The Subcontinent knows how to make a fantastic motorcycle. Here’s five great bikes that are made in India.
2014 KTM RC3902014 KTM RC390
There is seriously not one other bike coming for 2014 that I am
personally more excited about or more likely to buy. With the possible
exception of the last bike on this list… The RC390 pairs a very low
weight with a high performance motor, a race-bred chassis and purposeful
design. And, because it’s made in India, all that is likely going to be
available for between $6,000 and $7,000.
KTM 390 Duke2014 KTM 390 Duke
Prefer an upright naked? It’ll probably make more sense in the city.
Very similar to the RC390, the Duke should be a little lower-spec, but
likely a little cheaper too. Again, a uniquely appealing bike,
especially considering it’s likely $5,000 to $6000 price.
Royal Enfield Continental GTRoyal Enfield Continental GT
You’re not going to find a more faithful recreation of the original cafe
racer theme than you will in this new Royal Enfield. The 535cc,
single-cylinder will go on-sale in the U.S. next year for an expected
price close to $6,000.
Royal Enfield C5 Desert StormRoyal Enfield Bullet C5 Desert Storm
Dubbed “Desert Storm” for its matte khaki paint, there’s a ton of visual
appeal in this classic bike. And we do mean “classic,” Royal Enfield
has been knocking these out in India since the 1950s, updating them with
electric start, unit engines and good reliability along the way.
KTM 390 Dual SportKTM’s Future Dual Sport
“…we’re also developing a so-called dual-purpose or dual-sport version
of [the Duke],” stated KTM boss Stefan Pierer in April. “I would say
it’s a mix between supermoto and enduro. These will appear next, all
made at the Bajaj factory in Chakan [India].” Expect similar specs to
the 390 Duke and RC390 — 324 lbs (wet), 44 bhp, solid reliability and
low maintenance requirements.
The most important new Harley-Davidson in living memory isn’t made in
Milwaukee, but instead at H-D’s new factory in Guragon, India.* And,
instead of targeting aging Baby Boomers in the West, it’s instead going
after young riders in developing markets in foreign countries. Can it
succeed? *Harley tells us, “Some of these bikes will be built in
India, but not all. For example, all bikes for North America will be
built — engine and whole bike — in our Kansas City plant.” Lacking
further information on where the parts come from, we remain skeptical.
Current staff consensus is that the U.S. market bikes are likely
assembled in Missouri from globally-sourced parts, largely originating
in India. We’ll get to the bottom of it.
These new bikes are the 2014 Harley-Davidson Street 750 and 2014 Harley-Davidson Street 500.
The 750 starts at $7,500 here in the U.S., while the 500 costs even
less, at $6,500. Those prices are lower than Harley’s current cheapest
model, the $8,399 Sportster Iron 883, if not as low as the latest crop
of super-affordable Japanese bikes. The Honda CB500F likely out-performs either Street in any objective measure of performance, but starts at just $5,500.
The 2014 Harley-Davidson Street 750 and 500 already have custom parts available. Picture here: custom wheels and air filter.
Unlike that Sportster, which has been around largely unchanged since
its introduction in 1957, these new Street models aren’t just
foreign-made, but liquid-cooled. The Motor Company is famously resistant
to cooling its engines with water. The V-Rod,
introduced in 2001, has met much consumer resistance thanks to its
Porsche-designed engine, futuristic styling and yes, its radiator. When
it launched its 2014 Touring Range this summer, there was no mention of
H2O in any official Harley literature, instead using the nebulous
“twin-cooled” nomenclature. Icing on the water-free cake was the absence
of any suggestion the radiators were there to improve emissions or
performance, with Harley instead saying twin-cooling was intended to,
“improve rider comfort.”
Initially, the odds appear to be stacked against these new Harleys.
Not only are they made somewhere that’s probably not America, but
they’re equipped with modern, liquid-cooled motors and priced at a
premium to the competition.
“If Harley can build a good bike outside of the U.S. that is well
priced, looks good, performs well and brings new riders into the market
they could be on to a winner,” says Harley owner, Harley book author and
RideApart contributor Tim Watson.
