Iconic US bike-maker Harley-Davidson has just come within kissing distance of becoming affordable. The company on Wednesday launched the entry-level Street 750 at Rs. 4.1 lakh (ex-showroom-Delhi), bookings for which will begin on March 1.
If you don’t mind waiting another year, the company is in the process of giving the finishing touches to the Street’s younger sibling, a 500-cc version, which is expected to bring the price point even lower.
Launching the Street 750 bike on the first day of Auto Expo 2014, Anoop Prakash, managing director, Harley-Davidson India, said: “We believe the new Street 750 will excite a new segment of urban riders in India and to experience the Harley-Davidson lifestyle at an accessible price.”
The Street 750 will be built at the company’s assembly facility in Bawal, Haryana and exported to select international markets.
The Street series are the company’s first new launch in 14 years. It had approached 3,000 bikers in 10 countries including some 600 from India — mainly Delhi and Mumbai — for inputs while designing the bike. “We will continue to adopt and invest in strategies that make our products and ownership experience accessible to more enthusiasts and customers in India,” Prakash said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch event, he said that lower price does not compromise on the quality or feel of the bike, which has a number of components sourced at lower costs from India.
Prakash refused to answer questions on whether Harley would make India a future hub for sourcing components.
However, one of the company’s 13 dealers in India said this has been one of the points they had raised to the company, and the company has promised to come back with a plan before year end.
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