I was the 1st one to publicly give you the info (see article). Harley-Davidson is starting its conquest of India, the 2nd largest consumers market in the world (1,198,003,000) and the 4th in purchasing power). A local Harley plant is also in the works. A Harley New Dehli tee-shirt is going to be worth a lot of rupees in the USA. Yellow & orange turbans seem to be a good way to be visible on the road…Thank India for saving Harley-Davidson.
A Harley-Davidson Under Each Indian
Published by August 28th, 2009 in Builders, Editorial and Events.27 Responses to “A Harley-Davidson Under Each Indian”
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Great news. The more people that ride Big Twins worldwide the better for the industry.
Maybe, we’ll see the return of a hooka strapped to handlebar risers.
Ah yes, of course…. And of course, Harley has NO intention to ship back bikes produced in India to the US markets….. (cough, cough)
A Global brand operating in a Global economy – its all inevitable. And probably a good thing too.
Harley is not going to sell many helmets in India. Their Turbans are India DOT approved.
Harley said on Thursday it is seeking dealers in key cities Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and the state of Punjab.
Building a long-term business, not gaining volumes or market share in India, is the company’s immediate priority.
“We are not looking for any “IMMEDIATE” performance.
We would invest for the long haul because we think India has got great strengths as an economy,” Levatich said.
The company will appoint the first few dealers by the first half of 2010 and was “actively” seeking financing partners.
Harley will import bikes and sell them as complete units in India and has no plans for the time being to set up an assembling or manufacturing facility in the country, he said. true or false ?
Would the Motor Co dare to take a chance on letting us know if they plan on building off shore for fear of losing U.S. sales in hard times. I don’t think so.
If intent is there on their part you may see a facility built, but operating under/ combined affiliates name in the same manner as Hero/Honda operates.
HD has been building parts “off shore” for years …. why would it surprise anyone if they started building complete bikes in India?
Question: If HD does infact build complete bikes in India would the completed bikes then be known as “Indians” ? That is a question only Rogue can answer. LOL
Over & Out,
Jeff
Look closely at this photo… I see metric bikes, I think only one of them might be a Harley.
The models to be introduced 1st are rumored to be the Fat Boy and Sportster. You can trade in your mangoes.
A business starts up, low taxes maybe even an abatement in a given area, locals welcome with open arms; progress, people go to work at the business, all good.
Time evolves area grows, taxes increase, abatement goes away, overheads and burdens rise, entitlements at every corner, labor organizes, cats get fat want to get fatter, profits decrease except for the few, margins threaten business viability. Stock holders in panic, nest eggs disappearing, management changed. New blood same story change is coming.
Business moves to suburbs of area, overtime same issues arrise business relocates part or all moves out of state.
Interstate commerce pits state against state, California/Nevada ring a bell? Wisconsin or Pa vs Kansas, York, Pa. vs maybe Tennesssee, Kentucky, etc., etc.
Federal burdens, entitlements, labor, cost of doing business in states increases. Business relocates all or part overseas.
Original country of business market dwindling, overextended, living outside its means, rest of the world catching up, new markets emerging, business extended open arms by emerging new markets, new markets located in countries with import duties and laws to curb undermining of its viability/ its country’s economy resulting affect costs of product double of orginal price point due to duties, but original country still extending free trade on its end not recipicated by newly emerging country of market with its unbalanced trade barriers.
Business still needs new market to survive or sustain numbers cuts deal to skirt duties and import taxes by manufactoring in new market, low labor, tax abatements, no entitlements, higher margins, etc., etc.
Parts support/supply system follows or some may say led the way. Original stock holders no longer have income to invest in company stock, new foreign investment, resultant in American company being American in name only, foreign owned. Cursory buildings still open to maintain image, history, etc. Few American employess still employed at historic site, program established so they can garden during parts of the day to justify existance/full time employment. for a few in America, factories started in Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, China. India, etc., etc. now thriving.
It is not just HD, the selling of America and its soul is across the board.
Not against international global economics, but if not equal in all terms of government/country subsidy, import duties applied, EPA, other restraints; its not equal and one sided resultant in the profit of the few and the short sightedness of the customer of cheap.
Support local and state economics first, fair tax a must across the board, stop the creation of generations of entitled, entitlements and the blood suckers that profit off keeping the down and out down by passification with token crumbs distributed, end the never ending dead end.
Train the untrained, rebuild America. Family values start at home. Allow the entitled to perform services that includes growth potential/training in exchange for the entitlement, eliminating the need or cultivation of entitlements/programs. Help the helpless.
