Harley Davidson-India expansion a bit sloppy for the HOG

Gill, the first Harley-Davidson owner in Chandigarh,

claims he faced insurance trouble, as Harley did not have

state transport authority (STA)  approval when it sold him the bike.

He has now served a legal notice to the company

on grounds of undue harassment, non-repair of motorcycle,

cheating and damages.

By Rachit Vats
Hundustan Times
Hindustan Times
12/8/10

When motorcycle lover Simranjeet Gill in August made a transition from his Royal Enfield to the iconic US motorcycle Harley-Davidson, little did he know that it would not be a smooth ride. Businessman Gill crashed his R18-lakh Fatboy on October 8. He sent it to Tricity Motorcycles, the authorized dealer in Chandigarh, for repairs the next day, and is still waiting to get the bike back.

Gill, the first Harley-Davidson owner in Chandigarh, claims he faced insurance trouble, as Harley did not have state transport authority (STA) approval when it sold him the bike.

The insurance firm refused to give claim as the bike did not have a permanent registration certificate. Gill finally got a registration certificate on November 10, 2010, three months after the purchase.

He has now served a legal notice to the company on grounds of undue harassment, non-repair of motorcycle, cheating and damages.

“Harley-Davidson does not have adequate spare parts and needs to import them from the US,” said Gill. “Moreover, they told me my bike would be repaired in phases. Unlike in the US, they have no policy on when the bike should be returned once it comes in for repairs.”

Harley-Davidson has told Gill the bike will be fully repaired by the third week of December.

When contacted, the company said, “Harley-Davidson has been operating in India since 2009 and all statutory requirements have been complied with and all requisite approval have been sought and received.”

“While all standard service related material is well stocked and readily available at all dealerships, non-service, custom-painted and specialised parts are sourced via authentic channels from overseas,” it said.

Harley-Davidson-India director, operations, Yogesh Phogat told Gill in an email that the bikes were sold before STA approval.

“As far as STA registration is concerned... application with Chandigarh authorities were made in time, vehicles were inspected to their satisfaction but due to certain departmental reasons they are taking more than expected time for issuing certificates. We are expecting to obtain certificates in the next few days.”