Why are Harley-Davidson not shouting from the rooftops about their new small engine bikes; X350 and X500 made in China for the Chinese market and the X440 made in India…for the Indian market? Are they ashamed of stooping so low to produce small cc bikes for the masses or are they in fear of alienating their American home fanbase?
The Q2 figures will be out in 3 weeks and we will have the first indication of whether the X350 and X500 bikes have been selling in any great numbers in the Asian markets. Thus far there has been very little to digest and even less from the company…not even a mention from the CEO Jochen Zeitz whose only offerings relate to the LiveWire or the recently released 2023 CVOs.
The company entered partnership with QJ Motor in China to produce these bikes and whilst they are rather generic looking and similar to other bikes for the Chinese market, one has to wonder whether the company are waiting for some hard sales figures before talking about them. It is almost a secret experiment they are working on, grinding their teeth and squinting in hope that the bikes will sell.
The same is for the Indian offering too. Their partnership with Hero Motocorp is equally as bashful. The only news has come from Hero themselves and of course various press sources, but nothing from H-D MoCo themselves, certainly not in the western markets. So why is this being kept so quiet?
By contrast the likes of KTM, BMW and notably just a couple of days ago Triumph were bullish about their new small cc bikes. A London Global Launch of the Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X that will be released in India initially and then to other markets in 2024. Are Harley Davidson concerned that their bikes will fail when coming up against very capable opposition?
These initial three small engine bikes from Harley Davidson, whilst in collaboration with other companies, should be noteworthy to the company and what is peculiar…even the stock market appears to be disinterested too. Perhaps as it doesn’t affect the American market, they deem it appropriate not to discuss it, but H-D operates on a global scale, so the muted approach is confusing.
The X440 will launch in India within the next couple of months, but have they got their sales infrastructure all in place too? They are relying on Hero Motocorp…the largest player in the Indian market to make hay whilst the sun beats down on potential buyers and surely they will be hoping that name recognition will help to attract new riders to the brand and make them shy away from the likes of Triumph, KTM and BMW but most importantly away from the ever popular Royal Enfield who appear to be facing fights from all quarters at the moment.
Harley Davidson would be wise to promote these bikes or the business they are doing in other markets as it shows diversity and an ability to operate on many levels. They need not be in fear of alienation from their fanbase as long as they still get the products they want. Perhaps they are not ashamed or embarrassed but rather more reserved than we are used to. Perhaps their conservative approach is based on the market uncertainty rather than any shortcomings in the bike designs.
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