Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Special and Street Glide Special launched in India

Having entered India in 2009 the world's most iconic cruiser bike brand Harley-Davidson had the most promising start. But dwindling sales and no positive near-term outlook forced the company to pull out of India (Image: Harley-Davidson)

Harley Davidson added two new motorcycles to its line-up; the Forty-Eight Special and Street Glide Special. Along with modern styling and graphics, the choppers are armed with a better and more powerful engine. While the Street Glide Special maintains its price as the previous generation, the Forty-Eight Special has been hiked by Rs. 40000.

The Forty-Eight Special retains most of its looks, such as the peanut tank, fat and stubby wheels as well as the iconic Harley Davidson V-twin engine. However, it gets taller handlebars and new graphics for the 2019 iteration. It carries over the 102CC V-twin, air-cooled engine from the previous generation Forty-Eight. It makes 97Nm of peak torque at 3,500 rpm.

The Street Glide Special, on the other hand, has undergone an almost complete makeover. In spite of retaining the laidback tourer stance, with saddlebags on either side and a windscreen in the front, it gets many new components. One of the most significant changes is the new Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine. It is a 1868CC V-Twin motor pumping out 163Nm of peak torque at 3,000 rpm. This is an increase of 13Nm over the previous generation. It also gets Talon alloys, blacked-out body parts as well as a new Boom Box GTS touchscreen infotainment system.

The motorcycles have been launched at a price of Rs. 10.98 lakhs and Rs 30.53 lakhs respectively. Bookings have already begun at Harley Davidson dealerships and deliveries might start in a week or so.