This is co-incidental with the tenth anniversary of the flagship model V-Rod. The bike will adorn classic silver shades idiosyncratic with the bike. Speculation also suggests that the Night Rod might follow suit. The flagship model will come with a few updates to the tail and exteriors.

The less popular 1688 cc Switchback will feature a pair of clip on hardbags and a removable windshield to provide practicality in the urban jungle while maintaining the classic cruiser image. Other HD models will also receive cosmetic updates.

The good news does not end at that. HD also intends to bring out the Road Glide Custom from its Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) which also built the Screamin Eagle version of the V-Rod. As the 1688cc engine is gaining popularity, the older 1584 motor might completely get eliminated.

The sad news is that the Street Glide Trike will be discontinued from production. While we are more than happy with the news, we’d like to see Harleys being built in IndiaY to make them a tad bit reachable.

Superbike manufacturers such as Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha have been taken aback by the response their high-end machines have received way up in the mountains. The manufacturers are reporting decent sales figures of their high-end bikes from Northern and North-Eastern parts of the country.

Atul Gupta, Vice-President, Marketing and Sales, Suzuki Motorcycle India Private Limited -

Much to our astonishment, 10% of superbikes have been bought by highlanders in Dehradun and Guwahati

The general trend among big bike manufacturers is to focus mainly on customers from metro cities, since these customers are the ones who are most likely to have the moolah to splurge on these exquisite machines. Manufacturers see Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Bangalore as the regions with the highest demand for their high-end bikes, but this recent statistic of good contributions from the mountainous regions has taken them by surprise.

Manufacturers attribute the good sales of their high end machines to the steadily rising disposable income and the availability of easy financing services. The presence of a well-trained service network and hassle free support for the bikes is also one of the factors pushing up sales of these bikes.

N.K Rattan, Head, Marketing and Sales, Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India -

We have special teams to service these bikes across the country. This has boosted the confidence of the consumer, and has translated into better sales

Pankaj Dubey, Head, Marketing and Sales, India Yamaha Motor -

The actual numbers coming from the north-east mountain region are not as significant as the metros, but they are crucial. For this super-niche segment every unit sold makes a lot of difference to our sales strategy.

Though manufacturers have been surprised by the numbers reported from the mountains, the metros still lead the sales charts. Mumbai accounts for every 1 out three superbikes sold in the country, followed by Delhi and Bangalore, which account for around 20 % of the total sales of these bikes in the country.

The superbike market in India began to boom only when Yamaha brought in its YZF-R1 and MT-01 into the country during the year 2008. This was followed by launches from rival manufacturers such as Suzuki and Honda who brought in products such as the CBR 1000RR Fireblade, CB 1000R, Suzuki GSX-1300R Hayabusa and the Suzuki Intruder.

The Hayabusa has gone onto take the lead in the superbike sales charts with a sales figure of 108 units till date. It has also enabled Suzuki to go atop the manufacturers sales chart ranking, leaving Yamaha and Honda to bring up the rear of the pack.

The superbike space in India has all the global majors presently in it except Kawasaki, who only have the Ninja 250R as their sole offering to Indian customers. But, this could change in the very near future, with Kawasaki setting up its Indian subsidiary and having said that customers in India can expect bigger and more powerful bikes from their international range very soon.

Source - Economic Times

After the four way split of the Munjal Family Business, Pankaj Munjal, the person heading Hero Motors has ambitious plans for the company. They are in talks with high end superbike makers to manufacture their products in the country.

Bike makers such as Harley Davidson, BMW & Ducati want to play a major role in the growing Indian Automotive Sector & manufacturing bikes here would be one of the major steps.

The Hero group headed by Pankaj Munjal has been involved in Auto component business & now will also control Hero Cycles.

Pankaj Munjal, managing director at Hero Motors -

We are looking at becoming an integrated solution provider for the global auto industry

Hero Motors is coming strong and is investing close to 700 Crore over the next three years as per expansion plans. Pankaj Munjal refused to comment on the manufacturing of bikes for other companies. If this happens, then both Hero Group firms (Hero & Hero Honda) would be involved in manufacturing of motorcycles.

Hero Motors launched three electric scooters at the Auto Expo, but none of them were beyond comfortable commuters.

Source – Economic Times

Harley-Davidson began taking bookings for its entire range of bikes a couple of days ago and the response has been overwhelming.

All of the 12 available models can be booked through the internet or through the five appointed dealers in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

A total of five families of the 2010 Harley-Davidson motorcycle range (Sportster, Dyna, VRSC, Softail and Touring) are priced betwen Rs 6,95,000 and Rs 34,95,000 (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

Harley has tied up with ICICI Bank who will finance up to 85% of the bike’s price tag. The bank charges 11% rate of interest, so owning the cheapest Harley (XL883 Low Sportster) will set you back by 12,845 rupees every month for a period of five years.

