Harley Davidson to Leave India After Poor Sales

“It’s not about the machine,” said Mr. Thakoor, who bought the popular Street 750 model in 2014. “It’s the whole community, the bond that makes it special.”

Four years ago, Mr. Thakoor rode from India’s northernmost corner in Kashmir to its southernmost tip, Kanyakumari, a journey of more than 1,700 miles.

In the middle of that ride, he ran out of cash after Mr. Modi announced a sudden ban on high-value Indian bank notes, part of a national effort to stamp out corruption and get more Indians to use digital currency. A fellow Harley rider flew down from Mumbai to the southern city of Chennai to deliver him cash.

That camaraderie, is “a feeling you can’t describe in words,” said Mr. Thakoor.

It is not clear whether he can continue with his passion. Indian riders and dealers will have to find sources for crucial machinery: batteries, accelerator cables, silencers.

“There’s no jugaad in this case,” said Mr. Thakoor, referring to the Indian way of finding inexpensive solutions to big problems.

Harley, he said, “should’ve been here.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/technology/india-harley-davidson.html