Harley Tested on Home Turf by WW-II Bike Maker Enfield

The Indian maker of Royal Enfield, the World War II-era British motorcycle, is expanding its foray in the U.S., the bastion of Harley-Davidson Inc., as the almost $7 billion market lures it with the promise of higher margins.

Eicher Motors Ltd., the owner of the 120-year-old brand that counts Billy Joel and Jay Leno among its celebrity collectors, aims to “dominate” the mid-size motorcycle market in the U.S., Siddhartha Lal, the managing director of the New Delhi-based company, said in an interview. Last month, he hired Rod Copes, a former head of Harley’s global customer sales and service, to lead Enfield’s expansion in the U.S. and Canada.