Is Harley Going To Be Hero’s Newest Buddy?

Could this deal not have come in sooner? After all, Harley-Davidson was looking for a partner in Asia earlier and settled for China’s Qianjiang Motors and not a brand like Hero MotoCorp, which is now being linked to be its Indian buddy. Well, better late than never as the two bikemakers are reportedly entering into an alliance.

New Harley CEO Jochen Zeitz has undertaken the task of reviving the company’s fortunes. As part of his new Hardwire strategy, Harley has axed the Bronx naked and even perhaps the small bike for Asia that it was building with QJMotors. The bike’s fate seems to hang in the balance as recent spy shots showcased a production-ready prototype based on the Benelli TNT 300. Harley is no longer seeking to diversify into new genres with the Pan America being the only departure from the norm.

Harley’s recent performance in India has been shockingly poor. A local partner might just be the perfect thing for Harley to stabilise the sinking ship. And who better to partner up with than Hero, a company who has been well known to keep its allies happy. Be it Honda, BMW or even EBR (Eric Buell Racing), Hero has been a great ally.

Hero could also benefit majorly from the partnership as it is one of the last big Indian manufacturers not to align itself with a foreign brand. Bajaj has been doing it for years with KTM (and with it Husqvarna) and more recently Triumph. The TVS-BMW Motorrad deal has been quite a successful story as well and earlier this year, TVS even bought out the crisis-stricken British manufacturer Norton. Even Mahindra-backed Classic Legends now owns the rights to historic brands like Jawa and BSA. So, it is only Hero that remains without an aid by its side.

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According to an online report, Hero’s top boss Pawan Munjal seems to be ecstatic about the prospect of joining hands. It is said that the deal could take place soon enough as Harley sees Hero as a “credible and strong” partner, making them a “natural fit.”

Stay tuned to ZigWheels.com for further details on this possible alliance.

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