The roads will never be the same again. Heads will turn; the narrow, pot-holed, jammed city tracks will open up. The legendary Harley- Davidson (H-D) machines, the very definition of motorcycles, the bold style statement, a culture, will hit the roads like never before.
The soft launch of the first-ever Harley-Davidson store in the state, Spice Coast Harley-Davidson, was held. And even before the official launch slated for some time soon, all the machines that arrived in the first lot have been sold out.
Brand power
“That’s the power of the brand. We put up a signage in front of our showroom and that was enough. For business reasons we need to keep models on display. So what we have in our store are in fact those that have already been sold. They will hit the road as soon as we get the next lot ,” informs Mitesh Patel, director of the exclusive store and a ‘crazy’ H-D fan.
There is something that has lured men and women to the H-D motorcycles down the years. For some it is that unexplainable sense of freedom, it is the sound of the pipes as the machines cruise, that wide, comfortable riding stance, or simply inspired by that culture.
It is not unusual to see people stand and stare at the iconic, Fat Boy with its fat tyres, fat fenders, the quintessential H-D Softail, or the race-inspired Sportster, with its sleek, flat torque curve and street styling. These are images from their dreams; of riding on one of them, regal, in full charge, where everything else on the road pales into insignificance.
The on-prices range from a whopping Rs. 6, 24,144 to a mind-boggling Rs. 41, 198, 802 for the customised CVO.
The store sells not just the machines. Ask any owner of a Harley and they will say that customising their proud possession and matching the look of the motorcycles with the right apparel also becomes important. There is an extensive collection of jackets, shirts, safety riding gear, T-shirts, caps, helmets for men and women that combine function with style. And a wide range of H-D souvenirs, merchandise and accessories. “If you can’t own a motorcycle you can at least possess a part of it in the form of the accessories or original keepsakes. The store offers that. It will also turn into a place where H-D owners and fans can get together once in a while. The store will gradually turn into a meeting place for the Harley Owners Group (HOG), something that has been happening for decades as a true social networking before the cyber era.”
What Harley-Davidson has done is that they have built motorcycles and created a fabled brand. The image of motorcycles and bikers has changed with Harley-Davidson. The quality of the machines, parts, the designs, have kept customers come back loyally, generation after generation.
