The American motorcycle brand is said to be working on a new tax-friendly mass-market cruiser motorcycle with its Indian partner Hero MotoCorp
Harley-Davidson, in partnership with Hero MotoCorp, recently launched the X440 T in the Indian market. It was introduced with revised tail section, new features and subtle mechanical updates at a price point of Rs 2.79 lakh (ex-showroom). It can be said that almost everything about the roadster motorcycle was right, except for the exorbitant pricing due to the new GST rates. However, now we have learnt that the brand is working on a new 350cc motorcycle for the Indian market, which could be launched by next year in the country.
The American brand could develop a downsized version of its 440cc engine with its Indian partner Hero to fit the lower tax regime. And, if all goes well, we might finally see a long-stroke 350cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine from Harley in the next few months. It is not a herculean task to resize and retune the 440cc engine into a smaller powertrain.
It could become the most affordable Harley-Davidson motorcycle in the Indian market till date. The new 350cc Harley bike could be launched at a starting price of even less than Rs 2 lakh (ex-showroom). It is very well known that the America-based company is famous for its torque-rich cruiser motorcycles and for the first time, we could see a low-cost mass-market Harley cruiser in India.
This upcoming 350cc Harley bike could bring in massive sales numbers for the brand in India, if the pricing is aggressive. It could drift away a large section of Royal Enfield buyers and make a much larger customer base in the country. Just so you know, Triumph with its Indian partner Bajaj Auto has also started work on a new 350cc Bonneville and it could come out by mid 2026.
Several other leading brands such as Honda, Suzuki and Triumph are also making adjustments to their upcoming model line-up due to the revised GST structure. In the coming months, we will see each of these brands launching new 350cc motorcycles in the Indian market. Presently, Royal Enfield has the widest portfolio of 350cc bikes in India with as many as five models.
A few months back, the Union Govt announced GST 2.0 with taxes dropping from 28 percent to 18 percent on two-wheelers with engine capacity below 350cc. This move garnered widespread appreciation from the brands, auto pundits and general public. However, during the GST overhaul, the tax on the two-wheeler models with engine capacity above 350cc was hiked from 28 percent to 40 percent. This created panic among several leading brands such as Royal Enfield, KTM and Triumph, and several requests were made to the government to roll back this decision, but all in vain, at least till now.