Albeit a rant this is not a rant about nationalization as I would support the same for most democratic countries just not the unbalanced playing fields no matter the country nor the selling of ones soul for the few, the powerful, the manipulative or the shortsighted..
Welcome to the club – our Indian riding brothers. 🙂
“Potato-Potato” will be downloaded into your genetic tree and passed on to future Indian generations.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Ever wonder why Harley-Davidson® did not pursue a copyright© for the “Harley sound”?
I have. IIMO, H-D® was advised from their legal dept. that the platform for potato, potato can be mechanically reproduced by any company with a 45-degree twin, a 3-7/16″ piston, a heavy set of flywheels, and firing order of: (First, the will flywheel have completed a 360-degree rotation from the rear piston’s (TDC) plus an additional 45-degrees (the distance between the two cylinders) and fire at 405-degrees (aka “Poe”) on the front cylinder.
The flywheels will then make one additional 360-degree turn (the wasted spark rotation) (aka “Tay”) and then fire on the rear cylinder at 315-degrees (aka “Toe”).
Anyway, metaphysically speaking, this “feel” gets recorded in a person’s gene’s and is passed on, where it shows up in the DNA scan of children of Harley® parents.
Feature the DNA as a barcode. The Harley gene would show up in off-springs DNA on like the 49th bar (reading from left to right).
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
We’d like to see more pics of the Indian factory.
Grayhawk,
Well said!
Over & Out,
Jeff
In a report by the World Bank, 42 percent of the population of India earns less than 1.25 dollars per day. PER DAY. It is estimated that a third of the world’s poor live in India.
At the risk of sounding politically incorrect, or maybe even cruel, I don’t think Harley can sell very many 20 thousand dollar motorcycles to people that urinate in the same pool they get their drinking water from.
Visit a country where Nike shoes are made, you won’t see them on the shoemaker’s feet… just like you won’t see Indian asses on Harley seats.
Dave Blevins although I do agree with the principal of your point 42% of 1 or 2 billion still leaves the remaining layers of income as in most countries and if only a couple percent of the billion or so population can afford a product that is a bit of product. The market numbers and potential consumption/needs/purchase power in India and China are as stagering as our debt.
Remember not that long ago in your parents generation after the depression and dust bowl years America the up and comer industrialized and parts of Europe declined, then we, the US and Europe got lazy/greedy, etc. and outsourced to Japan/elsewhere, they first turned out crap steel, parts, vehicles, etc. but overtime and inturn evolved/refined and then outsourced to Korea, Taiwan, Malayasia, etc. for most all the reasons I stated in my original rant. Now its India and China to name a couple at the threshold of industrialization and all of western civilization is accomodating and shortsighted.
Again take care of the homefront, posture for the future generations of Americans in math,sciences, trades, craftsmanship and manufacturing and deal with other countries in a fair/balanced playing field upcoming or not but not at the expense of the demise of the U.S. or be content with a country of civil servants, government distributors/definers, and import consultants and those sitting around liberalizing until it hits home with them and conservative mindsets light up their room and they wonder how it happened to them.
If left to the all powerful or politically empowered no matter the affiliation, international or domestic based or both they will self serve and profit and milk the cow dry/destroy the pasture and move on to a new cow in a new pasture all the while selling it as in your interest.
Hi,
I’m Pulkit reporting live from India.
There’s a lot of excitement among bikers here regarding the launch of the HD bikes. Many people had been staring at the countdown running on http://www.harley-davidson.in marking today as the day for the launch. Since the website has been launched and contains very little info, people are curious to know more. The official website looks more like a teaser 🙂
Anyways, HD is organising it’s first ride in India on 30th August (Sunday) and all Harley owners have been invited for the 35 km (excuse me ?) ride in the capital city, New Delhi. Harley Davidson is also looking for to setup a dealer network in India very soon. They have placed to info brochure on their website along with info of the 5 models they will launch in 2010 here.
I’ll keep providing updates from India as soon as we have them 🙂
Happy Biking !!
Great. Welcome. It’s a wonderful world (once you accept the “fluid” world trade balance).
The parts are always up to Harley-Davidson® standards (no matter where their made.
Same with clothing labels. The same item “Made in Turkey” one yr. will have “Made in Bulgaria”, the next year. Same style, same quality, no compromise there.
Free-trade works just fine. (i.e; “HoneyLope” (Orange-fruit) melons (a honeydew/cantaloupe hybrid) are available year-round (grown in Equador) one season, and the northern hemi on the flip season. Better than cantaloupe, they ripen all the way to the rind (by design).
