Ground Breaking or Breaking Traditions?
Traditions, beliefs or customs… they bind us to a certain lifestyle. Being passed on from generation to generation, it could even become a sin or taboo to even think about breaking them. But modern times require desperate measures. In this quest for mere survival, sometimes it becomes the need of the hour to thwart these traditions away. That’s exactly what Harley-Davidson seems to be doing with its X440 – co-developed with Hero MotoCorp. Straying far away from its legacy of V-twin powered laidback cruisers, the X440 is a brave attempt indeed but does it succeed in evoking the same sense of freedom? The same sense of badassery that Harleys typically do?
A compromise of sorts, or a distilled Harley?
To be honest, both. I wish the X440 looked every bit as special as it rides because it thoroughly impresses with its riding dynamics and how eager it feels to scrape its pegs. Then comes the beautiful powertrain which might feel old school in its approach but at the same time, authentic. I wouldn’t have it other way. The X440 is also backed up competitive pricing with the Triumph Speed 400 the only notable rival that can make the X440 run with its tail wagged in between. If you’re in the market looking for a laidback thumper that isn’t slow, carries an iconic badge and comes loaded with modern-day features, it is hard to discredit the X440.
Check out our video review:
Looks, umm, that could kill?
Certainly not. Harleys have always been flamboyant. They have been all about making a statement, gilded in either shiny chrome or completely murdered out. At the cost of spilling the beans way before than I intended to, the X440 doesn’t pass off as a true-blue Harley. To give you some more context, the X440 does resemble the XR1200 from certain angles, especially the shape of the fuel tank will instantly remind you of the XR series. Even its front fascia looks good with a round LED headlamp, round indicators and chunky USD forks but when you zoom out a little, and when the other half of the motorcycle starts coming into the picture, the X440 starts looking a little disproportionate. Even though the latest motorcycles from Hero Motocorp’s stable do look aesthetic, I believe the rear end of the X440 was Hero’s doing. Don’t consider it as a ‘critical evaluation’ and pass it off as a mere jab.
In terms of overall fit and finish of the motorcycle, the X440 might justify its sticker price by a fair margin but it should’ve felt a bit more special to do justice to the Harley badge it carries on its fuel tank. The switchgear quality feels built to last but more attention should have been given to paint quality on the trellis frame. However, in terms of features, it wouldn’t be an overstatement if I say that the X440 has knocked it out of the park. Apart from auto-illuminating LED headlamp, it gets an all-digital instrument cluster which comes loaded to the brim with information. The X440 can be had in three variants with all of them receiving TFT instrument cluster with Bluetooth-connectivity. Apart from the usual connected features, the X440 also comes with navigation, music playback, mobile battery indicator and provision to end/receive calls.
Goes like a Harley
So far in this review, you must have already formed a negative image about the H-D X440, just like every other couch potato on the internet with a completely functioning keyboard and a half-functioning head. Imagine me taking a needle in my hand bursting that little bubble of delusion because the H-D X440 does ride like a Harley. It is powered by an entirely-new 440cc single-cylinder, air/oil-cooled engine with a very basic architecture. It all comes together as soon as you fire the motorcycle up as the rather gawdy-looking exhaust lets out a deep rumble. Not exactly similar to the traditional V-twin rumble but close. And that’s saying something because at the end of the day, it is just a single-cylinder pumping the affairs. I used to believe that the Chinese two-wheeler industry has the best sound engineers but it seems like we also have some of the best at our very own Jaipur, at Hero’s CIT facility. However out of place the exhaust might look, it is a proper thumper with a deep rumble. It wouldn’t be wrong if we say that in terms of outright acoustics, the X440 has the best chorus trapped in its exhaust, under 3 Lakh.
Another typical Harley trait which Hero Motocorp and Harley-Davidson have gotten bang on is how the engine behaves. Harleys have always been renowned for their tarmac-tearing torque, allowing the motorcycle to pull even a freaking freight train. The X440’s engine puts down 27PS but it is not the talking point here. The major star of the show is the 38NM on offer, 80% of which can be tapped as low as 2000rpm. And the motor? It redlines at 6.5k rpm, another typical Harley trait. But this is all about the mere numbers. So how does it translate to real life riding experience? It pulls right from the word go!
As soon as you dump the clutch and feed the engine with some revs, it becomes apparent that this motorcycle’s engine is all about low and mid range grunt and there’s ample of it! It becomes addictive to keep the motorcycle in the mid range and just cruise through. And by its segment’s standards, it is fast too as it crosses the 100kmph mark with effortlessly and goes on to register a top speed north of 135kmph. Not bad for a single-cylinder thumper. One can comfortably cruise at 115km/h all day long. Another thing which remind you of Harleys is the gearing. The X440 breaches past 125km/h in fifth gear itself so the sixth gear is basically overdrive, strictly limited to just cruising on the highway. What is also worth praising is the refinement on offer because X440’s engine is one refined unit as vibrations only creep in after you cross 5k rpm and even after that, they wouldn’t spoil your fun.
Specs:
Engine: 440cc, single-cylinder, air/oil-cooled
Power: 27hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 38NM at 4,000rpm
Kerb weight: 190.5kg
Ground Clearance: 170mm
Seat height: 805mm
Prices:
Denim: INR 2.29 Lakh
Vivid: INR 2.49 Lakh
S: INR 2.69 Lakh
(All prices ex-showroom)
Doesn’t ride like a Harley
Before you put your cynic glasses on again, we mean it in a good way. Apart from the modern-day Harleys, they have always been sort of lethargic when it comes to handling but the X440 turned out to be a revelation. After impressing us with its performance on Hero’s performance track, we then took our respective X440s to the handling track. Hero’s handling track is one technical one and it is essential to get the lines right if you wish to nail a corner. All the more essential is to have a motorcycle that can flow around the technicalities, something which the X440 did with aplomb. The X440 utilizes a set of USD forks up front and twin gas-charged shock absorbers at the back. Nothing sophisticated on the face of it but boy, isn’t the X440 an epitome of just burning the spec sheet and riding?
We kept grinding our footpegs away! So much so that the alloy extension beneath the footpegs was eaten up in no time and by the time we could realize it, we had already started decimating the actual rubber footpegs! The X440 might weigh 190kg but the way it masks its weight around corners deserves nothing but songs of praise. It tips into corners with grace, and holds its line in a manner you wouldn’t expect a Harley to. The able underpinnings are further supported by new MRF Zapper Hyke tyres which performed superbly well. Although we couldn’t test the absorbing capabilities of the suspension setup, on a few rough patches that we found in the CIT facility, it feels like they will do a good job of ironing out any undulations on the road. Even when it comes to the braking performance on offer, the X440’s braking setup feels promising as it provides good bite as well as feedback.
