It’s been a year since Harley Davidson launched the x440 in collaboration with Hero MotoCorp. Being the most affordable Harley in India, it was launched to compete with the Royal Enfield’s 350cc and 650cc and Honda’s 350cc. However, after the launch of similar cc bikes- the Triumph Speed 400 and Hero Mavrick 440, does Harley still trump its competitors? Find out in this review of the Harley Davidson x440.
Today, Mr. Raghav Hans will share his 10,000 km journey with this beast of a machine. He purchased the x440 (S variant, Matte Black) in December, and it’s been 8 months of him riding the bike. His hometown, being in Haryana, makes him travel back and forth from Delhi to Haryana on his x440 almost every weekend. Because of this, he was able to cross 10,000 km in such a short period.
Let’s first talk about the strong points of the x440 according to Raghav
Harley Davidson x440: Engine and Performance
The bike is powered by a 440cc Single Cylinder, Air-Oiled Cooled Engine, producing 27ps @ 6000rpm and 30nm of torque @ 4000rpm. The trellis frame chassis ensures minimal vibration even at the speed of 110-120 kmph. Though the x440 is capable enough to reach the speed of 140+ kmph, the sweet spot of the bike is cruising at the speeds of 90-100 kmph. Even if you drop down to the speed of 50-60 kmph in 6th gear, the bike doesn’t knock, just open the throttle and watch the speedometer take no time to reach triple-digits.
The high torque comes in handy while city riding, there isn’t a need to change the gears every time in traffic conditions. With this tremendous amount of power, you would expect the x440 to be a fuel guzzler, but that is not the case. The bike can easily return up to 35 kmpl mileage, though it depends on your riding style.
Harley Davidson x440: Design and Build
The design of the x440 will somewhat remind you of the older XR-1200 by looking at the round headlight, a round instrument cluster, the side exhaust, and the flat handlebar. Although it does have the typical Harley elements, the design is slightly polarizing, you will either like it or you won’t. It will definitely start to grow on you once you spend a few days with the x440. Whether the design appeals to you or not, people will definitely turn their heads to have a look at this bike.
Harley Davidson x440: Ride and Handling
Because of the flat handlebar and optimal seat height, it offers an upright and commanding riding position. The 43mm Dual Cartridge Forks at the front and twin shocks at the rear ensure good balance and better ride quality. While cornering, despite the x440 weighing 190kg, it is surprisingly stable and well balanced inspiring confidence to the rider. If you corner too aggressively, there is a chance you might scrape the footpegs of the bike.
The 320mm Disc at the front and 240mm at the rear delivers decent braking performance, it sure could have been better. The seat quality is also good though it could have been a little bit broader offering more support. The lack of a back grab rail for the pillion rider can cause problems while quickly accelerating.
Let’s talk about the issues that Raghav encountered during his overall journey.
- Lack of Service Stations Network: Living in the northern side of Delhi, the only service station of Harley lies in Gurugram. Commuting there is a tedious task keeping in mind the long traffic jams and the heat of Delhi.
- Braking: There is a scope for improvement in terms of braking of this bike because after all, it is a heavy motorcycle. The speeds it can easily glide through do require a good braking system. Even the Classic 350 offers a 270mm disc at the rear.
- Design: The rectangular cutout on the instrument cluster seems very odd, and also the brake cables on the right side of the handlebar look ugly.
- Finishing: Harley should have worked more on the finishing as some parts of the frame just look and feel so dull and unattractive.
- Mobile App: The app seems like a gimmick because many a time it just doesn’t let you log in. Also, if multiple family members are using the bike, the app just doesn’t allow one account to be logged into multiple phones.
Though it is a brilliant piece of engineering, Harley and Hero could have worked on these issues to make it a perfect and superior alternative to any of its competitors.
We thank Mr. Raghav Hans for providing us with such useful information and also the images.
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