Visiting twice in less than an year, Harley Davidson officials check out the possibilities of an Indian foray. As Harley Davidson does not have any presence in the Indian market so far, the company is planning to enter India through the CBU (completely built up) route.

Since Harley Davidson is essentially an American nostalgia bike brand, the company will keep its production in the US only. This means importing Harley Davidson, which makes it a big deal, as it will attract 60 per cent import duty, making it a heavy deal for fans in India ranging Rs 4 lakh to Rs 14 lakh.

According to Harley Davidson vice-president Timothy Hoelter, who visited India in September 2005, "India is among the few motorcycle markets in the world that's growing at a fast pace and we are surely looking at a presence here. Whenever we enter the Indian market, it will be through the sourcing route. Harley Davidson buyers identify our bikes to be an all-American brand and they want to buy the bikes that are produced in US," as told to media.

Anoop Prakash, appointed as Managing Director for India, said, “Harley-Davidson would be importing 12-15 models, representing each of its family of bikes as completely built units from the US,” whereas Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyundai Chandigarh and Ludhiana will be the lucky ones to have dealerships opening by the first half of 2010.

You have seen Arnold Schwarzenegger sporting a Harley Davidson Harley Davidson in Terminator 2, Johny Depp on Handshift classic Harley or Tom Cruise but now it's your time to gear up and put on those Harley accessories and fire up as one of the finest cult bikes will be here, hitting the roads soon.