Breaking: You Will Soon Be Able To Buy A Harley From A Hero Dealership

Harley-Davidson shocked a lot of Indian bikers when it abruptly shut down its decade-long India operations. This sudden exit had Harley enthusiasts, especially Harley owners, worried about future service, or the lack of it. Those fears have been allayed as Harley-Davidson has announced a strategic partnership with the world’s largest bikemaker, Hero MotoCorp. Under the new JV, Hero MotoCorp will be the sole distributor of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in India. So, Harley-Davidson operations will continue here, supplemented by Hero’s vast dealership network. There’s an icing to the cake too. 

Also read: Harley-Davidson’s India Roadtrip: From The Highs To The Lows

Besides supporting sales and service, Hero would be developing a range of premium motorcycles under the Harley-Davidson brand name. This means we could see Harley motorcycles being locally manufactured and as a result, will come at an affordable price point. While the press release does not give out much, we could see this partnership go the Bajaj-KTM way. Initially, Bajaj manufactured and sold the KTM 200 Duke via its exclusive Probiking dealerships. Later on, Bajaj developed the Pulsar NS200 and many other iterations based on KTM motorcycles. 

Also read: Harley’s Small Bike Dream: Is It Still On?

In the same manner, Harley and Hero could test out the viability of this partnership based on the acceptance in the market. If the tie-up were to work out, it could lead to technology sharing as well as platform sharing. In that case, we could well be looking at premium and affordable Hero motorcycles developed using Harley-Davidson technology. 

So, in a way, this is good news for existing Harley-Davidson owners and enthusiasts alike.