Create a “Ride India” site, linked to your current H-D site, so we can mix-it up with the local people. 🙂
Gray-
Ya, it’s a global market, more-n-more.
RE:
“… Now its India and China to name a couple at the threshold of industrialization and all of western civilization is accommodating and shortsighted…”
RE:
“… not the unbalanced playing fields no matter the country nor the selling of ones soul for the few, the powerful, the manipulative or the shortsighted….”
Sure, we’re catching it from both sides……. Open-marketers and Command-economists…..
(but then, we always have).
So, ya pays your money wisely and ya takes your chances.
Me, i’ll take my chances with the marketeers. At least they offer choices.
So, let the Indians build HD’s….. as long as there isn’t any clunker-bike laws that force ya to buy-em…… 🙂
What ever percentage of the 1Billion Indians want to buy an Indian HD……… Cool!
Maybe some of em will want “real-custom-bikes” from the US.
Then there’s that another Billion Chinese, what could some of them want from us…???
Compare that to the US with about 300 million or the UK with 50 million…. 🙁
-BTW-
You do know that the Japanese were building HD flatheads before WW-II… right…???
Anyway, all that “Command” stuff can be real tricky, no matter what policy or commodity your pushing.
Take for example required National Health care.
– 1st largest employer in the world – Chines Army.
– 2nd largest employer in the world – Indian National Railway System
– 3rd largest employer in the world – UK National Health Care System
So, how many public employees would it take to “manage” Obama-care care for the 300 million in the US?
The point is simply this:
We may not like what happens when people are “allowed to do business,” as individuals, the way they want.
And sure, sometimes they make messes….. 🙁
But history shows us that the really big messes are usually Government made….. 🙂
So, about HD doing stuff in India…. Hay, it is what it is…..
As long as no one forces me to buy one….. no harm, no foul.
Just my perspective.
-nicker-
Hey Nicker, I will take my chances with marketeers over business.gov as well just want the US to stand up and trade/deal on leveler global playing field to minimize the lack of competitive export capabilities from our shores, no more no less. Noting as such not against people or companies being allowed to do business on or offshore.
Yes I am aware of the sell off of the 30’s HD outdated early flathead technology to Japan with the new fangled UL Flattie and OHV Knuckle set to roll off the line replacing said earlier flatties guess they thought they were selling them, the japanese a pig in a poke guess $3k plus was a big roi value at the time who knows not me. Noting I am the proud owner of a few of those old outdated technology bikes, the US versions of course.
Hell they, the factory did not even keep the early records as a business practice irregardless of what was lost in the factory fire so no surprise they would sell off the replaced as the next newest came about. Just glad someone had the insight to keep at least one of most models from early on in the archive section at the factory so we all can enjoy what is now on display in the HD museum.
The UK Health system being the worlds 3rd largest employor should open some eyes but not many that cannot see past their nose. Not sure I would use public employees and manage in the same sentence but did get your point. If the business.gov takes up health care of ; what is it about 1/6th of the US economy as it is now, it will balloon to about half the US economy or more and maybe the US as a whole will follow California’s path with closed eyes to real demise?
The India’s and Chinese want what they are getting the buying of America piece by piece, loan by loan. If someone researched the syndicated farm lands of America, no not Joe Farmer but corporate farms one might be surprised yet again. Food supply is the commodity of most concern in the not so far off future.
As I have stated before not really politically affilated but do not like big brother nor big gov and damn sure don’t want them dismissing my rights or the rights of the individual.
Regards
Gray-
I’m with ya on the level playing field.
Just don’t see how any reasonable legislation could be implemented without the reintroduction of a strong dose of nationalism. Right now there are just too many hands in the cookie jar…. 🙁
RE:
“…If someone researched the syndicated farm lands of America, no not Joe Farmer but corporate farms one might be surprised yet again. Food supply is the commodity of most concern in the not so far off future…”
Ya….. the Farm land food thing could become a major issue.
But as i recall, the same deal played out totally differently in the 70’s when the Japanese were buying up stuff…. ?? Pissed everybody off, but didn’t do-em much good in the long run.
However, wouldn’t be the first time Food and resources have been used to instigate international instability. The “Lebensraum” idea (the Germanic people needing sufficient space to feed a growing country) was a concept developed by Friedrich Ratzel (1897), long before Adolf Hitler brought it to prominence.
But then, with our politicos ignorant of history (Hell they were hardly able to grasp the concept of keeping our oil and ports out of off-shore hands), who knows how such stuff will play out in this “New World Order”……. Chinese already control some part of the Port of Long Beach………:-(
Decisions, decisions, decisions……… (who makes em?)
