Hero MotoCorp landing in global headlines isn’t exactly new these days. But the reason why still feels wild if you think back a few years. Who’d have guessed the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer by volume would be the one to make the Harley-Davidson name reachable for way more riders?
That’s exactly what happened with the X440, the bike co-developed with Harley that dropped in India back in 2023. It packed a 440cc air-oil-cooled single making about 27 horsepower and 28 pound-feet of torque, wrapped in a package aimed at real-world riding and real-world wallets.
It did its job. The X440 opened Harley’s doors to riders who’d never have been able to afford anything from the brand before—especially in a market dominated by the likes of Royal Enfield and Jawa Yezdi. Hero even took the platform and made its own version, the Mavrick 440. Same basic engine, different badge and styling. It was a solid idea on paper, but the Mavrick never really took off, and Hero quietly stopped making it fairly recently, as we talked about in a previous story.
