Published at January 12, 2023 by BikeJunction
The partnership with Harley-Davidson helped Hero MotoCorp explore opportunities beyond the commuter segment.
The Hero-Harley partnership entails a number of commitments. It includes the sale and service of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in India by Hero. The expansion of the Harley network, technical cooperation and the development will be helped by the merger. The first of the new Hero-Harley bikes is likely aimed at the middleweight segment currently dominated by Royal Enfield.
Other middleweight players are Yezdi, Jawa, Honda, Keeway and QJ Motors. The merger of Bajaj and Triumph, in future, also expected to challenge the excellence of Royal Enfield.
Last November, Niranjan Gupta, Chief Financial Officer of Hero MotoCorp, confirmed the development of new Hero-Harley motorcycles. Now, two of these bikes have been shown to some dealers and selected individuals. One of those bikes is a cruiser that looks a lot like the 338R concept sketched out in 2019. The second bike is a street motorcycle equipped with a single-cylinder engine.
Hero-Harley bikes were demonstrated at a client clinic. Hero seems to have been involved in various aspects of the new bikes, such as style and performance, viability, price, etc. Such inputs will be useful for the company before launching bikes in India.
Both motorcycles were unbranded and did not carry any badges. This may have been done on purpose to ensure that the raw data provided does not contain any brand-specific bias. Both bikes have a retro profile with a round headlight, round rear-view mirrors and a dashboard. Some common features include USD forks, spoked alloy wheels, and a mono-shock rear suspension.
Newly revealed information details about the upcoming Hero-Harley 350cc motorcycle. According to this information, it will be called the X350RA and will be powered by a 353cc single-cylinder engine. The power output will be 23 bhp, making it more powerful than Royal Enfield 350cc models such as the Classic, Hunter, Meteor and Bullet. RE 350cc bikes deliver around 20 bhp and a torque of 27 Nm.
Hero Harley bikes can seriously compete with Royal Enfield bikes. They will not habitually be labelled as commuters, and Hero can provide the most competitive prices. Affordable prices are one of the key reasons for the success of Royal Enfield bicycles, both domestically and internationally. This applies to the entire range, including 350cc, 410cc and 650cc motorcycles. Hero, India's largest two-wheeler manufacturer, can work with its partners and suppliers to offer enthusiasts a great deal.
While ICE motorcycles and scooters continue to be a mainstay of Hero MotoCorp, the company is also focusing more on the electric vehicle segment. Like Harley-Davidson, Hero has partnered with Ather Energy and Gogoro on electric vehicles. An investment of up to US$60 million has also been made available to Hero Motorcycles, based in California, USA. This collaboration will help accelerate the development of new products and the expansion of the charging infrastructure.
The first Hero Vida electric scooter is currently available for sale in Bangalore, Delhi and Jaipur. Currently, two variants are offered: V1 Plus and V1 Pro. The flight range is 143 km and 165 km, respectively. The top speed of both is electronically limited to 80 km/h.
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