[libranof1987]

Harley-Davidson X440 Review

Harley-Davidson X440 Pros

• Single-cylinder, 440cc engine has good low-end torque to make city riding as well as highway cruising comfortable
• NVH and refinement are really good. Combined with good ergonomics, you can cruise at 80-100 km/h all day long
• Well priced. It is on par with its peers, albeit with an extra ~40-90 cc
• Built by Hero, who know the Indian two-wheeler consumer extremely well
• Decent level of kit - standard dual-channel ABS, Bluetooth connectivity, connected features, etc.

Harley-Davidson X440 Cons

• Design and styling can be polarising. Not your typical Harley
• In a segment that has heated up with lots of new offerings, the X440 doesn't ace any specific aspect
• No riding modes or traction control. Essentially not a lot of ways to customize your ride
• This is the first product of the Harley Davidson - Hero partnership. Sales, after-sales and service support and experience are unknown

Introduction

Harley-Davidson and Hero MotoCorp announced their collaboration in October 2020, and their first jointly-produced bike, the Harley-Davidson X440, has been launched a little less than three years later. The bike has been engineered together by the Harley-Davidson team in Milwaukee, USA and the Hero Global Centre for Innovation and Technology, Jaipur, and designed by the Hero Tech Center in Germany. In essence, the HD X440 is the coming together of two stalwarts of the two-wheeler world - Harley-Davidson, one of the world's most iconic brands and Hero MotoCorp, one of the world's largest two-wheeler companies. The Harley-Davidson and Hero partnership is expected to translate to 100 premium stores across India, by March 2024. Details awaited on how these stores will be spread, and the spread of showrooms and service centres.

Both these companies carry tremendous legacies and unimaginable following. There is rarely a household in India that doesn't have a Hero bike, and there's rarely a Sunday in most parts of the world that you don't see a convoy of Harleys out for a ride. Owners of either brand don't think twice about putting their money where their proverbial mouth is. Which brings us to this partnership itself. Back in 2020 when the rumours started circling about Harley-Davidson looking at a partnership in India, Hero wasn't the only brand that people imagined HD to partner with. But they did. And now, their first product is ready to roll. The Harley-Davidson X440 is the coming together of two very immensely different schools of thought. What they have in common though, is what matters: getting people on a motorcycle. And now, having fun while at it.



As the bike was unveiled, Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman of Hero MotoCorp and Jochen Zeitz, Chairman of Harley-Davidson, harped upon the main brief that was provided to the engineers, to design the bike:

• It should look like a Harley
• It should ride like a Harley
• It should sound like a Harley

Harley-Davidson X440 Price

The X440 has been launched at Rs 2.29 lakh ex-showroom for the base Denim variant with the next two variants priced at an increment of 20k each. This is stellar pricing! With the Harley-Davidson nameplate and an extra 40 - 90 cc vs. the primary competition, the X440 is priced right amongst its peers. What's even better is that, despite being built to a cost, the bike is very well put together, and at no point do you feel shortchanged. Hero has used its market intelligence spectacularly well to price the X440 just right.

[libranof1987]

Design, Styling and Features

A lot has been said about the design and styling of the Harley-Davidson X440 since its unveiling. This all-new, made-in-India, Hero's Harley-Davidson is not your typical Harley. It cannot be. Nor should it be. This is a made-for-India bike that tries to do justice to its Harley-Davidson nameplate, while also appealing to a new demographic and segment.

The bike feels very well put together. There aren't any dangling or exposed wires, the paint looks good and the buttons on the stalks look solid. And while the looks aren't immediately and universally enticing, the X440 does face stiff competition given how well-received its peers have been. These include the Honda H’ness CB350, RE Classic 350, RE Hunter and most recently, the Triumph Speed 400.

The X440 comes in three variants: Denim, Vivid and S. Features standard across all variants include Auto LED Headlamp, LED tail-lamp and indicators, USB port for charging, Bluetooth connectivity for features such as receiving calls, messages, playing music and turn-by-turn navigation. All these features are via the HD app and the navigation is based on MMI (Map My India). While the Denim gets Spoke Wheels, the Vivid gets Alloys, and the S gets Diamond-Cut Alloys.

The biggest difference between the Vivid and S variants is the Connected Features. The S variant gets 25+ Connected Features that include real-time data on the bike and you can even run diagnostics to check for faults and errors. You also get immobiliser and geofencing features. Through the Immobilise option, you can immobilise the bike: this will work only if the bike is shut / stationary or under 5 km/hr. Through Geo-fencing, you can restrict its use within a certain radius and then choose to immobilise it.

The Connected features are provided complimentary for a year; the charges thereafter are not yet decided. The current provider is Airtel.

Standard & Extended Warranty

The Harley-Davidson X440 comes with a standard warranty of 5 years / 1 lakh km. There was no indication that there'd be an Extended Warranty when you go past this time / km interval.

