In Pictures: Harley-Davidson X440 Review

When you think of a Harley-Davidson, the first image in your mind would be of a cruiser on a long open highway, munching miles all day. In 2023, Harley-Davidson made that dream a lot more affordable by collaborating with Hero MotoCorp to develop a smaller and more approachable bike, the Harley-Davidson X440. Here’s what we think about the bike.

Harley-Davidson X440 Design

The Harley-Davidson X440 draws inspiration from its elder sibling, the Harley-Davidson XR1200. At first glance, the bike looks muscular with an eye-catching design. It has a good-looking LED headlight and a 13.5-litre fuel tank with a flowy single seat and sleek side panels that make the design look well thought through. The rear of the bike is a bit of an eye-sore, though, with a plain and straight exhaust tube, which Harley-Davidson says was a challenge to make and helps the bike sound like a ‘Harley’ with its single-cylinder engine. The bike has some exposed wires and cables on the front and an oddly shaped rear fender. 

Overall the bike looks like a muscular roadster with a nicely done front end, some more attention could have been paid to the rear too. 

Harley-Davidson X440 Engine, Performance, & Mileage

The Harley-Davidson X440 is powered by a 440cc 2-valve single-cylinder oil-cooled engine making 27.4PS at 6000rpm & 38Nm at 4000rpm, wrapped in a steel tubular frame. The bike produces maximum torque in the low range, carries it well in the mid-range and comfortably cruises at triple-digit speeds, making it exciting to ride around the city or to cover long highway distances. The engine is paired with a smooth 6-speed transmission with a slip-and-assist clutch for easy shifting. With a claimed fuel efficiency of 35kmpl, it will let you cover an approximate distance of 470km on a full tank.

Harley-Davidson X440 Handling, Ride Quality, and Braking 

We had an amazing time riding the bike on the track because of its sharp handling abilities. Unlike Harley-Davidson’s cruiser bikes, the X440 feels sporty to ride and tips into corners easily. However, with the ease at which you can manoeuvre the bike, there are chances of scraping the footpegs riding through corners on multiple occasions. The bike is equipped with a 43mm KYB inverted fork on the front; gas-charged, preload-adjustable twin shock absorbers at the rear; and a decent ground clearance, which makes riding through bad roads easy and confidence-inspiring. The MRF Zapper Hyke tyres offer a good grip on various road conditions.

We were quite pleased with the braking performance of the bike. It has 320mm front and 240mm rear ByBre disc brakes with dual-channel ABS which does a good job of avoiding wheel lockups. The bike has a long wheelbase for good straight-line stability on the road.

Harley-Davidson X440 Comfort

Its upright seating position and mid-set footpegs make you feel in command of the bike, and provide a relaxed riding experience. Its approachable seat height of 805mm makes the bike manageable for all sorts of riders despite its kerb weight of 190.5 kg.

Harley-Davidson X440 Features

The bike is equipped with a 3.5-inch TFT instrument cluster which gives the rider necessary information. It also features phone connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation. It has a 3.0 USB port near the console to charge your mobile phone. 

Harley-Davidson X440 Variants

The Harley-Davidson X440 is available in three variants. The entry-level variant, Denim, is the most affordable one, priced at Rs 2,39,500 (ex-showroom Delhi), and offered in a Mustard Denim colour scheme. It is equipped with spoke wheels with tube tyres and stickered logos to reduce the cost. 

The mid-variant, Vivid, is priced at Rs 2,59,500 (ex-showroom Delhi) and is offered in two colour schemes; Metallic Thick Red and Metallic Dark Silver. It is the most value-for-money model with alloy wheels and tubeless tyres. 

Coming to the top-spec S variant, it is priced at Rs 2,79,500 (ex-showroom Delhi) and is offered in Matte Black colour only. It comes with diamond-cut alloy wheels, built-in LTE connectivity, geofencing and remote immobilisation.

Harley-Davidson X440 Verdict

The X440 has an approachable price tag starting from Rs 2.39 lakh to Rs 2.79 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), enabling many enthusiasts to own this Harley-Davidson roadster. The bike has a good road presence, a comfortable seating position and impressive handling. Its torquey engine delivers good performance; however, it can get buzzy at the top end. With these attributes in mind, it is a practical bike for someone looking at the Harley-Davidson X440 as a daily driver and mile muncher.