Sanjay Tripathi, director (marketing), Harley-Davidson India -

It has been an overwhelming response on Day 1 of the booking, as people have been waiting for years for these legendary bikes. People who have got themselves registered online will get an opportunity to test ride the bikes on invitation and can thereafter book the motorcycle with a minimum payment of Rs 50,000. Since 50 per cent of the country’s population is below 35 years of age, there is huge target audience that could be our potential customers

Harley will add motorcycles displacing 883cc to 1803cc to its line-up in June this year. Deliveries of the bikes will also begin then.

Source – Business Standard

As promised by the American bike manufacturer Harley Davidson at the 2010 Auto Expo, the company is starting the bookings of its products in India from April 20. 

In order to start the bookings the company has opened 5 dealerships across different cities in India. The Harley Davidson Dealerships will be present in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chandigarh and Hyderabad. 

These dealerships will be the sole retailers for HD motorcycles, spare parts, accessories and apparels and service centre operations will also be taken care by them. These dealerships will meet the global Harley Davidson standards and will reflect the company’s true image to the Indian customers.

The company’s 2010 lineup for India consist of 12 of its models from five different families. Harley Davidson has launched these models from their Sportster, Dyna, VRSC, Softail and Touring families. The Sportster has the maximum number of models which is 4 in number followed by 3 models from the “Touring” family. The other three families have two models each.

After the bookings commence from 20th April the delivery of the bikes will start from the month of June. These motorcycles will range from Rs. 6,95,000 to whopping Rs. 34,95,000(ex-showroom New Delhi). 

Initially these motorcycles will shipped as CBUs but may be later on Harley Davidson start shipping them as CKD units.

For our readers here is what the complete Harley-Davidson line up in India will consist of from each HD family: 

Sportster: 

XL 883L Sportster

XL 1200N Nightster 

XL 883 Roadster 

XR 1200X

Dyna: 

FXDB Street Bob

FXDC Super Glide Custom

VRSC: 

VRSCDX Night Rod Special 

Softail: 

FLSTF Fat Boy 

FLSTC Heritage Softail Classic 

Touring: 

FLHR Road King 

FLHX Street Glide 

FLHTCUSE Ultra Classic Electra Glide(CVO)

Source: The Economic Times

Harley Davidson, the company which launched twelve of their motorcycles in India at the 2010 Auto Expo is  thinking over a plan for assembling their bikes in India instead of importing them as completely built units(CBUs) in the country.

If this plan is finalized it would result in lower duty being imposed on the Harley Davidson bikes sold in India as they would be imported as completely knocked down unites(CKDs) instead of CBUs which involve heavy duties.

The dismantled units will be shipped from the manufacturing plant in US and will be assembled back at a plant here in India.

As per the sources, this proposal is still being considered and no concrete decision has been taken on it as yet. The first batch of motorcycles will be shipped to India as CBUs and may be later on, an assembly unit might be set up.

As of now the company has to pay around 80% of the cost of the bike on import duties and other taxes. Bringing the bikes as CKDs will reduce these duties to around 30% which will further help in the overall cost reduction of the bikes being sold in the country.

Considering the fact that the Harley Davidson bikes cost from around Rs. 6,95,000 to whopping Rs. 34,95,000(ex-showroom New Delhi) this relaxation of duties will sure lure more customers if happened.

The country lags behind when it comes to proper cruiser bikes and the entry of Harley Davidson is a bright ray of hope for the Indian bike enthusiasts.

Source: livemint

Harley Davidson launched 12 models from its 2010 portfolio at auto-expo today. These 12 models have been selected from each of its five Harley Davidson families. After studying the Indian market over the past few years and taking the feedback from the riders at various events Harley Davidson finally entered the Indian market with not one or two models but with their vast range of 12 models.

These motorcycles will range from Rs. 6,95,000 to whopping Rs. 34,95,000(ex-showroom New Delhi). Harley Davidson has launched these models from their Sportster, Dyna, VRSC, Softail and Touring families. The Sportster has the maximum number of models which is 4 in number followed by 3 models from the “Touring” family. The other three families have two models each.

These bikes will be brought as CBUs in India the bookings for which will commence from April 2010 and the delivery will happen somewhere around June this year. The sales, service and spares will be taken care by Harley itself which is planning to open their dealerships at various major cities across India like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chandigarh.

The main highlight of the launch event was the limited edition Harley-Davidson Fat Boy exclusively painted in Indian colors which caught the eye of everyone.

The complete Harley-Davidson line up in India will have the following models from each family:

Sportster:

XL 883L Sportster

XL 1200N Nightster

XL 883 Roadster

XR 1200X

Dyna:

FXDB Street Bob

FXDC Super Glide Custom

VRSC:

VRSCDX Night Rod Special

Softail:

FLSTF Fat Boy

FLSTC Heritage Softail Classic

Touring:

FLHR Road King

FLHX Street Glide

FLHTCUSE Ultra Classic Electra Glide(CVO)

With the entry of Harley Davidson in Indian market, the competition in the cruiser bike section is soon to get hot as this is the least explored section of the motorcycling world in our country. It shouldn’t be a bad move if other manufacturers like Yamaha, TVS or Bajaj start thinking of launching their bikes in cruiser section.

Harley-Davidson at Auto Expo 2010