IT’S no secret that Harley-Davidson has, for some time, been looking to move into the small and mid-size motorcycle market. It’s a push to hook in newer and younger riders, something that for the most part, the current range can’t really do.
The first fruits of this project have been known about for some time, although today marks the first time we’ve been able to see the two new models in their apparent finished form. One major question that seems to be answered today is the naming convention for the two new bikes. A few monikers have been thrown about, 338R was one of the widely reported names, although the tail of the smaller bike clearly denotes it as the ‘X350’. That leads us to speculate, not always the best idea, that its larger 500cc sibling (see images at top of page) will be hitting the market as an X500; although for confirmation of that, we’ll have to wait and see!
The original patent image was published earlier this year
What we do no is that the bike is wildly different looking to the concept we originally saw in 2019, although it seems to have stayed true to the patent images that have been doing the rounds in recent months.
What is clear about the bikes is they are the first new machines to arrive from the partnership between Harley-Davidson and Qianjiang or QJ Motor in China. Qianjiang, or QJ Motor for short, also build bikes for the Italian brand Benelli, which already has a range of retro-style mid-capacity bikes in production in the form of this Leoncini range. While we aren’t claiming these models to be badge-engineered clones of one another, it is likely that QJ will lean on what it already knows from the Leoncini range in creating these two new Harley-Davidson branded models. Both the new Harleys and the Benellis feature a tubular steel frame, an engine that looks to be mounted as a stressed member, chunky-looking forks, and a distinctive retro style that is very in keeping with the current trend.
One question that will remain unanswered for now, is when will the two new mid-sized Harley-Davidsons land. We simply can’t say when that will be. Clearly, both bikes are much more than styling exercises, and these trademark images denote that the project is fairly well advanced. It’s not hard to assume that more official news from Harley could land at some point in 2023.
