India, April 25 -- It's been nearly a year since Harley-Davidson launched its most affordable offering in India - the X440. A result of a collaboration between Harley-Davidson and Hero MotoCorp, the bike is manufactured at Hero's facility in Neemrana, Rajasthan. Recently, I had the opportunity to ride down to the plant and witness the manufacturing process first-hand. It was also the first time I had the opportunity to ride the bike, so naturally, I was excited.

The journey from our starting point in Sohna Road, Gurugram, to the plant was of roughly 100km. So, I decided to set off at around 6 AM. The first thing that took me by surprise was the amount of torque available quite early in the rev band, which was particularly helpful while n...