2027 Harley-Davidson Sprint!

The 2027 Harley-Davidson Sprint 440

Greetings and salutations my awesome MotoReaders! I hope that you've been out enjoying this weather and logging some miles since my last piece because I sure have! I recently got back from a motorcycle trip to Milwaukee where I was able to spend some time at Juneau Ave, but more on that later. 

Apparently, while I was there, several YouTube creators were test riding the new 2027 Sprint 440... which is odd because your old pal The MotoWriter never got his invitation for this special event... weird, I know. Maybe Artie and the crew just forgot to put the stamp on mine, or maybe it just got lost in the mail. Either way, I'll forgive them... just as long as they don't forget to send my invitation to the release of the new Road King ST, rumored to be coming to us next year. But for now, let's talk about this new scooter that we've been waiting to see!

The Hero Harley-Davidson

Now, I know what some of you are thinking, so I'll go ahead and say it first- this bike isn't a real Harley-Davidson... or is it? 

First things first- I want to point out a couple of things, and as a man of integrity and good character, I'll start by admitting that I was wrong. In the piece I did about the Sprint, back in August of last year (read it here, I'll wait), I boldy predicted that it would be based on the Chinese made "X" bikes. Well, I was wrong... more or less. You see, it wasn't until I started doing the actual research on the new Sprint, that I overlooked a very significant detail- the X350RA (their new Rider Academy bike that replaced the Street 500) is built by the Chinese Motor Vehicle company, Zhejiang Jisheng, under the Benelli name.  The Harley-Davidson  X440, available overseas, primarily in India, is actually built by the Indian company, Hero Motocorp. This was a  significant oversight on my part, but in my defense, it was an easy assumption to make since both bikes have the nomenclature "X" as their model name, which is more than a little misleading. To add to the confusion, the Chinese X350RA does have a bigger brother- the Harley-Davidson branded X500, which is only available in the Asian markets... confused yet? Me too... but now you can see how I got all this mixed up. I could have easily assumed that both (or all of these) bikes were made by India's Hero, but I just happened to research the 350RA and X500 first, which led me to believe that the X440 was just a middle sibling to the X350 and X500, but all from the same company. It also didn't hurt my assumption, that the engines of the Chinese 350 and 500, and the Indian 440, share some of the same visal architecture. Instead of the 440 being a middle child of the Chinese 350 and 500, think about it more like a cousin, instead. Or, maybe it's more like a half brother... same mom, different dad. Either way, you get the gist... it's a different bike, altogether.

I was correct in my prediction, however, that the new Sprint would be a bike built in collaboration with an overseas manufacturer, and that it would be based, somewhat, on the Riding Academy bike. It makes good sense to do it this way, because it makes it easier for new riders to transition from the bike they rode in the Riding Academy to a bike that's the same, or very similar, to one in the showroom. While the two bikes are similar, as I recently learned, they are surprisingly different.

Similar, But Different

Let's take a closer look at the two, India built, bikes, shall we?

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To the left, the 2027 Sprint 440, and to the right, the 2023 X440.

While both motorcycles are built by Hero Motorcorp in India, and as such, share similar DNA, you can see that the Motor Company has definitely infused the Sprint with its iconic styling. Starting with the front, and working our way aft, the Sprint sports a larger front hoop and a slight rake compared to it's "X" counterpart. The handlebars, headlight and fuel tank, all recall the classic Harley-Davidson form, as does the low-slung saddle and the signficantly lower rear fender profile, which, in my opinion, really gives it that classic H-D attitude. The Sprint feels like a Harley, whereas the X440 looks exactly like what it is, a re-branded motorcycle. Sure, many will argue that the Sprint still isn't a real Harley-Davidson, and I do agree... mostly; let me explain.

Our beloved MoCo might be known for it's Big Twin engines and heavyweight cruisers, but part of their story (just like nearly every vehicle manufacturer) includes collaborations with other companies. The Motor Company has also built their own single cylinder motorcycles, back in the 1950s... remember the little Model 125s, more commonly referred to as the Hummers (which is another cool story, but let's stay focused on the Sprint for now). But even the Hummers were based on a German design. The MoCo took the blueprints from the German DKW RT 125, as post-World War II war reparations for all of Germany's orneriness, did some re-tooling here in the States and built little 125cc, single cylinder motorcycles as an alternative to their bigger bikes of the day. Then, in the 1960's, Harley-Davidson partnered with Aermacchi as a mutually beneficial arrangement for both companies. Aermacchi needed money, and H-D needed small displacement motorcycles and both got what they needed out of the deal- Aermacchi stayed in business and Harley-Davidson enthusiasts got the Harley-Davidson/Aermacchi Sprint, as well as a few other lightweight models to include the Shortster mini-bike and the MX250 dirt bike. These bikes kept H-D motorcycles in garages, barns and driveways across the country, and around the world. 

Still not convinced they're different, check out this little chart I pulled from the ole interwebs, which compares the technical specs of the H-D/India X440 to the Chinese X350:

As you can see, the 350 is a liquid-cooled parallel twin that puts out a bit more ponies, around 9-10 more hp than the larger displacement, air and oil-cooled single cylinder 440, but where the 440 won the bid to wear the Sprint badge, comes from the torque- 22 ft lbs from the 2 cylinder 350, compared to 28 ft lbs from the single cylinder 440. That increase in torque gives the 440 the power to cruise comfortably at higher speeds and still have enough grunt to pull away when needed. Both bikes have a 6-speed gearbox with a slipper clutch, which makes them easy for new, and experienced riders alike, to operate them easily.

