Harley-Davidson X440 T review: A bike collab that’s finally come of age

When Harley-Davidson first announced the X440 in partnership with Hero MotoCorp in October 2020, the reception was part curiosity, part cynicism. Could an American cruiser reimagined for Indian roads and wallets survive without the excess or the exhaust note that made Harleys famous? The Harley-Davidson X440 launched in July 2023 proved that there was an aisle in the crowded Indian motorcycle supermarket for a Harley you didn’t hear coming from three streets away.

The new Harley-Davidson X440 T is the brand’s determined effort to garner more footfalls in that aisle. It’s cleaner to look at, smoother to ride, and peppered with more tech than its predecessor. The design no longer feels like three different bikes ended up in one assembly line. The X440 T looks like a well thought-through motorcycle. The silhouette is cohesive, there’s a redesigned rear subframe, slimmer side panels, new tail-lamp, and grab rails that look integrated rather than bolted on as an afterthought. The seat has been reshaped, and all of it comes together to give the X440 T a proper stance. The exhaust has evolved too; what was once a slightly apologetic stub now wears proper heat shields and a reworked end can.

The changes are beyond skin deep. Harley-Davidson hasn’t just refreshed the styling; it has clearly spent time tightening the overall quality. At the product presentation, the company emphasized 72 revisions over the standard X440, and once you start looking closely, it shows. The heel plates, footpegs, rear brake lever and the chassis welds are noticeably more robust and better finished. The switchgear has been upgraded too, using higher-quality plastics and offering a more reassuring, tactile action.

The TFT screen displays information cleanly, with night, day, and auto modes available. The Bluetooth connectivity is quick enough to seek and sync while waiting at a traffic light. What made me scratch my head was the decision to provide a charging port that is USB-A compatible in an era where most charging cables are USB-C at both ends.

Riding position

The riding triangle—seat, handlebar and pegs—is not an ergonomic assault disguised as “cool riding position”. It’s natural, neutral and comfortable enough for both short grocery runs and the long, snarling traffic ride from Karol Bagh to Gurugram. The seat is broad and comfortable, the handlebars fall intuitively to hand, and the new bar-end mirrors give an uncommonly clear view of the traffic behind rather than your elbows.

The 440cc air-and-oil-cooled single still produces 27.3 bhp and 38 Nm of torque, but it feels more polished now. The refinement has improved, and the vibration levels are under control. The clutch and six-speed gearbox are pleasantly light. Purists might sniff at how un-Harley-Davidson that sounds, but in practice it’s terrific. Shifts are crisp, neutral is easy to find, and the gearing feels spot-on for both city and highway.

The engine feels genuinely usable in real-world riding. It doesn’t throw you back in your seat, but it picks up cleanly from low revs, making it well-suited for slow, bumper-to-bumper commutes. There’s enough grunt in the mid-range to execute clean overtakes without panic downshifts, and the torque delivery is smooth and predictable. Cruising at 80–90 kmph feels like its natural habitat. Push it to 100kmph and it still holds its composure, but beyond that it starts to feel like you’re asking it to work overtime. It’s not unhappy up there, but you know it would rather stay in the 90s.

The X440 T now gets a ride-by-wire throttle which means current is the medium of modulation rather than the conventional cable. This makes the Road and Rain ride modes possible. It also gets traction control and switchable ABS on the rear brake. These aren’t gimmicks—Rain mode will prove to be a godsend during the Mumbai monsoons, softening throttle response just enough to keep you in control. Road mode adds back the throttle bite, enough to make overtakes clean and quiet. It’s the kind of courtesy you never expected from a Harley.

The X440 T’s suspension has one notable weakness. On clean tarmac, it feels balanced and planted, but over rough patches the KYB USD front forks with their 130mm of travel react a little too keenly, feeding back more texture than you want. It can feel borderline brutal over badly broken roads. Otherwise, it’s stable even during hard cornering. The 18-inch front and 17-inch rear wheels, booted with MRF Zapper Hyke tubeless tyres, keep the ride composed on reasonably smooth roads.

The braking is strong and confidence inspiring, handled by a 320mm front and 240mm rear disc setup. The bite is progressive, the feel is communicative, and the entire system feels far more refined than before, making the inertia of this 192kg Harley-Davidson feel manageable.

The motorcycle’s chunkiness hints at the HD XR1200, which the designers surely peeked at while bent over the drawing board.

The Harley-Davidson genes are apparent in the design. As for its exhaust note, the X440 T clearly wants to be part of the Harley-Davidson club, but it never quite gets stamped in. What it actually makes me think of is a Hero Splendor—just louder, a bit beefier, maybe one that’s been hitting the gym and discovered protein powder, but a Splendor all the same.

The X440 T also comes with practicalities its godfather brand has traditionally regarded with American disdain—like actually caring about fuel efficiency. With a claimed 35kpl and a 13.5-litre tank, the riding range should exceed 400 kilometres. The heat management is excellent, making the XT far easier to live with in stop-and-go city traffic. If you spend your weekdays dodging honking taxis and weekends on leisurely breakfast rides, this new Harley fits neatly into both worlds.

Has it earned its aisle space?

Built at Hero MotoCorp’s Neemrana plant, the X440 T represents the second phase of Harley’s Indian experiment and it is one that feels more confident in execution and less desperate for validation. This motorcycle doesn’t pretend to be an American import wearing a desi badge; it’s very much an Indian motorcycle with a bit of Harley stitched thoughtfully in.

Prices start at ₹2.79 lakh ex-showroom. This makes it more expensive than the Triumph Speed 400 ( ₹2.33 lakh ex showroom) and the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 ( ₹2.72 lakh ex showroom for the top variant).