Harley-Davidson Bikes in India

During the next decade, Harley-Davidson continued to expand. The company achieved significant sales figures with the American military sourcing Harley motorcycles during the First World War. Post-war Harley-Davidson developments include the introduction of the Sportster in 1957. The Sportster is the oldest production model in the current Harley-Davidson line-up as well as other signature Harley-Davidson bike models.

Harley-Davidson has retained its image as a classic American icon since the turn of the century. However, the brand was then reaching out to other riders with the introduction of more performance-oriented models, like the V-Rod. The V-Rod is significant for being the brand’s first liquid-cooled production, combining fuel injection, overhead cams, and liquid cooling.

In 2009, Harley-Davidson announced plans to establish an Indian subsidiary and start selling their motorcycles in India through dedicated dealerships. The plans to enter the Indian market were delayed constantly due to Harley-Davidson’s high tariffs and emissions regulations. However, they worked out a sales strategy which could compensate for the high taxes and tariffs. Finally, the American icon arrived in the Indian sub-continent as Harley-Davidson India.

Harley-Davidson India commenced operations in August 2009 and appointed its first dealership in July 2010. Initially, they introduced 12 new models from 5 different product families. They were the Sportster, the Dyna, the Softail, the Touring and the V-Rod. 

In 2011, the company set up an assembly unit at Bawal, Haryana, begining the assembly operations of its Sportster line. They started assembly of the Dyna line in 2012 and Softail line in 2013. In 2014, Harley-Davidson began manufacturing the Street 750 and Street 500 motorcycles in India at the same Bawal plant. It was their only manufacturing facility outside of the US.

The range of Harley-Davidson bikes, ever sold in India, consists of the Street 750, the Street Rod, the Iron 883, the 1200 Custom, the Forty-Eight, the Roadster, the Street Bob, the Low Rider, the Fat Bob, the Fat Boy, the Deluxe, the Heritage Classic, the Road King, the Street Glide Special, the Road Glide Special, and the CVO Limited, among others.