At the crack of dawn they set out on their bikes—not the 100cc pipsqueaks preferred by the mass market, but imported large-engine-capacity superbikes (above 600cc) that separate the boys from the men: Harley-Davidsons, Ducatis, Triumphs and BMWs. One after another the large bikes roar along the highway at high speed, causing those around them to pause and look on in wonder and envy.
Touted as India’s first superbiking group, Group of Delhi Superbikers, or GODS, was started by surgeon Arun Thareja in 1998. Across India, there has been a proliferation of such groups, formed to help bikers meet fellow enthusiasts and go for long rides in the countryside.
Superbikes are not cheap and most members are professionals or high networth individuals in the 25-50 age group. Rides usually take place on the weekend and cover distances of around 60km, culminating in breakfast, networking and peer interactions at the destination.
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If US President Donald Trump has his way, sales of superbikes will surge and many more such groups will come up in India in the coming years, perhaps even including those who are not one-percenters.
“India charges us massive tariffs,” a petulant Trump complained recently, threatening to impose reciprocal tariffs effective 2 April. The American president has been particularly vocal about India’s tariff policy on American automotive exports, something he decried even during his first term.
Trump’s sabre rattling has already had a bit of an impact—India has lowered import duties on motorcycles in its annual budget for 2025-26. Tariffs for engine displacements of up to 1600cc on completely built units (CBU) have been cut from 50% to 40%. Engine capacities above 1600cc will attract an import duty of 30% instead of 50% for CBUs.
Semi knocked-down (SKD) kits will see a five-percentage-point reduction to 20%. And import duties on all completely knocked down (CKD) kits have been lowered from 15% to 10%.
A further reduction could be on the cards if the US sticks to its demand for zero duty on almost all its exports except agricultural products. Trump has spoken about India’s willingness to cut tariffs “way down” but the government here has been noncommittal so far.
No major impact
If there is indeed such a meaningful reduction, it could spark a discernible shift in consumer preferences in India’s niche superbike market. In the high-performance segment, barring those in Royal Enfield’s 650cc portfolio, almost all superbikes are imported, either as completely built units (CBUs), completely knocked down kits (CKD) or semi knocked down kits (SKD). But the prevailing numbers are modest.
The cuts announced in the budget are expected to boost those numbers to some extent. Som Kapoor, partner and leader-automotive, future of mobility, EY India, believes the import duty cut will give bike enthusiasts more options, especially in the 1000cc plus segment. “Imports were so expensive till now that superbikes may become more competitive with locally produced bikes,” he says.
Even so, it may amount to little more than a storm in a teacup, given the size of the market. In FY25, as of January, the superbike market in the 500cc plus category was pegged at 41,572 units, constituting a miniscule 0.4% of the total motorcycle market, according to data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers Association.
“Overall volumes won’t see a lot of impact as premium motorcycles are a very small part of the two-wheeler market in India,” says Prathamesh Chaudhari principal, automotive, at consultancy firm Arthur D Little India.
To put the size of the superbike segment in context, India was the largest two-wheeler market in 2024, edging past China, with sales of 11.6 million units.
Mint has reached out to Royal Enfield and Triumph Motorcycles to get their perspective but has not received any response from them yet.
Harley’s comeback
As superbike makers jostle for space in the local market, American bike manufacturer Harley-Davidson is likely to gain.
The iconic American bikemaker, founded in 1903 by William S. Harley and brothers Arthur and Walter Davidson in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is expected to ride in with costlier and heavier bikes. At the same time it is expected to continue its partnership with Hero MotoCorp in the slightly-more-affordable midweight segment (250cc-750cc), where Royal Enfield has a runaway 88% share.
In September 2020, as covid raged across the country, Harley-Davidson, which had first ridden into India in August 2009, discontinued sales and manufacturing here due to weak demand.
The company’s portfolio in its first innings featured the Fat Bob, Fat Boy, and Street Rod, all heavy and expensive bikes. The high import tariff was a constraint on these fully built bikes as their prices were exorbitant. The Street 750 was the lowest-priced motorcycle at ₹5.34 lakh.
Less than three years after exiting, Harley-Davidson was back. This time with a different strategy built around affordability.
In July 2023, the American bikemaker rolled out its most affordable product, a 440cc midsize bike, the X440 retro roadster, priced at ₹2.39 lakh. The bike has been co-developed with Hero MotoCorp and is manufactured at its plant in Neemrana, Rajasthan.
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Currently, the X440 pitches in with almost 90% of Harley-Davidson’s turnover in India. Until December FY25, it had sales of over 8,500 units. It is sold alongside Hero MotoCorp’s Mavrick 440, built on the same platform. But in January, the Harley volumes had slipped to 881 units as competition intensified.
Today Harley offers about 10 models in the Indian market. Its most affordable bike in India directly competes with Royal Enfield’s Classic 350, Bullet 350, Hunter 350 and Meteor 350. If Harley expands the X440 platform with new models, it could shake up the mid-premium market.
