Harley Davidson Softail FLSTF Fat Boy and FLSTC Heritage Softail Classic

American cult bike maker, Harley Davidson has announced that its planning to set up an assembly facility in Haryana, India which will serve the demand in the local market and will also bring down prices as a result.

Harley Davidson at Auto Expo 2010, New Delhi

The new assembly line will be operational in the first half of the year 2011 and will assemble the bikes coming to India via CKD route instead of the CBU route which attracts very high duties. The company first displayed its bikes at the Auto Expo 2010 in New Delhi earlier this year and currently sells 12 models which are fully imported from USA.

“This investment (to set up a factory) will allow Harley-Davidson to improve our market responsiveness and production flexibility while reducing the tariff burden, which we expect will drive growth over time by making our bikes more accessible to India’s consumers.” said President and COO., Matthew S. Levatich, Harley Davidson.

The company has not yet decided which models will be assembled in India but has already earmarked several million dollars for investment in 70000 square feet of land for the assembly facility. Harley Davidson is also increasing its dealership network in India and has already appointed a dealer each at Ahmedabad, Kochi and Kolkatta.

BMW has already announced its entry into the Indian bike market by December this year while Honda is already readying an affordable 250cc in the form of recently announced CBR250R and the KTM and higher capacity Bajaj sports bike is already under works. Exciting times for the much deprived Indian biker and they are here to stay.

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• January 8, 2010 -- Auto Expo 2010: Harley Davidson Rides Into India With 12 Models

Hyosung with its partner Garware Motors have announced the launch of GT650R sportsbike and ST7 Cruiser for the Indian market.

The bikes will come to India via the CKD (Completely Knocked Down) route and will be assembled at Garware Motor’s new setup assembly line facility in Wai, neat Pune, Maharashtra.

Hyosung GT650R Technical Specifications

Hyosung ST7  Technical Specifications

Hyosung will initially bring only two bikes, the fully faired GT650R and the ST7 Cruise with the naked GT650 in due course. Although no concrete prices have been announced, the company officials did hint at sub 5 lakhs rupee price tag for the GT650R on road and around 7 lakhs for the ST7 Cruiser on road.

The company is also serious about the after sales service aspect unlike its earlier partnership with Kinetic Motors when it launched the ill fated Comet 250 and will provide mobile service backup to all its customers along with a service at home option. The bikes will be sold in 10 major cities initially with incremental launch for the other cities.

Bookings for the Hyosung GT650R and ST7 will start early next year with deliveries commencing from the first quarter of 2011.

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• October 27, 2010 -- Hyosung GT650R & ST7 Launching Tomorrow

Hyosung GT650R & ST7 (Click To Enlarge)

Korea’s Hyosung Motors is readying for its second innings in India with the launch GT650R and ST7 tomorrow.

The company is best known in India for its 250cc bike Comet which was launched in collaboration with erstwhile Kinetic two wheelers which has now been taken over by Mahindra two wheelers. The company has collaborated with Garware group this time to bring their bikes to India.

First up is the Hyosung GT650R which is a fully faired bike and comes powered by a liquid cooled 8-valve 90 degrees v-twin 647 cc engine developing 54.2kW @ 9000 rpm and a maximum 60.9 nm of torque @ 7250 rpm. The engine is mated to a 6 speed transmission.

The Hyosung ST7 on the other hand is a tourer bike and come powered by a slightly larger liquid cooled 8-valve 90 degrees v-twin 678 cc engine developing maximum power of 46 kW @ 8000 rpm and 57.3 nm of maximum torque @ 7000 rpm.  The engine is coupled with a 5 speed transmission.

The bikes will be launched tomorrow and will be priced in Rs 5.5 Lakhs to 6.5 Lakh bracket. Stay tuned to Autoholiks for more information.

Detailed Specifications after the jump.

ST7 – Specifications

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• October 29, 2010 -- Hyosung Launches GT650R And ST7 In India

India’s second largest tw0 wheeler maker, Bajaj Auto has launched the new Avenger upgraded with a 220cc DTSi engine from Pulsar.

Cosmetically, the new Avenger remains the same as the older model with same overall proportions but bigger motor will give it extra legs on the highway. The 220cc engine in Avenger delivers 19.03 PS of maximum power @ 8400 rpm and a maximum 17.5 nm of torque @  7000 rpm.

Other improvements to the Avenger include

1) DC Lightening for flicker free headlight beam at low revs and Intelligent Auto Shut Off Light which would automatically shut off the light when the engine is off to conserve battery.

2) Sealed “O-ring” Chain which keeps the chain lubricated for longer periods.

3) Dual Foam seat

The bike comes in four colors – Plasma Blue, Cocktail Wine Red, Mist Grey Silver and Midnight black and has been priced at Rs 76,876 on road Pune.

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• May 6, 2010 -- Bajaj Bike Sales Rise 84 Percent In April

Harley Davidson Softail Painted in Indian Tri Color

There are two kinds of people in this world – those who love Harley Davidson and the one’s who don’t and then there are people who have Harley’s and the one’s who wished they had! The wait is finally over for Harley Davidson enthusiasts in the country as beginning April you would be able to book your very own Harley Davidson.

Any resemblance to your car's dashboard is purely co-incidental!

The cult US motorcycling brand has entered India with their full range of five motorcycling families – the Dyna, the VRSC, the Sportster, the Softail and the top of the range Touring series. The bikes have been priced from starting from Rs 6.95 Lakhs to Rs 34.95 Lakhs Ex-Showroom, Delhi offering the widest choice to buyers.

Harley Davidson Night Rod which has a Porsche developed 1100cc V twin!

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Anoop Prakash, Managing Director Harley-Davidson India said, “For over a century, Harley-Davidson has inspired motorcycles across the world to celebrate their passion for riding. Our experience in leading the leisure motorcycle market worldwide makes us naturally suited to help lead and define leisure riding in India. We entered India with a promise to bring riders the pure Harley-Davidson experience with bikes from every family. Over the past year, we have listened to riders across India at our many events, and we have produced a line-up to stir their soul.”

Harley Davidson Flagship Road King

The company will announce five dealerships in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chandigarh in the due course with the aim of increasing the total count to more than 20 within the next 5 years.

“The bikes will be imported as completely built units (CBUs). That’s why there is 100 per cent import duty. However, we will see how the market matures and we are open to manufacturing in India if it is viable. We are here to create a new culture of leisure riding,” said Mr Prakash.

Jump over for images of Harley Davidson’s whole range for India.

Harley Davidson @ Auto Expo 2010

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• November 2, 2010 -- Harley Davidson To Be Made In India