2014 Harley-Davidson Street 750
It’s those new riders that are going to be key. Currently Harley
dominates the U.S. market, making around 185,000 of the 452,000
motorcycles that were sold in the U.S. in 2012. Far fewer than the
273,000 bikes it sold here in 2006. Compare that total market volume to
India, which totals in excess of 10 million motorcycle sales year and
you can see why Harley is eager to explore new markets.
Currently, Harley sells around 2,000 motorcycles in India annually.
It hopes these new models will expand that to 10,000 in the next two to
three years. In addition to India and North America, Harley plans to
sell the Streets in Italy, Spain and Portugal.
Very few details of the Street’s mechanical specification are being
divulged. Specs simply aren’t an area where Harleys traditionally excel.
The official spec page lists 749 and 594 cc capacities, six-speed
transmissions and 480 lbs (wet) weights for both bikes. While it remains
a good deal behind that CB500F’s 420 lbs (wet), the Streets are
considerably lighter than the next lightest model in the HD stable; the
Iron 883 weighs in at a staggering 562 lbs (wet).
Black-on-black-on-black-on-black
may look good in person, but man does it make the 2014 Harley-Davidson
Street 750 hard to see in photos
The rest of the Street spec list
is a mix of honestly good parts, sprinkled with the odd disappointment.
Front wheels are a conventional 17-inches in size, promising a wide
selection of affordable tires, but front brakes are gripped only by
single-piston calipers. Mid-mount footpegs promise good control and the
four-valve per-cylinder heads suggest good power, but no horsepower or
torque figures have been released and suspension is only listed as
“specially tuned.”
Of course, Harley’s don’t sell on objective measures of performance,
they sell on image and there, surprisingly, the Streets excel. They
don’t look cheap, they don’t look small, they don’t look plastic. The
tank and fenders are made from metal, the engines look impressively
masculine despite their middling capacity and, judging by the video,
they even sound suitably robust.
2014 Harley-Davidson Street 750
“It looks great, sounds great, it’s a Harley, and it’s priced right,”
described Harley COO Matt Levatich a few weeks ago. Will that be enough
to create a new generation of Harley riders?
When Harley-Davidson introduced the 2013 Dyna-series Switchback as a “light-duty touring model” we were intrigued. As fans of The Motor Company’s FL-series tourers and also its more nimble Dyna rides, we thought the bike was a smart mix. For $17,579, you get a tour-ready Harley that has light steering and a low seat (27.4 in. unladen), plus beautifully styled (although small) saddlebags and a touring windscreen that can be removed with magical ease.
The only problem? “Light-duty touring” wasn’t on the dance card for Cycle World’s long-term, ABS-equipped Switchback. Especially when Contributing Editor Jamie Elvidge packed it up and headed out for a ridiculously long, grueling ride: 1600 miles in just 38 hours. “That kind of self-inflicted moto-masochism isn’t surprising to those who know me,” she said. “Some go to India for spiritual hermitage, I go to I-5.” What was surprising is that she arrived at her destination in way better condition than expected.
That’s not to say it was a cakewalk, as it might have been on an FL. The Switchback’s windshield is a head jiggler for an average-sized rider, and the Dyna chassis doesn’t do much to contain the mechanical energy of the Twin Cam 103 before it radiates to limbs and digits and extraneous bits of the bike. A thousand miles in, both mirror assemblies (which include the turnsignals) were swinging around on their stalks and various bolts had loosened. We miss the days when all models came with a tool kit. At the 1400-mile mark, the newly added, sweet-sounding Screamin’ Eagle Nightstick 2-into-1 slip-on muffler ($249.95, plus $50 for installation and $154 for remap; harley-davidson.com) had severed a weld.
But still, the bike was comfortable to ride: roomy enough for an average frame, with relaxed ergonomics and a plush seat. The saddlebags hold enough for a weekend escape, but Elvidge was coming home from a long stint on the road, so she clipped on a neat MotoFizz Camping Seat Bag ($157-$197; aerostich.com). Even after the bike’s shakedown tour, she says she’s excited to ride the bike back to Southern California. In the meantime, she’s removed the windshield and is enjoying the Switchback for its guaranteed virtue as big-hearted, envy-stirring, out-for-the-day American cruiser.
