[Axe77]

I remember seeing the blue Street Bob waiting for delivery at the showroom. The nightrod wasn't there though on that date. Give them a break - they may have literally just picked up their bikes.

[Abhishekjp]

Harley's in Mumbai ? When did the dealership opened and where ? i did not hear anything as of now. Even the website doesn,t say so.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by Haroon

These HOGs are perfectly dressed for the occasion!!!!
Oh, I just remembered, "Protective gear is many times not part of the standard accessories on a Harley(rider)"

Haroon,

You know that is a problem about the image of Harleys!

You can not imagine any one atop a Harley to be some one who is not leather clad or vaist coated. Often we expect the rider to be tatooed as well! On the whole we expect a HOG or a SH on the Harley!


On a lighter note in Irla traffic all the protection I would look for to ride any bike is nose/face mask

Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe

Ram

[BIG SARAN]

Originally Posted by alter.e.go

Spotted these in Irla ( Near Alpha ) ,Mumbai

Love these bikes.. But the other fella should have been wearing a helmet atleast even if they may have just picked up the bikes.

[Fireblader85]

Showroom opening in Mumbai tomorrow. Going for it, have an invite.

[Abhishekjp]

Thats a great news..I cant wait to visit the mumbai dealer.

[shrini78]

Any pics of Mumbai showroom

Any info on BLR showroom, it still hasnt opened yet

[alpha1]

OMG a 20 lac touring bike with no where to actually tour - because of heavy stop and go traffic, and a fear of getting mugged / stranded on highways.

Great!

[fz_rider]

Iconic American motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson will start assembling select models in India, making them about 20-25 % cheaper, in a bid to crack the booming Indian premium bike market dominated by Japanese brands.

The upcoming facility at Bawal in Haryana will become operational in the first half of 2011 with an initial capacity to assemble 200 bikes per year, the company said on Tuesday.

The 70,000 square-feet plant will assemble select models including the popular Sportster family from kits of parts imported from the US factories of Harley-Davidson .

“The new project will make our bikes more competitive in the market,” said Anoop Prakash, Managing Director of Harley-Davidson India.
Completely knocked-down (CKD) kits attract a lighter net duty and taxes of around 60% compared to the 110% tax being levied on imported bikes.

A cheaper price tag will help Harley-Davidson make deeper inroads in the world’s second-largest two-wheeler market, where more and more young buyers are hopping on to premium bikes, driven by rising incomes and aspirations.

The super bike market in India was estimated at around 1,000 units last year and is growing 20% a year. It’s dominated by Japanese companies Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda with Suzuki’s Hayabusa in the lead. Kawasaki (by Bajaj Auto) and Italian cult brand Ducati, besides Harley-Davidson , too are selling big performance, designer bikes with engine capacity of 800 cc and more in India, while German luxury carmaker BMW last week said it will start selling its Motorrad range of bikes in the country by the end of the year.

Harley-Davidson , which started selling 12 models in India in July this year, hopes to gain an edge over BMW's Motorrad with its assembly plant, which will make its bikes more competitive.

Company officials refused to give its investment plans for the plant. “The plant is likely to be operational by the first half of next year and investments in it will be a part of tens of millions of dollars (of investments ) that we are making in India,” Mr Prakash said. The company will take a decision on cutting prices of its models when the plant is ready. At present, Harley sells bikes with engine capacities of 883cc to 1500cc and priced in the range of Rs 7.8-38 .7 lakh. The company said it hopes to sell 100-200 bikes by the end of 2010, but did not disclose the number of units it has already sold.

Source : economictimes

[aargee]

Yes, its a quite ironical news that, last year around the same time, Mr.Anoop Prakash said there were no such plans for HD, while this year they're coming up with this news. This may or may not be true because HD doesn't have one factory outside US & if a plant is opened at Haryana, this would be the first one to open outside US.

[fz_rider]

Originally Posted by aargee

This may or may not be true because HD doesn't have one factory outside US & if a plant is opened at Haryana, this would be the first one to open outside US.

This will be their second plant outside US . The first one was is in Brazil and is in operation since 1999 .

[aargee]

Thanks for the correction @fz_rider. But if you read the news, they're making a selective CKD's. So it could be with 883XL or top of their lines. If done for top of their lines like CVO, the price would still be 17-18L!!!

However, this is indeed a good, bold & appreciatable move from HD. I'm sure most other motorcycle manufacturers will start making such moves as our economy is also bound to grow in the forth coming years.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by alpha1

OMG a 20 lac touring bike with no where to actually tour - because of heavy stop and go traffic, and a fear of getting mugged / stranded on highways.

Great!

I just chanced up on this post today.

Hasn't any one heard of the concept of "group rides". HOGs usually provide great forum in that respect and often one of the stronger selling points of HD is the "in-group" feeling that comes along with the HD Ownership.

Other brands (especially BMW) also promote this but to a lesser extend

Hey! One rider in TBHP who has done extensive long distance solo ridding is GSFerrari. Perhaps he can tell. Howmany times have you been mugged in your rides in Higways in India. There are some bad spots, whic are well known to all roaddies and all you need to do is to avoid them. India is a big place and there is pleanty of roads to ride

Getting stranded is rather up to you. Maintain the bike and ride with in your limits and defensively, you will have very pleasurable rides.

All you need is a sensible attitude and to overcome the "fear of unknown"
What has to happen will happen. Why Fear ?

Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe

Ram

[captrajesh]

Originally Posted by aargee

Yes, its a quite ironical news that, last year around the same time, Mr.Anoop Prakash said there were no such plans for HD, while this year they're coming up with this news. This may or may not be true

These I guess are marketing strategies. Had he accepted the fact that Harleys would be made in India, people would've preferred to wait for cheaper Harley than but the CKD which would be significantly higher. Now that they guaged the market, let us think positively and assume that they are making more investments considering the market potential.

[vasanthn21]

Harley-Davidson showroom opening on Lavelle Road in Bangalore.

This picture was taken by a co-worker a few days back.

While driving past this place, I could see a few bikes inside this showroom today. A colleague of mine visited this place in some time.

The bikes were ranging from 8L to 41L. Apparently all the bikes in the showroom are the ones that are ready for delivery. The bikes were booked 6 months back and are delivered now. The booked bikes come first to the showroom and then the owners take it from there.

Will try to post more pics in a few days.