Looks are subjective, but I have always found people noticing the bike.
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Yay! Just finished the 800km or 1 month servicing requirement and booked a service appointment via the HD Connect app. I will try to share my experience for the last 25 days and how it went at the service center. Starting off with the delivery experience.
The bike was delivered on 15th October, 2023 without an invoice or RTO receipt. Was handed the insurance document, a HD goodie bag with chocolates, and that was it. I checked for the owner’s manual and was informed a hard copy would not be shared and needed to be accessed via the HD Connect app. I connected the bike using the QR code on the bike, ran a quick diagnostic, and everything seemed to be okay. I left for the ride home in Bangalore traffic . Pics from that day have already been uploaded.
Now the next 11 days: The RTO work was completed on the 18th, and I received a message with the registration number. The number plate is only available by the 27th of the month, so I could not enjoy riding my bike as much as I would have liked to. I did not want to risk being caught by the cops for not having a temporary number. I also checked on getting the bike details added to the insurance papers and am told the insurance document will not have a bike registration number the first year since insurance is done prior to registration. Also, the bike details don’t show up in parivahan portal and I am informed it takes a month for the details to be available. Can someone here confirm if this information regarding insurance and parivahan are true?
The next 12 days till servicing: I have ridden the bike in rain and in sunshine. The bike always felt very planted, and not once did I doubt if it will be able to make the turn or if I should think twice before accelerating. I kept the bike to less than 4,000 rpm at all times and would have rarely crossed 3,500 rpm since that is the recommendation by Harley in the run-in period. A couple of positives and negatives based on these 12 days:
Positives:
- The engine is refined and sounds very smooth. It’s way better than my KTM.
- I’ve not ridden it past 80kmph and that number comes up pretty fast even if you have a pillion rider! In fact, the pillion rider needs to be careful not to fall off the bike.
- The exhaust note— I’ve fallen in love with it. The sound you hear when you try to accelerate is the best I’ve heard. Somehow, it sounds even better if you are wearing a helmet. You have to ride it to understand how it sounds. No video on YouTube does justice to the actual sound.
- The accessories and servicing do not cost an arm or a leg. I have shared details of my first servicing and accessory costs below.
- Looks are subjective, but I have always found people noticing the bike. In fact, I’ve also had people walk over to me at restaurants or other places to talk about the bike.
Negatives:
- The front suspension is stiff! It’s stiffer compared to a KTM.
- The tank is huge, so my kid’s legs don’t reach the crash guard.
- All accessories are still not available.
Now, my experience getting the bike serviced:
I completed 808 Km by the time I reached Tusker Harley Bangalore.
I informed the servicing team about the front shock absorbers, and they confirmed they are setup stiffer than a KTM. They let me know three accessories are readily available: Engine guard at Rs. 880, engine bash plate at Rs. 450 and center stand at around Rs. 1200. I chose to get the engine guard and engine bash plate. Total cost with fitting charges comes to Rs. 1,730.
They changed the filter, washers, and 2.8 liters of oil. The total comes to Rs. 2,820. I found it to be very reasonable. So, the first servicing cost is below Rs. 3,000, and the next service is only within a year. It seems to be more economical than my half-yearly KTM service . I had a long chat with the sales and servicing teams at Tusker Harley, and everyone is very polite, professional, and knowledgeable. Harley is waiting for more bikes to hit the road before they start planning for rides and events. By the way, Denim variant will take a couple of months before production starts since there are very few bookings for it.
All ready waiting to be washed.
A copy of the final bill.
Keyword: A month with my Harley x440: Pros, cons & 1st service experience