National Industries -vs- Global Industries
Socialism -vs- Capitalism
Nationalism -vs- Globalism
Free-market -vs- Command Economies
Competition -vs- Collectivism
Corn for food -vs- Corn for Fuel
Custom-Cars & Motorcycles -vs- Peoples-cars & Electric-Mopeds
We live in “Interesting Times”………..
Good dialog, thanks.
-nicker-
Hell, this is
Hey Pulkit,
Welcome to the Harley world. May you and your countrymen love it and respect it like we Americans have.
The world, its all coming together good and/bad. Let’s have a fun time with it.
Now, from a “branding” standpoint, the “Indian” Motorcycle Company cannot be far behind the HD strategy in India.
Their new plant in North Carolina is impressive but still expensive to run compared to an India location.
Welcome about the Biker Train India.
BikerMarc
I HAVE NEVER SEEN AN UGLIER PICTURE IN MY LIFE. THESE DOT HEADS ARE PLAIN FUGLY LOOKING! THIS COULD MAKE ME BUY A TARGET RIFLE AND TRYING TO HIT THOSE DOT HEADS ON THE DOT ! THIS ALSO WOULD BE THE TIME TO MARKET “GRIPS” WITH TOILET PAPER BUILT INTO THEM !
Harley’s made in India?!?!?!? BUY AN INDIAN!!! MADE IN THE U.S.A
Pullkit –
We have great similarities with India. In India they honor the sacred cow.
Sometimes a person will grab a cows tail and dust his face.
In the USA, dogs are treated like God (since they are a mirror-image, d-o-g flipped is God). 🙂
Not only do we dust our face with their tails. We smell their feet too, and like it, or kiss their black, stretched, rubber-band lips, and ice-cold noses, even though 5 minutes ago they licked their butt. We don’t care….. dogs are God and Jesus isn’t part of the mix at all. No way. 🙂
Can anybody in India replicate the 1936-1964 3.5 gallon OHV gas tanks?
That’s all that matters. Provide us with true replica gas tanks and keystone the last part needed for replica 1955-57 Big Twins. Do something different. Don’t be complacent with the mainstream modern motorcycle.
Yes,the Harley is finally here in india.big economy,big country…sure harley can sold decent numbers if the prices are right.as far as the sales goes,even harley will be surprised to see how much money the indians have.
and for u bigalyts,u dont even have a guts to speak to any indian sikh….he will kill u before u can even speak a work..assh@#le..
So Pullkit,
Here’s the facts on the 3.5 gallon tanks.
An inside source told me today that V-Twin® is too under-capitalized to manufacture replica 3.5 gallon (1936-1947 Knuckle) or (1948-1964 Panhead) fuel tanks. Small wonder, those (2) piece tanks w/ emblem stamped mount screw indents have never been topped my any world industrial art form in world history. Not Ferrari®, not anybody.
It takes 200 ton presses and special formulated “drawing steel” (the same used in Knucklehead lower valve spring covers. Get out your 1940-47 service manual and look at #10 page 50).
You’re Harley-Davidson® now, call Dr. Marty in Milwaukee and see if he has any info on the 51-54 tanks. Considering how many different emblem patterns their were from 1947 to 1964, it looks like they had to create new outside tanks with every emblem change, though they used the same tank inside section over and over.
India could make new inside, and only one outside tank to start with. Make the outside tank for 1951-1953 (HD script with underbar) or just the 1954 (script, w/o under_bar).
Make the tanks for “foot shif”t only. NO TANK SHIFTS. This allow foot shift and jockey shift riders the same tanks and saves HD® from the tool up cost of shift gate indents and screw indents.
CNC the stamps. Maybe the stamps don’t need to be 100 ton anymore. Maybe hydraulic forces can be used instead.
See how big the demand is after the first run. Run a poll on the H-D® website. See how many people wouyld like to be able to buy them again.
IMO, only Harley-Davidson® can afford to re-create the originals. How many people would line up for OEM Harley-Davidson 3.5 gallon tanks w/ pop-up reserve rod?
Plenty.
We have all of the other parts for 1955-1957 Panheads available at V-Twin® and high-quality “speedster” and “buckhorn” handlebars from an AMCA manufacturer.
We’re ready for 3.5 gallon tanks. 🙂
Well, for goodness sikh! They all have “turbo”s
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A definite great read…
Your blog is so informative … ..I just bookmarked you….keep up the good work!!!!