Planning to Buy A Bike Under ₹3 Lakh, 5 Reasons Why You Should Consider Harley-Davidson X 440

Key Features of HD X 440: The two-wheeler segment in India has multiple bikes in different engine categories for buyers. Recently, the 400cc category gained popularity as different automakers launched new products in this segment. In the 400cc segment, Harley-Davidson entered with a joint venture with Hero MotoCorp for the Indian market. Harley-Davidson introduced its X 440, having a 440cc engine, decent features, and modern design.

Recently, we rode the Harley-Davidson X 440 for more than 400 km, in the city and on highways. We tested out its performance, throw of the headlamps, its suspensions, ride quality and other parameters.

Here is a snippet of our experience with the Harley-Davidson X 440, which will help you to decide whether you should buy this or not:

Performance

The first important factor we tested was the performance of the engine. The Harley-Davidson X 440 is equipped with a 440cc single-cylinder oil and air-cooled petrol engine, making 27 bhp and 38 Nm of peak torque, paired to a six-speed gearbox.

During our ride, we felt the performance of the engine was decent. There was ample grunt on offer. The engine revved to 8000-9000 RPM, and the vibrations were quite evident on the higher band of the rev range. The vibrations could have been controlled in a better manner, and were evident on the handlebars and footpegs.

However, if you are in a higher gear at lower speeds, the engine struggles a bit, and you have to make downshifts to be in the rev range. Further, if you accelerate suddenly, and make gearshifts in the mid-range, then you’ll feel the engine is quite underpowered, seeing the segment, and you’ll feel more power could have been produced from this engine.

Talking about the gearshifts and clutch, the gearbox we felt was a bit on the harder side, and required some effort to engage gears properly. Further, the clutch was smooth as the X 440 has a slipper and assist clutch, so in traffic jam conditions, it was not difficult to make gearshifts.

Since the Harley-Davidson X 440 is equipped with front and rear disc brakes and dual-channel ABS, the braking was on point.  

Ride Quality

The next important factor while buying a new bike is the ride quality on offer. The front suspension on the Harley-Davidson X 440 is an upside-down fork, and the rear has a regular suspension setup. The ride quality of the Harley-Davidson X 440 is on the softer side. It easily glides over bad roads and potholes.

At high speeds, the ride is a bit bouncy and crashes hard while going aggressively on bad roads. However, the stability of the Harley-Davidson X 440 is on point and with a pillion, the ride becomes smoother. There are proper grab handles for the pillion to hold, and the rear seat is pretty comfortable and soft.

However, maneuvering it in the traffic conditions does not inspire confidence, and while cutting in the traffic, you have to be aware of the short wheelbase, which further hampers the riding experience.

Features

Regarding the feature list, the Harley-Davidson X 440 is equipped with a digital instrument cluster, Bluetooth connectivity for turn-by-turn navigation, and other features, hazard lamps, LED headlamps and tail lamps, distance to empty, and others. 

Further, to charge your smartphone, there is a USB charger as well provided in the X 440. The display is crisp and easy to read even in harsh sunlight. It displays multiple warning lights, and there are toggle keys on the left side, which help to navigate different menus of the instrument cluster.

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Design

The Harley-Davidson X 440 has a modern and a retro design. It has round-shaped LED headlamps, DRLs, and indicators. The throw of the headlamps at night was pretty good, and we did not feel any problem in navigating. Talking about attention to detail, there is Harley-Davidson written inside the DRL.

However, the throw of the headlamps could have been wider, and since it uses white LED headlamps, the high beam is strong enough to bring down the oncoming traffic’s high beam.

The circular rear-view mirrors offered a good view of what’s behind. Since the vibrations were pretty evident, it became difficult to see what was behind at high speeds.

Price

Now the main question is the price. The price tag of ₹2.85 lakh (on-road, Noida) for the Denim variant and the top-spec S variant, priced at ₹3.30 lakh (on-road, Noida), makes it an underrated option in its segment.

Though the performance from the engine could have been better while seeing the competitors like the Triumph Speed 400 or the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450, the comfort and the ride quality from the Harley-Davidson X 440 are good. Since it is the first motorcycle to come out of the Harley-Davidson and Hero MotoCorp’s collaboration, we feel the efforts could have been better, and the vibrations and fit-finish quality issues could have been improved. 

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