As part of its latest Back to the Bricks campaign towards a return to profitability, Harley-Davidson has revealed that the new Sprint will debut as the entry point into the brand.
- Harley-Davidson Sprint will be made in India by Hero MotoCorp
- Based on the 440 platform, but with traditional cruiser style
The new Harley-Davidson Sprint 440 was first announced by former Harley CEO Jochen Zeitz last year, and the company has now revealed a sketch that gives us a good idea of what it will look like. While the original X440 and the subsequent X440 T may not have been what Harley fans in India were expecting in terms of design, the Sprint definitely goes in that direction.
This is a long, low and traditional cruiser design, and from what we can tell in the sketch, it appears to be using a small rear wheel and a large front one – probably 16-inch and 19-inch, respectively. The seat height is also likely to be lower than the current 440s, which is good news for newer or smaller riders.
Design-wise, it features a flowing, teardrop-shaped tank that drops down to a scooped rider seat and rises back up slightly for the pillion seat. There’s a short rear fender, while the headlamp seems to extend forward of the raked-out front fork. The proportions immediately match those of a stretched-out cruiser, and this has the potential to be a good-looking motorcycle.
The powertrain is likely to be very similar to what we’ve seen in the current X440 siblings. This is a 440cc single-cylinder oil-cooled engine that produces 27hp and 38Nm of torque and is mated to a 6-speed gearbox. The main chassis also has the same downward sloping bar as the current 440s, but it will surely have a different rear subframe. The steering rake angle at the front is also likely to be more relaxed on this motorcycle.
It will be interesting to see how well-equipped the new Harley Sprint 440 is. For example, the new X440 T debuted ride-by-wire and features such as traction control, and that bike costs more than the original X440. What is safe to expect is that the improved quality and finish that debuted on the X440 T will find their way here as well.
The standard Harley-Davidson X440 is priced between Rs 2.35 lakh and Rs 2.59 lakh, while the X440 T is priced at Rs 2.85 lakh, ex-showroom, India. How the new Sprint 440 is positioned remains to be seen, but we do expect the bike to go on sale in India by the end of 2026, following the international unveil. This will be the first Harley-Davidson made by Hero MotoCorp to be exported since the two giants entered into an agreement in 2020.
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
