Harley-Davidson celebrated five years of its presence in India by organising an exclusive party for its H.O.G. members and dealership owners at the India Bike Week 2015. The bike major also organised a H.O.G. rally that started from Mumbai and concluded in Goa, at the IBW 2015 venue.
Harley-Davidson provided Autocar with a succession of motorcycles for the ride including the Harley-Davidson Street 750, the Fat Bob, the Breakout and the Street Glide Special.
Although the HD Street 750 was the smallest capacity motorcycle there, it did not fall behind any of the larger capacity bikes, keeping up well with the group's pace. Also, impressively, the Street 750 was properly comfortable for long rides. The Breakout's riding posture is not ideal for long distance cruising, but nevertheless, we enjoyed riding the large chopper-style motorcycle, and had the chance to push it to its limit.
The other bike we rode extensively was the very capable Harley-Davidson Fat Bob. It proved to be a quick and effortless motorcycle on which to cover miles of tarmac without hesitation and one that was comfortable as well. The largest motorcycle we rode was the Street Glide Special. It's practical and offers a good amount of power. The entertainment system that comes with a touchscreen, two speakers, radio and Bluetooth compatibility works rather well too.
The exclusive party was organised the next day at the IBW 2015 venue to facilitate the most regular members of the H.O.G. and also to honour its dealerships.
At the event, Anoop Prakash, managing director of H-D India, distributed awards to H.O.G. members who successfully made it to all five of the zonal H.O.G. rallies in India. There were also performances from well-known musicians.
The number of Harley-Davidson Street 750s that turned up at IBW 2015 – in stock and modified avatars – was a treat to see. This comes as no surprise as Harley-Davidson has sold 2,620 Street 750s in the last 10 months in India and this model has proved to be the bike maker's best seller here thus far.