Hero extends Harley-Davidson deal
By Ben Purvis
Harley-Davidson struck a licencing deal with Indian bike-making behemoth Hero back in 2020 that allowed Hero to develop, manufacture and market a Harley-badged motorcycle in its home market. Now that deal is being extended to cover additional bikes and international sales in certain markets.
The original Hero-made Harley was the X440, launched in 2023 and sold alongside other Harley-Davidson models in India, where Hero also took on the US brand's sales network after H-D decided to close its own Indian subsidiary back in 2020.
Now the deal with Harley has been expanded to include more Hero-developed machines, with the Indian company issuing a press release stating: "The Company has extended its partnership with Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Inc. in order to expand the Harley-Davidson X440 into new variants as well as to develop a new motorcycle for both domestic and select international markets."
The addition of 'select' international markets will be of interest to Harley-Davidson dealers who have been crying out for a more affordable, entry-level model to tempt customers into the fold. The recent success in Europe of bikes like Triumph's Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X, as well as bikes like Royal Enfield's affordable singles, shows that there's a strong market for such bikes, with many of the customers being existing riders either trading down from larger bikes or adding an additional machine to their garage. The Triumphs, like the Royal Enfields, are made in India, and were developed with the help of KTM business partner Bajaj. Their success shows that customers aren't afraid to spend their money on Indian-made machines.
While Hero's focus has been on India, where it sold the vast majority of the 5.9 million bikes it made in 2024, the brand has started to turn an eye to international markets - already having an R&D facility in Munich, Germany, and announcing its intention to expand into Europe and the UK in the second half of 2025. It makes its own variant of the Harley X440, the Mavrick 440, sharing an identical SOHC, air-cooled single and a similar chassis. If that bike proves to be an export success, it's clear that the Harley X440 could also be appealing to customers outside India.
The additional variants of the X440 will use the same engine but the company's announcement that it will also develop a 'new motorcycle' suggest it has another power unit on the way - perhaps one that will fill the void in the range between the X440 single and Harley's smallest homegrown engine, the 975 cc V-twin in the Nightster now being produced for all global markets in Thailand.
