There are people in India who enjoy the power of two Maruti 800s thumping between their thighs. And these people, who get a kick out of the vibration getting onto their butt, are happily blessed with deep pockets.
It is this growing tribe that Harley Davidson Motorcycles is banking on to welcome their arrival in India. And thanks to them, Americans can now enjoy Indian mangoes.
“We tried for years to come here because India has a strong riding culture,” said John McEnaney, a representative of Harley Davidson Motorcycles. Finally, “it was a trade agreement in 2007 that enabled Harleys to be brought to India — in exchange the US lifted a ban on importing mangoes from India. It was befitting… an icon for an icon,” added Anoop Prakash, MD of Harley Davidson India.
Entrepreneur Parvez Damania is one of these special people. For him, the only two-wheeler that qualifies to be called a bike is a Harley. “If you want a Harley, you want a Harley; no other bike will do,” he says, with an air of finality that brooks no argument.
“The best part is that it’s not a fast bike, rather it is meant for cruising on open roads.
Although I don’t get to take the Harley out a great deal as there are hardly any open roads in Mumbai, I try to get out of the city on it whenever I can.” Damania is so smitten by Harleys that he has imported three of them over the past few years.
But soon people yearning for a Harley can buy one right here in the city. The 107-year-old company showcased a whole range of bikes that they’re bringing into India, near the Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai this week.
The lineup
For starters, of the 31 models that are available worldwide, the company plans to bring to India one representative model from each of the five Harley ‘families’: Touring, Sportster, Dyna, Softail and VRSC. Each of these models has been tested for Indian road conditions.
“About 120 applicants have already expressed an interest in our dealerships for the five cities that we want to get into: Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and either Chandigarh or Ludhiana,” said Prakash, adding that these cities had been identified as having the maximum enthusiasm for lifestyle brands. “We’re going to markets best suited to us.”
The recession in the West has also been a factor behind the move to Asian economies which have witnessed a turnaround this year. “Harley Davidson has been affected because of the slump and the logical choice was to search for newer markets. India and China are new markets for us,” said Prakash.
Local needs
New markets also mean new customers, and a great deal of attention is going into making the bikes suitable for them. “At Harley Davidson we believe that everybody should be able to ride a Harley, however tall or short they are,” said McEnaney.
“We have beginners who are just learning to ride, as well as 75-year-olds who enjoy cruising down the freeway. So it is imperative we make all of them comfortable while they’re riding,” he added. “For this, we have special seats for short people, foot pegs that come back, handle bars that accommodate your riding style, lower suspensions, and other such accessories that we can make to fit your body, because only when you’re comfortable will you be able to ride for several hours. If you’re uncomfortable, you are going to be tired and unsafe.”
Customisation also means every buyer gets to choose different accessories, so that no two Harleys are alike. In fact, a full-time job position at Harley Davidson dealerships goes by the name of ‘Chrome Consultant’.
This is the person you turn to after you’ve purchased your bike, for detailed inputs on how much more chrome you need to add and where, depending on how much you’re willing to splurge on your bike. It could be anywhere, from your headlight and handlebars to your exhaust pipes. The VRSC family boasts HEX Chrome, a dark black chrome on the V-Rod which never corrodes and gives the bike an urban and young look. Then there are flames and radical paints that buyers love.
It’s not just chrome. There seems to be no limit to what you can do with the look and feel of these machines. Buyers can choose from an 825-page catalogue which lists 5,000 plus accessories, from windshield visors to farings to wheels to hardcases.
“Customisation is about self-expression,” says Prakash. Huge storage boxes, cigarette lighters, sound systems with MP3 players, CD players, removable luggage, controls for the pillion rider, and helmet headsets to talk with your riding partner are all part of the Harley experience.
But it all comes with a hefty price tag. Harley Davidson bikes will be imported as completely built units (CBUs). While the company has been tight-lipped about pricing, their cheapest model, the Sportster 883 Low, listed on their US website starts at $6,999 (around Rs3.2 lakh), while their most expensive Touring model, Electra Glide Ultra Ltd, starts at $24,699 (Rs11.4 lakh). Add to this the 104 per cent duty levied on imported bikes, and it more than doubles the cost. Add a few extra thousands for registration and insurance. That is the price the Indian buyer will have to shell out to own a Harley in India.
“Every guy dreams of owning a Harley, and it is indeed a very satisfying experience,” says Damania. “I dreamt of owning one and I got myself one around 10 years back. It was an 883 Sportster. Now I own a 1200 Custom and a Nightrod.”
Not everyone is buying into the pitch, however. “The thing about Harleys, especially the V-Rods, is that you can’t really use them here in a city such as Mumbai. It’s frightfully expensive and I’d always worry about scratching it or denting it,” says biker Behzad Gazder, who rides with the Indie Thumpers. “Besides,” he adds, “If you take the Enfield, I can dismantle it completely and repair it myself, but I seriously doubt if one can do that with the Harleys, whose V-Rods have hi-tech parts.”
From macho to chic
Harleys are heavy bikes often associated with being rugged, but Prakash insists that riding it is effortless. “It is a misconception that you have to be Arnold Schwarzenegger to ride a Harley. All it takes is technique and practice,” adds McEnaney.
He points out that nearly one out of five Harleys in the US are bought by women, with the Dyna and Softail being popular among them. . “Women love the classic cruiser silhouette,” says Prakash.
Finally, Harley clothing and merchandise are also coming to India to complete the picture.
So what is it that that’s got over one million Harley Davidson bikers hooked to the brand?
“It’s the attitude,” says Sanjay Tripathi, director of marketing at Harley Davidson. “The biking culture differs from country to country. There are solo riders in the US and rallies oriented at them, whereas in Korea there are family-oriented rallies; we don’t know what India has in store for us,” smiles Prakash.
Gazder has a different take. “Harleys are ‘poser’ bikes, which means rich kids will buy the bike, ride around the city on it, and call it a ‘ride’. Their passion for the Harley will not stem from the fact that they love motorcycling but from the fact that Harley is an expensive and prestigious brand,” he says.
McEnaney, however, is ready with an extremely potent value proposition. “If you want to build a relationship with your girlfriend,” he says, “hit the road on a Harley.”
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