The welding joints in the chassis are pretty well done , except near the swing arm and exhaust.
BHPian Waspune recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Checked out the X440 at Harley, Pune with BHPian surjaonwheelz .
The fit and finish isn’t bad per se, in line with much more expensive 883 sportsters. The welding joints in the chassis are pretty well done , except near the swing arm and exhaust. The bike has good presence and sounds pretty throaty and bassy, especially for a single cylinder. The diamond cut alloy wheels are also similar to the ones found in Iron 883. The exposed frame near the tank is also in line with the latest Harleys like the Nightster.
Bluetooth connectivity with turn by turn navigation, SOS and other connected features are available only in the top variant with Matt black paint scheme. This paint scheme looked much better in person, than in pics. The bronze bits in the engine looked nice.
The colour instrument cluster/speedometer looked really nice and premium, so did the LED headlight.
At present, all these are pre-production models and we were told that the production models will have better fit and finish. Eg- The accelerator cable will be better concealed.
The test rides will start in the 2nd week of August , the production will begin from 1st Sep and deliveries will start from October.
The ONR price of the top variant will be around 3.4-3.5 lacs in Pune.
The only pic I took:
Here’s what BHPian VijayAnand1 had to say on the matter:
Appreciate surjaonwheelz for taking these photographs. Being the guy I am, lo and behold was able to already detect why this isn’t a proper HD and why this isn’t the lucky charm for Hero-Haa-ley.
Grab your quick cuppa.
Hero-Haa-ley Ded Check: 1
As you can observe from the image, I’ve rounded some portions which I feel is not oozing the oomph of a Haah-ley. Be it a test ride or a show-room piece, this isn’t acceptable. Rule it off as a one-off you might argue, that the bolt garnish cap might be broken owing to a hot-headed mechanic doing a shoddy installation job of the crash guard? Not really, and you’ll know why in a minute.
Secondly, taped wire loom grazing over a super hot single’s head? Hero, if you spent that money you spent on sending aluminum boxes to journalists, things would have looked much tidier. SMH..
Hero-Haa-ley Ded Check: 2
If you’ll observe, the welding doesn’t make the dough dance for it. Definitely not! Chain links rusting already, extremely average paint job throughout (you’ll know why in a minute) Who am I to argue. SMH.
Hero-Haa-ley Ded Check: 3
Rusty and all dusty! But seriously, as I’ve touched upon the paint quality earlier, the swingarm is already chipping paint. Worse, it’s already started to rust. Zoom in and you’ll know. Observe the chain links. SMH
Hero-Haa-ley Ded Check: 4
Talking about paint quality gentlemen, looks and feels just like an amateur spray painted crash bar for a motorcycle. This will definitely chip given the wrong circumstances, and the paint sheen doesn’t inspire confidence to term this as a Haa-ley. Oh, and did you remember the broken bolt cap. Just look a little further, I’ve circled the same. SMH
With all due respect, brownie points for Hero and Haa-ley having to have teamed up to dabble on the hot waters of a segment that’s been ruled by a Brit for long and still to do. What Hero has done isn’t something brave, but something what its competitor forayed all along with zeal and tanked — literally — with the Himalayan when it was launched. A product that was half-baked with all the problems in the world a single motorcycle could offer, yet progressively learning, ironing out the wrinkles and taking the title of the most sold ADV motorcycle in India.
With another round of price increase, Hero-Haa-ley will definitely have to up the ante in terms of quality. RE learnt this crucial lesson the hard and long way. Lo, it eventually took light-years for them to catch up, but they’re inching there and now its sales chart are a testament as it’s lit as a thousand moons combined. What RE had at their disposal? TIME. They had all the time it took to catch up to the game at the right time, with the products. Talk about kaizen philosophy.
Sadly, Hero-Haa-ley has a lot of offer in terms of quality, fit, finish and offering them immediately and in a timely manner. This partnership can end up to be a sad swept under the mat if things aren’t course corrected with the intent this partnership has for the long term. This isn’t a Harley, sadly, it isn’t and it never will be, apart from the slapped sticker. Mark my word on that!
With more and more customers having the choice and the wherewithal, a shoddy product with a reputed name is a sure recipe to tank its future once and for all.
Good luck Hero.
Cheers!
VJ
Keyword: My first impressions on the Harley Davidson X440 after seeing it person