Riding the Harley-Davidson X440

The X440 is powered by a 440cc single-cylinder, oil-cooled engine that puts out 27 BHP at 6,000 rpm and 38 Nm torque at 4,000 rpm:


Much is said about a Harley, along the lines of - You hear it before you see it. And for a single cylinder, the exhaust note does a fair bit of justice to the Harley nameplate. It isn't the typical Harley's roaring thump, but a thump nonetheless and distinct enough to let people know this is different.

The likely customers of this bike would be those looking for a fun motorcycle on their daily commutes or those that like to ride on the open highway on the weekends for breakfast rides. It's going to keep this bunch quite satisfied. The bike is eager off the block and has quite a linear power delivery, not slacking or tapering off as you build momentum.

Harley Davidson claims that 90% of the torque is available from 2,000 rpm. The bike offers a handsome amount of low-end torque, a fairly decent mid-band, and predictably, the top end isn't as enthusiastic. There's a sufficient pull even on higher gears when riding at lower speeds, with the engine doing its best to keep you moving. As you inch closer to the 100 Km/h mark, the engine doesn't feel stressed and seems at ease to cruise all day long. While the journey from 110 to 130 km/h can take a bit longer, the bike seems to enjoy cruising at 90-110 km/h comfortably.

We reviewed this bike on Hero's test track and although the X440 is not designed for the track, it did not disappoint. The bike seemed to enjoy getting off from a standstill and had a lot of juice right into triple digits. On several occasions, I was surprised by how quickly we'd touched 100 km/h, and still have some grunt left.

Gear up-shifts are very smooth and quick, but down-shifts aren't so. When attempting quick downshifts, I couldn't go multiple gears down at once. I then specifically tested this and observed this to be common behaviour. This can be slightly unsettling, especially during emergency braking, or say when you head into a tight corner. Downshifting a gear, releasing the clutch even so slightly to feel the gear change, and then downshifting another gear seemed to work flawlessly.

Suspension and Handling

The X440 gets KYB USD 43 mm dual cartridge forks on the front and gas-filled twin shocks on the rear that are 7-step preload adjustable. The bike feels extremely nimble and chuckable. Even at 190 kgs, you can flick it around easily when you want to get past those narrow gaps. Although not exactly intended for the track, the bike did feel at home while cornering, allowing for a generous amount of lean.

The X440 gets MRF Zapper tyres - 100/90/R18 on the front and 140/70/R17 on the rear. The choice of tyres is surprising, and will not please the more seasoned rider.

Braking

The X440 gets disc brakes by ByBRE (i.e. By Brembo) on both front (320 mm) and rear (240 mm). Braking is fairly confident, and the bike doesn’t move around town under hard braking, even at 100 km/h. Riding this bike on the track allowed for some consistent high speeds and cornering. It also gave the opportunity to test the brake's ability to the fullest so that you could maintain your line. The brakes did not disappoint one bit.

Harley-Davidson has had some braking issues in the past, but it does seem that they might not be a problem on this bike.

NVH and Refinement

NVH is very good even at 100-110 km/h. The engine note makes its presence felt, and clearly, deliberately slow, but otherwise, the single cylinder doesn’t loosen your bones with vibrations. You don't feel the speed, and if you don't look at the centre console, there is very little feedback to let you know you've crossed over to triple digits. It is only above 110-115 km/hr that the single-cylinder engine lets you know you've crossed legal speeds.

Ergonomics

The retro-roadster styling with wide, flat handle-bars and mid-set footpegs makes for a very relaxed riding position; it seems to allow riding long distances fairly comfortably. With an unladen seat height set at 805 mm, most riders will be able to have their feet firmly planted when standstill. At 5'10", I found the riding position to be very comfortable, without having to slouch or have my knees pushed up. The round mirrors, though, aren't that great, offering very limited view.

At my riding position, I found all the controls well-placed without having to struggle to find them or having to move my wrist to say, use the indicators or flash the headlights. The only place you're going to want to pay attention is the ignition button. With the SOS button placed right where you typically have the ignition, you may end up wondering why the engine isn't firing up. But once muscle memory develops, it should be a breeze.

The rider seat is sufficiently wide and quite comfortable, with a generous amount of cushioning. The same goes for the pillion: the rear seat is not an afterthought or compromise. With long grab rails to hold onto, the pillion will enjoy the ride just the same.

Riding modes / User customization

What you see, is what you get. You don't get any options to customize the bike, be it Riding Modes, Traction Control settings, or any other parameters. For a bike in this segment, the incremental difference to the riding experience through the customization may not be huge, but the versatility would be welcome.