The reduced import tariffs will also open the doors for Harley- Davidson to promote its cruiser models, such as Iron 883 and Harley Forty-Eight, says Prajyot Sathe, research director, mobility, at Frost & Sullivan India. These models had been discontinued in India and were priced upwards of ₹12 lakh.
Harley-Davidson used to be the market leader in the 500cc-800cc class, one of the fastest growing segments, before Royal Enfield launched the 650cc Twins in November 2018. Now, with the market changing amid the reduction in import tariffs, and customers opting for heavier and more premium bikes, Harley-Davidson will be looking to regain the top position. The reduction in its prices is certain to attract some Royal Enfield buyers seeking premium options.
Made in India
If Royal Enfield is to retain its stranglehold over the mid-segment amid the expected challenge from its foreign rivals, it will have to play to its strengths: the deep penetration of its sales and service network, wider product range, and a loyal customer base.
Currently, the price difference between imported superbikes and locally made ones is huge. The Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650, Enfield’s highest priced superbike, starts at ₹3.94 lakh (ex-showroom) a quarter of the price of Harley-Davidson’s Sportster S.
In FY24, the 500cc plus market was pegged at 35,924 units, of which Royal Enfield commanded 90%. In FY25 as of January, that share had inched up to 91%.
Even after import cuts, a Harley simply cannot match the price of an Enfield. Most superbikes cost upwards of ₹10 lakh. Harley’s Road Glide bike is in the pricier range of ₹30-40 lakh, with the CVO limited edition costing upwards of ₹49 lakh.
The Hero-Harley and Bajaj-Triumph partnerships will now have to re-evaluate their pricing strategies, as will market leader Royal Enfield, as competition is expected to intensify in the premium motorcycle market.
“Some customers who might have gone for the mid-segment (300-700cc) may now opt for high-performance motorcycles, impacting sales of local brands like Enfield,” says Arthur D Little’s Chaudhari. Local brands will need to accelerate model launches and reduce lead time to market.
Even after import cuts, a Harley simply cannot match the price of an Enfield.
While import tariffs make foreign superbikes prohibitively expensive, some companies have found a way around them. Britain’s Triumph Motorcycles, as well as Italy’s Ducati and Germany’s BMW Motorrad, import many of their motorcycles from their Thailand plants. So do Japan’s Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Honda Motorcycle.
India and Thailand have a framework agreement for free trade so import tariffs are not levied on superbikes from that country, with only a minimal cess and charge imposed on them.
But the Thailand route hasn’t made these superbikes affordable. For instance, a 1100cc Ducati Pannigale V4 CBU made in Thailand has an on road (Delhi) price of ₹33 lakh. Indeed, most Ducati superbikes come from Thailand, with 10-12 coming in from Italy in a year, says Monty Singh, dealer principal of Ducati Delhi.
Biking communities
While it is still tiny, the premium motorcycle segment recorded 42% y-o-y growth in 2024 compared to 2023 and the future of the market is on a robust growth trajectory, says Sathe of Frost & Sullivan India.
Higher disposable incomes, availability of wider product options, easy financing, evolving consumer preferences, the rise in adventure riding, and interest in exploring destinations on bikes is fuelling this growth.
On that last count, aside from lowering tariffs, Trump may have an unintended impact: an increase in the number of superbike groups riding across the country.
All biking companies have their own riding groups, which organize adventure trips and track events. Harley-Davidson, for instance, has a cult following and promotes riding activities under a separate division known as the Harley owners’ group. On the other hand, track and street riding enthusiasts prefer Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki and Triumph bikes.
Every motorcycle manufacturer has created its own riding community around its brand. Sale of brand accessories and merchandise such as clothing apparel, protective riding gear worn by riding enthusiasts ensures an alternative revenue stream.
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Divya Sandhu, 40, a biking enthusiast since her student days, runs her own group, DIWA (Divya International Women’s Academy), which trains motorcyclists. “India has more than 500 riding groups with subgroups within,” says Sandhu.
She and her husband, Jasprit Singh, also occasionally participate in rides organised by Thareja’s GODS club. The couple often go on long rides together, typically covering about 700 km in a day. “All you need is riding gear, a route and a destination,” says Singh.
In January, for instance, the Delhi-based couple set out on a road trip to Kanyakumari. Singh, 42, a relocation company executive who was bitten by the riding bug in his youth, was on his Triumph Rocket 3, 2500cc superbike, which he had to have after watching Tom Cruise riding it in Mission Impossible 2. Sandhu joined him in Agra on her Triumph Tiger 660.
“Riding is all about being free,” says Singh. Over the next four days, the couple rode south on their superbikes, covering a distance of about 3,000km. Along the way, they took in the sights in Uttar Pradesh, crossed the picturesque Vindhyas in Madhya Pradesh into scenic Maharashtra, roared through the flat Deccan Plateau in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, before reaching their destination, Kanyakumari, mainland India’s southernmost tip, and the confluence of the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. A couple of days later, they were on the road again, heading home.