First Impression

Oddly enough, while I haven't actually seen or heard the bike in person yet, I have seen some of the videos of it and I have to say, I do like it. It sounds pretty good, even though I don't really care much for the way the exhaust looks. To be fair, though, I'm not a fan of the oversized exhaust on the new Nightster models either, but I'm sure that's an EPA driven design, so I won't hold that against the MoCo's exhaust engineers. 

The main thing I've noticed about the new Sprint is that it does actually capture that Milwaukee, USA essence, in that it feels like I'm looking at a Harley-Davidson... as much, or dare I say- maybe even more so- than the original 1960's Sprint. The rear tail section with the center tail/brake light also doesn't light my fires, but I'm hoping that is just a Euro-compliant part that will be deleted for the American models. Even if the US bikes have it though, I'm 100% positive that it won't take long before there is a "rear tail section" delete kit available, either from the MoCo or from an aftermarket company.

With all this being said, some of my more cynical skeptics might still argue why. 

"Why didn't Harley-Davidson Motor Company just design and build their own Sprint, instead of partnering with an overseas company?"

While I don't work for Harley-Davidson and I don't pretend to know what conversations actually took place in the corporate offices, I do know that it comes down to money. Do you have any idea what it would cost to design an all-new motorcycle, then re-tool a factory to build it? Sure, they could do it, but the final product would be cost prohibitive to the goal they were trying to reach with the new Sprint, just as it was with the original Sprint. The goal was to build a new, entry level, bike that they could sell for around $6,000 USD and while we still don't have a price for the American market yet, I suspect that it will be a bit more, but still well under $10k. 

To design a whole new motorcycle, re-tool an existing factory or set up a new factory stateside, source the materials, hire the new workers and actually build the new bike here in the US, would take a few years longer to do, and it would cost millions of dollars, which would force the new motorcycle's MSRP to be well over that $10k mark. Sure, that theoretical bike might be more of a "real" Harley-Davidson than the Hero-Harley Sprint, but that doesn't mean that anyone would be willing to actually buy it, either. Consider this, if the MoCo invested millions of dollars into an all-new motorcycle, that wasn't well received and dealers couldn't sell it, the fallout from that bad investment could cripple, or even shut the company down. Partnering with an already established company, and using an existing platform that has proven to be a dependable and predictable machine, is a smart move and one that should bring more cashflow, and more riders, to the Milwaukee USA brand. If the new Sprint isn't successful with US buyers, then what does H-D really lose? They still get to sell them overseas, still get to put their name in the mouths of European and Asian riders and still bring in a few bucks for their troubles. But, if the new Sprint does resonate here in the US of A, then the MoCo's gamble will pay dividends. 

A Man Of Business

Artie Starrs may not be a motorcycle guy like the rest of us, but to be fair to him, the last true motorcyclist CEO was Bill Davidson (Willie G's pops), back in 1971. After the company buyback from AMF, which was led by Vaughn Beals, Jr, every CEO has been a businessman, just like Artie. The fact of the matter is this- while H-D is a motorcycle manufacturing company, they are still a business, and as such they need a CEO that understands, and has a proven record of, the art of making their business a success. I truly believe that the MoCo made the right decision to bring Artie Starrs on as the CEO, based on what I've seen and heard about him and his strategies so far. He didn't have to visit dealerships before taking over and he definitely doesn't have to respect the culture of the brand the way he does. While his predecessor had some good ideas, like the Pan America, the Livewire. (love it or hate it, there's a market for it), the redesigned Street and Road Glides, and the "X" bikes... to include the new Sprint concept, Jochen's business plan was to price H-D out of the working man's budget, which was a huge black eye on his tenure as CEO. Artie seems to have a true desire to keep the heritage of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company alive, proven by his "Back to the Bricks" business plan which has breathed new life back into the historic Juneau Ave headquarters, his intent to give the Evo Sportster back to us, giving us the new Sprint, and hopefully very soon, bringing back our beloved Road King. 

Final Thoughts

Personally, I think it's a great idea for the MoCo to get into the smaller bore motorcycle market and offer young riders an affordable pathway to get on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. As most of us know, we all start somewhere and most of us upgrade a few times before we really settle into a bike that we really like. So, it's easy to see how a Sprint buyer could, and likely will, eventually become a Softail or Grand American Touring buyer. Think about it for a second- how cool is it, that some young riders are soon going to have the option of walking into a Harley-Davidson dealership and actually be able to afford to buy a brand new Harley-Davidson Sprint 440? From a community standpoint, I think it's fantastic to see a new generation of Harley-Davidson enthusiasts keep this culture and community, not just alive, but thriving. 

While I am still just a little bit miffed that my invitation to ride one of these new bikes when I was in Milwaukee a couple of weeks ago obviously got lost in the mail... I'm still looking forward to taking one for a rip when they start showing up in my local dealerships. When I do, I'll make sure I post a follow-up to let my loyal MotoReaders know if the new Sprint is a bust, or a banger.

Until then...

Ride safe and make good choices!

p.s. 

Artie, if you're reading this... you're off to a great start! Keep up the great work and... have your people call my people when you need a test rider for the new Road King ST!