So, does the Harley-Davidson X440 stand true to the brief that was provided to the engineers? Let's go over the points one by one-

Does it look like a Harley? No. And it can't, considering the segment it is built for.
Does it ride like a Harley? It rides well, and that's what matters.
Does it sound like a Harley? It sounds good, considering this is a single-cylinder 440cc bike, not a traditional two-cylinder V-twin Harley engine.

The key observation one is likely to have is that, this is not Harley's made-for-India bike, but rather Hero's version of a Harley. And this may be the bike's trump card, as well as its undoing. It will bring in the fans of the Harley brand, and it will pull in people who know they can trust the bike if Hero built it, but it might disappoint those looking specifically for the Harley experience.

While the bike does well on a lot of accounts, it lacks that one ace that will tilt the scale in its favour. This segment has seen a lot of action in the recent past, with several manufacturers throwing in their hats with a multitude of products. While peers such as the Classic 350 have a blind following, others such as the Honda H'ness and Royal Enfield Hunter are clawing their way to have a piece of the pie. The most recent Triumph Speed 400 has already got people excited. In the midst of all this, where does the X440 fit?

And hence, despite getting so many things right: the engine, the riding dynamics and comfort, and the price, the Harley-Davidson X440 may find itself playing catch up.

[libranof1987]

Harley-Davidson X440 Images

While the design is purely subjective, the bike will draw attention:


The Harley-Davidson X440 is being offered in 3 variants - (L-R) Denim, Vivid and S:


You get an auto LED headlamp with multi-projectors and DRL (with Harley-Davidson lettering). The turn indicators on the side are also LED:


KYB USD 43 mm dual cartridge forks up front:


The base Denim variant gets spoked wheels. The front is a 100/90 x 18 MRF Zapper Hyke tyre:


Here's a look at the front wheel of the Vivid variant. You get a 320 mm front disc brake setup:


And finally, this is the diamond-cut alloy wheel design for the top-end S variant:


This is the 3.5-inch TFT display round gauge. You can have the console set to day or night mode or Auto (day mode in this picture). There is an ambient light sensor on the console that determines day/night when you set it to Auto. You can always override to have it on Day or Night mode. The gauge also has a side stand alert:


You have a service due indicator, odometer display, trip meter, real-time fuel efficiency, and even range display. Along with the current gear, there is also a gearshift indicator:


You can toggle through various options for display on the screen. You also get a notification for an incoming call and turn-by-turn navigation also shows up on the screen:


You get a single USB port for charging next to the keyhole:


The left stalk has an integrated headlight On / high beam and high beam flash button on top:


Below you have the menu selection buttons for the gauge, turn indicator and horn. You can even control the volume of your music through these buttons:


The stalk on the right has an integrated ignition and engine kill switch button. Alongside, is the button for hazard lights. The SOS button at the bottom is only available on the top-end 'S' variant as it's part of the connected tech:


Another difference in aesthetic - while the branding on the Denim and Vivid is a sticker job, the S gets a 3D Tank Medallion:


We were told there'd be three sets of accessory kits available on the X440. The standard kit consists of an engine guard, bash plate and radiator guard:


The radiator is placed on the left:


Here's a look at the standard seat with the bike:


You can also opt for this tan-coloured seat that's available as an accessory:


There's a chunky single side exhaust:


You have gas-filled twin shocks at the rear with 7-step preload adjustment. The 17-inch wheel is shod with 140/70-17 tyre:


A look at the rear LED taillamp and turn indicators. Note that all the light equipment is LED, and each carries the Harley-Davidson monogram:


Disclaimer: Hero MotoCorp invited Team-BHP for the Harley-Davidsion X440 test-ride. They covered all the travel expenses for this riding event.

[Omkar]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[TejasV]

Triumph wins this round I guess, it is more up market and aspirational than this. The HD is more like a jack of all & master of none.. which may not cut it for the folks spoilt by choice in this ever evolving range of 300-450cc bikes where each bike from the RE, Jawa to KTM & Honda is unique/distinct in its own way while this HD is a little bit of everything (which may be what some people may be looking for, I hope for HD/Hero's sake).

[saikishor]

Except for the FZ-X like tail light, this bike looks pretty good. The yellow denim and the top of the line variants look especially good. I can't wait to get a testride and i sincerely hope this bike brings in the numbers the company hoped for.

[R2_d2]

Triumph dropped the bomb with the killer pricing for its Speed 400. Excited to see more bikes coming into this segment, but it looks like Triumph is better positioned to capture the bigger pie of this market with a better power figure and a design that is likely to be more appealing to many.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

As the bike was unveiled, Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman of Hero MotoCorp and Jochen Zeitz, Chairman of Harley-Davidson, harped upon the main brief that was provided to the engineers, to design the bike:


-It should sound like a Harley

Originally Posted by libranof1987

So, does the Harley-Davidson X440 stand true to the brief that was provided to the engineers? Let's go over the points one by one-


Does it sound like a Harley? It sounds good, considering this is a single-cylinder 440cc bike, not a traditional two-cylinder V-twin Harley engine.

