Harley-Davidson goes Indian

August 24, 6:46 PMSeattle Motorcycle ExaminerPhil Herring

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Harley-Davidson prepares to take on mighty Royal Enfield

Not that Indian.  Indian, as in India. 

The Motor Company lands on the exotic shores August 27th, in conjunction with the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) annual convention.  Matt Levatich, president and chief operating officer of Harley-Davidson will be at the event.

First to market are the 883cc Roadster and the Fatboy, throwing HD into a testosterone-charged battle with Royal Enfield for cruiser supremacy. 

The launch has experienced multiple delays due to increasing import duties, but it's speculated that the growing market in India together with weak domestic sales triggered the launch.

In related news (only because misery loves company), BMW reported worldwide sales down 10% in July '09 compared to July '08, totaling 9,604 units.  Last July the Works reported 10,600 units sold.  This leaves annual sales for '09 off 15% from 2008.  

For more information see www.harley-davidson.in and www.bmwmotorcycles.com, but at a discrete distance from each other.

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