Cruiser bike enthusiasts were treated to a twin display of style and raw power as Harley-Davidson’s mean machines rode into the city with their signature rumble.

It was the iconic US motorbike manufacturer’s first foray into Bihar.

As Harley does not have a showroom in Bihar, Calcutta-based Bengal Harley-Davidson arrived for a two-day promotional event on Tuesday. Bike enthusiasts and Harley Owners Group (HOGs) were allowed test rides on the latest models — Street 750 and Iron 883. Those who missed their dream of getting onto the bikes can go for ride at New Patna Club on Wednesday.

The first Harley-Davidson bike jointly manufactured at the company’s plants in US as well as India — Street 750 — seemed to be the more talked about models among the young and not-so-young bikers owing to its comparatively lower cost, Rs 4.36 lakh (on road).

However, the sound of the muscular Iron 883, along with its looks, was the show-stealer. Iron 883 has been priced at Rs 7.1 lakh on road in Patna.

Price, however, has never been a cause of concern for Harley enthusiasts. For them, it is a lifestyle. “Harley-Davidson among bikes is like an iPhone among cellphones. It’s the brand, the heavyweight cruiser body and the typical sound that one looks for in these bikes,” said Kushagra Singh, a young entrepreneur.

Harley lovers were visibly enthralled with the unmatched combination of butter-smooth power delivery and superb control. Nishant Jain, the marketing manager of Bengal Harley-Davidson, claimed that the Street 750 with 750cc powered-engine could attain a speed of 0-100kmph in 4 to 7 seconds with the maximum tested speed of 160kmph.

Mileage or fuel efficiency of Harley bikes seems to be comparatively lower than many other Indian bikes but for enthusiasts, it is not a point of concern.

Nishant claimed that the Street 750 gives a mileage of around 18kmph within the city (based on experience on Calcutta roads) and 24kmph on highways. Similarly, the mileage of Iron 883 is around 12-15kmph in the city and 18-20kmph on highways.

Nilesh Srivastava, a youngster at the event, said: “When you talk about Harley then don’t think of fuel efficiency. These bikes run on 750cc and 883cc engines. It’s all about passion, no one cares about the mileage.”

Nishant claimed that the charge for calling a service expert from Calcutta for repair and maintenance can be in the range of Rs 9,000-Rs 11,000.

The lack of a repair centre and high outstation service charges did disappoint enthusiasts. “A bike requires regular repair and maintenance. If one buys a Harley-Davidson in Patna, he/she would have to cough up a hefty sum of around Rs 10,000 for repair, which would cover the travel expenses of the technical person from Calcutta as well. This is a bit disappointing,” said Sharad Kumar Sinha, a not-so-young businessman.

Representatives of Harley were however optimistic about the success of the event. “We started our promotional tour from Calcutta and held the first event at Jamshedpur, then at Ranchi, followed by Patna. We would go to Dhanbad hereafter. The response in Patna has been good and we are expecting four to five bookings from prospective customers who visited us,” said Nishant.