Everyone knows the traditional Harley 'Potato' exhaust note - to the extent that Harley once tried to trade mark it as

“THE MARK CONSISTS OF THE EXHAUST SOUND OF APPLICANT'S MOTORCYCLES, PRODUCED BY V-TWIN, COMMON CRANKPIN MOTORCYCLE ENGINES WHEN THE GOODS ARE IN USE.”

This is not possible, and ergo, the bike does not sound like a Harley. Period. The argument that this is a single-cylinder bike, and it should sound different is not valid, when the company themselves have claimed that this is something that defines a bike as a Harley-Davidson.

[PreludeSH]

Its air cooled and radiator is for what ?
The exhaust takes so many sharp turns. Shouldn't it be free flowing ?

Hope someone sells a proper rear wheel fender. This is just straight. The front has a good bold presence and the rear just tapers off.

[ajay0612]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

We reviewed this bike on Hero's test track and although the X440 is not designed for the track, it did not disappoint.

Thanks for the review. Very crisp and to the point.
One question: Did it feel heavy (as compared to CB350 or Hunter) when lifting off the stands?
(Personally I feel classic much heavier than Hunter when lifting off the stand. Even Jawa, which is lighter than CB350 and Hunter but feels heavier to lift off the stands).

[inline4]

I saw the X440 in person at Capital H-D yesterday. Its shocking how much nicer it looks in the flesh than in pictures. It does have a very wide and tall stance and there was a street 750 as well at the dealership. Its wider, taller and far more attention grabbing than the 750.

I was also talking to a lot of the potential customers who had come to check the X440 out. The instrument console and the sound are the two striking parts of the model that stands out.

In the two hours I was there I saw over 20 people book the bike. I'd urge all who are on the fence to see the X440 in person before you decide to make your judgement. I made my booking for the Denim variant. That yellow has my heart.

This is one motorcycle that just does not photograph well, be aware of that.

[jaganm]

Out of the two hot releases, when I look beyond the specs, this feels like a better bike to live with and a better fit for most Indian customers. The shortcomings of the Triumph models which I feel this trumps

- Ergonomics - I feel that the Speed 400 is too small, the Scrambler is too tall. This looks spacious and comfortable for most middle aged and over people
- Engine characteristics - Beyond the specs, a bike that delivers low end performance is what is required for our conditions. If you're riding on flat 4-6 lane highways maybe not, but in city and nearby traffic, the speeds are going to be variable and its rare that you will be sustaining speeds above 120 kmph for long periods.

This IMO may be the Highness++ that many have been looking for

[Cyber_Samurai]

Originally Posted by ajay0612

Thanks for the review. Very crisp and to the point.
One question: Did it feel heavy (as compared to CB350 or Hunter) when lifting off the stands?
(Personally I feel classic much heavier than Hunter when lifting off the stand. Even Jawa, which is lighter than CB350 and Hunter but feels heavier to lift off the stands).

Though it is a relatively heavy bike with 190 Kgs (wet), it shouldn't be causing you issues lift it off the center stand. I will leave it to @Libranof1987 to comment on the weight comparison between the CB, Jawa and Hunter

I will leave you with this though, where the HD 440X balancing is shown on a side stand (wet weight)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=BuicoPXsTZE?feature=share

Credit: Youtube Bikewale

[inline4]

Originally Posted by TejasV

Triumph wins this round I guess, it is more up market and aspirational than this. The HD is more like a jack of all & master of none.. which may not cut it for the folks spoilt by choice in this ever evolving range of 300-450cc bikes where each bike from the RE, Jawa to KTM & Honda is unique/distinct in its own way while this HD is a little bit of everything (which may be what some people may be looking for, I hope for HD/Hero's sake).

I think otherwise. Most Indian riders are looking for a bike that can do it all. There is but a small market who wants a focused product. The RE 350 sells close to half a million units while the Himalayan does not even do 10% of that number. H-D and Hero has spent a lot of time understanding the Indian market. There is but a small group in the real world who buys a motorcycle for the specs it offers, Team BHP platform, unfortunately( or fortunately depending on how you look at it) is where the more evolved customer is at and clearly there is a bias here for tech.

Statistically, RE, a brand that has sold close to 7 Million or more units in the last decade should have a strong share of voice on TBHP.

Where are they?

I feel they quietly go about their job by buying and riding a motorcycle that makes them feel good and does everything they need.

They don't spend too much time online debating why their brand is the best.

I think Hero understands this very well. Lets wait a year to see how this plays out.

[Chillout]

Any idea on the heat dissipation on this, especially in city driving conditions. Lot of folks have only one bike and hence city driving also becomes an essential need for them.