Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson’s 2024 Factory King of the Baggers Team

HARLEY-DAVIDSON FACTORY RACE TEAM LAUNCHES FOR 2024 MOTOAMERICA MISSON KING OF THE BAGGERS RACING SERIES 18-Race Schedule Includes Round at Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas MILWAUKEE (February 16, 2024) – The Harley-Davidson® Factory Race Team today launches its 2024 season with an exciting video featuring team riders Kyle Wyman and James Rispoli aboard new race-prepared 2024 Harley-Davidson® Road Glide® motorcycles based on the all-new touring platform for the MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers road racing series. The video, with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the team, dials up the fun and irreverence of the King of the Baggers series, and will debut today on the Harley-Davidson YouTube Channel and other social channels. An exciting special round was recently added to the 2024 Mission King Of The Baggers Championship by appearing during the third round of the FIM MotoGP World Championship at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, April 12-13. This two-race appearance during the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas weekend will mark the first time an international audience will see the thundering King Of The Baggers bikes in competition. In addition to the two points-paying races on Saturday, April 13, there will be a three-lap Mission Challenge on Friday afternoon with the six fastest qualifiers battling for a $5000 winner-take-all purse. This special round expands the 2024 Mission King Of The Baggers schedule to 18 total races. Wyman and Rispoli will compete aboard race-prepared 2024 Harley-Davidson Road Glide® motorcycles powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle® Milwaukee-Eight® 131 Performance Crate Engines. These motorcycles are based on the all-new 2024 Road Glide model, including the sleek new next-generation sharknose fairing design. Many of the race motorcycle body panels are formed with the same lightweight forged carbon fiber material featured on the 2024 CVO™ Road Glide® ST model. The

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The cousin for Harley-Davidson X440

Even as X440 takes on the local behemoth Royal Enfield, the global two-wheeled giant Hero MotoCorp’s Mavrick 440 was unveiled in India at Hero World 2024. Based on the Harley-Davidson X440, it features a power-roadster design philosophy and will be available for bookings in February 2024. The Mavrick was co-developed in association with Harley-Davidson and is based on the X440. Available in five colour options, across variants, dealerships will accept bookings from February 2024 with deliveries beginning April 2024. Harley-Davidson X440 and Mavrick 440 share the same engine and trellis frame. Yet it looks drastically different and may not appeal to those who loved the X440 design derived from Harley-Davidson XR1200. Mavrick 440 will likely compete well against those left behind by the X440, including the big four Japanese brands. In all of this, the other retro-cruisers such as recently announced Honda CB350 and Jawa Forty-two and the Roadsters from Yezdi and TVS seem lost in the noise, with less brand appeal and even less after-sales expectations. Find out the detailed specs, features and updates at https://www.heromotocorp.com/en-in/motorcycles/Mavrick.html With the launch of Mavrick 440, the buyers of Harley-Davidson X440 might also breathe a sigh of relief as the doubt for after-sales-service and parts might get resolved. Hopefully, H-D’s franchising strategy with Hero and Chinese QJ Motors (for China market) is a long-term strategy. I doubt if Harley-Davidson will again disappear overnight —since Hero has engaged so much resources, it is likely a tight, well-planned partnership. * * * *

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Hero MotoCorp announces streetfighter juxtaposed to Harley-Davidson X440

Hero ‘Maverick’ is the upcoming streetfighter, positioned against Harley-Davidson X440. It will also go up against the popular Yamaha MT lineup. Hero and Harley-Davidson are working together but who will win in their respective sales volumes? Hero MotoCorp is the exclusive distributor and service provider for Harley-Davidson in India. Together they built and launched the X440 last year to good pre-booking numbers. The forthcoming Hero Mavrick will share identical foundational elements, such as the trellis frame and the 440 cc oil-cooled, single-cylinder engine. However, it will undergo several modifications to distinguish itself more distinctly from its American counterpart. While Harley-Davidson X440 is categorized as a roadster, the forthcoming Mavrick will be positioned as a streetfighter. It all starts with a cool name. That’s how marketing and branding works. I bet Hero MotoCorp will sell a lot more of these Maverick bikes than H-D’s X440 bikes—- no doubt inspired from a ‘Top Tom’ movie of the same name. If Hero MotoCorp don’t show an advertisement featuring airplane pilots, aspiring owners will probably be disappointed. These will also compete well against existing Yamaha lineup including Yamaha MT-15. Bajaj Pulsar is still a well-known common model and Hero now has its Karizma ZMR as well as Maverick to rival Bajaj. * * * * Subscribe to be in the loop of all things on two-wheels, click to roll. Free weekly newsletter. Once a week, no spam, nothing but motorcycle related content.

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Aprilia to compete with Enfields?

There might be an Aprilia model to compete with Royal Enfield Classic 350 which is a top-selling model in its class since launch. A new test mule has been spotted in Europe and it has a similar engine casing as the RS 457. It also features old-school styling and body parts that indicates that the world is finally noticing the timeless appeal (and profits) of Enfield models which have built a nice empire in mid-capacity motorcycles for over a decade now. A new retro-styled test bike is getting testes around Europe which on close scrutiny of spied photos suggests it is an Aprilia. Multiple aspects convince eager enthusiasts to claim it is an upcoming Aprilia motorcycle. Engine casing visible on the right hand side is similar to the RS 457’s unit. This test model’s motor appears to be larger in the images. It has a larger exhaust also. But there are many features giving it an appearance of RS 457. However, the design is not very impressive so this would have to be a very early prototype. The aesthetics of its headlight, tank shrouds, and the tail section, seem as if they were all assembled by a local garage shop. A retrofitted model is not exactly a test mule so the mystery is intriguing indeed. RS 457 uses a 457cc, twin-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine with 47.6bhp and 43.5Nm linked to a six-speed gearbox. It has a slipper clutch. Aprilia may carry these forward with different tuning. A slim USD front forks, dual rear shocks, and single disc at both ends are possible indications as well. Its alloy wheels and TVS tyres seem to be borrowed from the RS. It could take any amount of time before Aprilia debuts this retro-styled motorcycle in production form. The current iteration of RS 457 has

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