

The ride

The X440 gets a single-cylinder, 440-cc, oil- and air-cooled engine, putting out 27 bhp of power at 4,000 rpm and 38 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm. Power figures are modest, but torque is plentiful for a bike that feels fairly nimble. Up front, you get inverted dual shock absorbers and a 330 mm disc with Bybre callipers, while at the back, you get dual shocks and gas-powered suspension units. In terms of tech, the bike gets dual-channel ABS, along with a TFT screen offering Bluetooth connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation and phone connectivity, with controls mounted on the handlebar. Impressively enough, these are all offered on the base-level trim as well.

The X440 gets a long-stroke cylinder, thereby allowing the motorcycle to have a reverberatory, thump-filled engine note that’s crucial to Harleys. No longer leaning on a long-stroke V-twin, Hero has done its best to create a rich, torquey exhaust note. Power delivery, while not explosive, is crisp, with a smooth, responsive throttle offering plenty of go, even in fifth gear. The engine remains smooth until you cross 5,000 rpm, after which some typical single-cylinder vibrations set in right up until the revs max out at 7,000 rpm. In terms of top speed, you get about as far as 140 kph. Ultimately, all of the X440’s riding characteristics make it a fine street bike with limited highway capabilities.

What makes it truly fun is just how stable and fun it feels around the corners. Scraping the foot pegs is an easy task, even for beginner-level riders, and the X440’s relatively low ride height, along with its light and playful chassis, make it feel resolutely planted during any cornering scenario. Suspension quality is hard to ascertain on a buttery smooth track like the one at Hero’s CIT test centre near Jaipur, but for what it’s worth, it felt quite plush.

Those looking for "the thump" will find more of it in an RE 350-cc motorcycle because the Harley, at higher speeds for sure, prioritises smoothness and responsiveness. Its gearbox feels smooth and well-calibrated, with an additional sixth gear for overdrive. It should also be noted that Hero has done a fine job of giving the exhaust note a base, throaty snarl – the best in a single-cylinder motorcycle yet.

Verdict

The H-D X440 will likely be outgunned by the likes of the Triumph Speed 400 in terms of performance and finish. So, it doesn’t sit atop the retro-bike pyramid under any circumstances. What’s working for Hero is just how strong the Harley-Davidson imprint is on the Indian male consumer mind, and that’s what’s likely to work in the brand’s favour. Still, it won’t be a smooth ride, with both Bajaj/Triumph and Royal Enfield having upped their game considerably in the last couple of years. Those are the only two machines that are likely to rival the performance of the H-D X440, even though it might trump the two when it comes to desirability. The likes of the Honda CB350 and the Yezdi Roadster don’t stand much of a chance. While it would take reliability scores and after-sales experience to accurately evaluate Hero’s attempt at premium motorcycle manufacturing, the X440 is a terrific yardstick to see how far the motorcycle maker has come.