Harley-Davidson X440 T First Ride Review: Polished Up

  • Published January 25, 2026
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Small tweaks to Harley’s retro roadster give it a lot more appeal and personality

Harley-Davidson X440 T First Ride Review

In 2023, Royal Enfield got two new contenders to deal with in the retro motorcycle space: Triumph and Harley-Davidson. Both international giants came to India with local partners to cause some shake-up. In 2026, Harley-Davidson has made the first move by updating its product, the X440, subtly. With 72 changes from the standard X440, how much improvement should you really expect from the X440 T?

Harley-Davidson X440 T 1st Ride Review

T For Tail

The tail is the most obvious difference between the Harley-Davidson X440 T and the standard X440 as Harley has made it kind of similar to the erstwhile XR1200. In order to get to this result, there was a brand new subframe created. This makes the rear look a whole lot cleaner, a whole lot more cohesive, and there is nothing untowards about it. However, with the integrated tail lamp and twin LED turn indicator setup, when I was following a couple of these X440 Ts, it reminded me a little bit of Sid from Ice Age.

Harley-Davidson X440 T Ride

T For Tweaks

Then there are the tweaks made on this motorcycle that lend it a sophisticated look. So the exhaust gets nice muffler guards. Even the end-can tip looks a lot classy. The new cast aluminium rider footpeg, the forged brake and gear shifter levers, the metal heel plates and symmetric fasteners, all lend it a whole lot classier look. The bar end mirrors and clean grips definitely remind you of the larger Harley-Davidson bikes.

Harley-Davidson X440 T Ride Review

T For Throttle

The throttle body is no longer cable-operated but uses a ride-by-wire system. Consequently, it gets two riding modes (Rain and Road), switchable traction control and switchable ABS. No changes to the engine’s output, the 440cc thumper still pushes out 27.37PS and 38Nm. 

Harley-Davidson X440 T First Review

Rain mode, though, lowers the torque output through the rev range for a more relaxed and frugal riding experience. As a result, it makes the bike feel even more subdued than what it actually is. When you're rolling on in rain mode, it feels very lethargic but calm, and extremely chill. Even more chill than what I would have liked around the streets of Goa. 

Harley-Davidson X440 T 1st Ride

Switch it to road mode, and then the bike comes into its own. The torquey self presents itself rather spectacularly. The biggest highlight here is that the small fueling issues that plagued the older Harley-Davidson X440, have been solved over here. Throttle transitions are cleaner. The whole bike feels a lot more linear and a lot more engaging. Traction control rarely intervenes given the rather linear power delivery of the mill and the system doesn’t automatically come back on after switching on and off the ignition.

Harley-Davidson X440 T Review

T For Tautness

The suspension now has a taut tune. No longer does it feel mushy and soft or plush. It feels very planted. It feels quite neutral. If you take the bumps at a slightly higher speed, yes, it will toss the rider off the seat. But overall, when you take things calmly, especially in Goa, the front end now feels a whole lot more balanced and composed. The internals of the USD fork have been changed to offer a more progressive damping. As a result, the rear tends to feel a little extra springy. So perhaps fiddling around with the preload should solve that matter to a great extent. But as it is, this is a far better and a far more neutral setup for commuting. The same suspension tune will carry forward on to the Vivid and S trims of the X440 as well.

Harley-Davidson X440 T

T For Rs 25,000 More

Harley-Davidson is asking for almost Rs 25,000 over the now top S trim of the X440. However, pricing of the entire family has been re-jigged. You no longer get the Denim single-channel ABS, spoke wheels version of that bike. Both Vivid (Rs 2,34,500) and the S (Rs 2,54,900) are a whole lot more affordable and the Rs 2,79,500 (ex-showroom) price tag of the X440 T is the same as what the X440 S used to retail at. So with the X440 T, Harley has made it a whole lot more polished, a whole lot more refined and in fact in case if you are sincerely considering getting one X440 home, it should be the T.

Harley-Davidson X440 T Video Review

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Harley Davidson X440 T STD Price in India
City On Road Price
Delhi Rs. 3,29,015
Kolkata Rs. 3,34,695
Bangalore Rs. 3,79,054
Hyderabad Rs. 3,57,415
Mumbai Rs. 3,45,285
Ahmedabad Rs. 3,34,376
Pune Rs. 3,40,375
Chennai Rs. 3,40,375
Patna Rs. 3,34,376
Jaipur Rs. 3,48,261
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