The Harley-Davidson X440 has been a long time coming. I remember reporting on the fact that a small Harley was coming to the Indian market years ago. Then there were some leaked images. Well now, with the help of Hero MotoCorp the little single-cylinder Harley is here.
The Harley-Davidson X440 Brings Back the Single-Cylinder Engine to Harley’s Lineup
The very first Harley-Davidson featured a single-cylinder engine, so the brand isn’t exactly new to the one-pot mill, however, the V-Twin engine has defined the brand for decades. The Harley-Davidson X440 is an altogether different motorcycle for Harley, and it’s precisely what the company needs in India.
The bike features a 440cc air-oil-cooled engine mated to a six-speed transmission. The engine is fuel injected and features a single exhaust that’s supposed to produce a note that’s recognizable as a Harley. I don’t see how that’s possible with this being a single, but maybe it’s just super loud. The engine makes 27 bhp and 38 nM of torque (26.55 lb-ft).
Additional equipment includes a 3.5-inch display for all the obvious stuff like speedo, high beam, gear indicator, and alert lights. There are also some special smartphone-enabled features including turn-by-turn navigation, call acceptance or rejection, music control, phone battery indicator, and messaging alerts among other things.
The look of this bike is similar to some of Harley’s current Sportster machines, which is a good move. The bike does look like a Harley until you look closer at the engine. It’s a new machine and signals a new era for Harley. I’m excited to see it. The price translates to $1,680. If the company ever chose to bring it to the States, I’d expect that to increase significantly because of the cost to import.
Learn more at Harley’s Indian website.
