Until less than a decade ago, motorcycle enthusiasts in India were an ignored and starved population. Barring the rare BMW F650 available for sale in the late 90s and the Hyosung twins in the early 2000s, there simply was nothing on offer beyond the Hero Honda Karizma & Bajaj Pulsar. Things were set for a change, the 'Harley-Davidson for Mangoes' deal was all over the headlines, but nothing moved.
With all the big brands looking each other in the eye, Yamaha made the first move and launched the R1, a halo motorcycle for the racing enthusiast and the MT-01 for the touring class. The volumes were slow, but at least someone somewhere had started the show. Meanwhile, the rumour mill had started suggesting Honda launching their set of street and race bikes and soon enough, the CB1000 & 1000RR became a familiar sight.
Between all these soft launches, Harley-Davidson were doing what they do best, i.e. putting all their muscle behind the marketing activity, conducting surveys, boot camps (
link to thread), organizing HOG rides with existing Indian Harley-Davidson owners etc. Little did anyone expect what was brewing in the minds of the top Harley-Davidson personnel. Soon enough, Harley-Davidson introduced their India line-up in 2010. In 2010 - 2014, Harley-Davidson saw little to no real competition in the Indian market and by now, they had introduced products from each of its varied family of motorcycles. The Sportster family was the volume mover whilst the legendary Soft Tail family had its fair share of fans. Technological backwardness and substandard build quality notwithstanding, Harley-Davidson India's share went from strength to strength with each passing year.
In 2014, Harley-Davidson launched the Street 750, India's entry level imported motorcycle which was an instant hit. Almost any and every working enthusiast could dream of bringing home a relatively affordable import someday. At the end of 2015, Harley-Davidson pulled out the Super Low 883 and Fat Boy Special from its Indian vertical. With the recently acquired traction of the Triumph motorcycle company vide the Tiger in its various trim levels, and Ducati's second innings in India, a revived offering was on the anvil. Enter the 1200 Custom. Soft tail family looks, 1202cc medium sized motor, generous servings of chrome, it seems like the perfect fusion of the Sportster & Soft Tail families
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Low posture, thick shiny layers of chrome, deep black paint job, lovely pull back handle bars - one look at the 1200 Custom and you know this is a Harley Davidson:
The 1200 Custom belongs to the famous Sportster family of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. This brand new offering is a step in the right direction. The Custom 1200’s styling is fairly contemporary and the generous scoops of chrome ensure that the 1200 Custom will attract all and offend none. Be it in city traffic, highway touring or country side cruising, the 1200 Custom attracted eyeballs from all sides of the road:
Looking straight on at the 1200 Custom, it looks reasonably inspired by the higher spec Softail family. Front end registration plate too feels more at home on the 1200 Custom than its Japanese CKD counterparts.
The broad front end looks fairly macho and is unlikely to offend anyone looking out for a good looking motorcycle.
The eyebrow panel over the headlamp is a neat design touch on an otherwise neutral front end design. It helps that it is tastefully drowned in chrome as is the rest of the front. Notice the extra subtle Harley-Davidson logo on the eyebrow panel:
Rear view mirrors are a fusion of form & function and provide an adequate view, but...
More often seen distorted, thanks in no small way to the vibrations from the V-Twin engine!
Brilliantly sized pull back handle bar reaches out nicely into your hands. No adjustment or adaptation required from the very first minute:
Handle bar grips are firm. Plain jane looking, yet getting the job done:
The perfect mix of handle styling, grips and posture ensured I had no sign of fatigue, or haste to get done with the ride. Time no bar, I would have ridden the Custom 1200 from sunrise to sunset!
Complimenting the handle bar grips are the short-length beefy clutch and front brake levers:
The handle bar, grip and lever combination had me do a 300 km round trip for lunch on a hot Sunday afternoon. Shoulders, arms, palms and everything in between felt just as fresh after the ride as they did before:
Beefy fork sleeves sporting reflectors on the outer face for that extra visibility on a lone countryside road:
The 1200 Custom is equipped with a full size 17 litre fuel tank ensuring a respectable touring range of 250+ km on one fill. Neat Red/Chrome Harley Davidson logo with a seemingly timeless dual stripe styling going around it:
The fuel tank spine, though not as prominent as on the Street 750, has no place on a 12 lac motorcycle! Keeps us wondering if the spine weld mark is a sign of cost cutting or evidence of poor design:
Screw-type fuel cap wrapped in chrome, but without any locking mechanism. As informed, Harley Davidson offers a lockable fuel cap assembly as an aftermarket accessory, but that really is no excuse for leaving out the bare essentials in order to make a fashion statement in Phase I and a small packet of money in Phase II:
The single base seat is built from a soft compound, is short in length for 2UP riding, and is typically not as well suited as we wished for long rides. It further skimps on a passenger grab rail, leaving behind very little option but for the rider to take the plunge into the aftermarket route. I distinctly remember getting off the saddle after 60 – 70 minute intervals. Some padding in the rear area of the rider's seat would go a long way in improving the touring capability of the 1200 Custom:
As if the soft compound and lack of rider seat support weren’t enough, Harley Davidson cut short the rear half of the seat into a stubby, leaving just about 8 inches of space from the pillion, and further forgot to bolt on a grab rail for the minimum grip a pillion deserves:
Harley Davidson has aftermarket seat options starting from Rs. 21,000. From a touring point of view and utility, the aftermarket seat route may well be worth the exploration.