It’s clear to see that there’s a growing interest in small to mid-displacement motorcycles, particularly outside the US market. In Europe and Asia, majority of the two-wheelers you’ll see on the road are smaller than the usual 1,000cc-plus machines we see in the US, with riders using their bikes for more than just thrill-seeking leisure.
Indeed, if we fix our gaze to the Asian market — India, in particular — we find that motorcycles with displacements larger than 250cc are usually considered enthusiast machines. This is why bikes like the newly launched Triumph Speed and Scrambler 400, as well as the Harley-Davidson X440 have become so immensely popular, even if only pre-bookings for these models have opened. Indeed, the Harley-Davidson X440 in particular is a big deal for Indian Harley fans, as the brand hasn’t exactly had the most stable presence in India for the past few years, with the MoCo pulling out of the country back in 2020.
Nevertheless, the Harley-Davidson X440 represents a renewed commitment by the Bar and Shield in the Indian market, as it’s a model developed from the ground up in partnership with one of the most established motorcycle manufacturers in India, Hero MotoCorp. On top of all that, the Harley X440’s design is perfect for the Indian market, in that it does away with the heavyweight nature of the brand’s bigger cruisers, instead providing a lighter, more agile, and easy to ride platform for enthusiasts and commuters to ride on a daily basis should they wish to do so.
In a report by Reuters, Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz stated that he was extremely pleased with the reception of the new X440 in the Indian market. "We've been extremely pleased with the reception that the X440 has received since launch, with pre-orders exceeding initial expectations from launch.” He also stated that he sees a lot of potential in the Indian market, not just in light of the X440, but in the long run, as well. “"Now I look at India as a long-term opportunity ... it's a huge market overall,"
Following these statements, Zeitz didn’t provide any further details about the brand’s plans for the Indian market. However, we did previously report on a new patent filing by Hero MotoCorp for the Nightster 440 name in the Indian market. It appears that the X440 is only the start of a new series of small-displacement Harley models — models that are sure to be a hit not just in India, but other Asian markets, as well.
