The V-twin rumble and smooth and vibe-free drive of a belt drive will surely be missed with upcoming Harley-Davidson X350
For a long time, Harley-Davidson has had its supremacy in big-capacity baggers, choppers and cruisers. The company is aiming to diversify its portfolio and extend its reach to an audience preferring to buy something sporty and less expensive. Partnerships with key OEMs set in strategically logical markets is how Harley Davidson intends to achieve that.
Harley Davidson X350 Exhaust Note – The New Rumble In Town
In comes, X350 and X500 motorcycles developed with QJMotor. In effect, these new motorcycles will be manufactured in China by QJ and shipped worldwide. Among the two, only X350 has been launched with a starting price of Yuan 33,388, turns out to be around Rs. 3.93 lakh. First units have been reaching dealerships as we speak. Below is one of the first videos giving us an audio byte of the new Harley X350 exhaust note as well as engine revving sound.
In an attempt to create inexpensive and scalable motorcycles, Harley-Davidson seems to have lost some of its characteristics with X350. We’re talking about the rumble of a V-Twin motor and smoothness of belt drives, both of which are expected from Harley-Davidson. New motorcycles produced with QJ get parallel twin motors with chain drive.
We’re not yet sure why Harley-Davidson chose the parallel twin with X350 instead of a V-Twin manufactured by QJ, that is offered with QJ300 or Keeway Benda V302. This way, Harley could have offered a V-twin and belt drive as well, reducing maintenance and vibrations. What we get instead, is a 353cc parallel twin motor with 34 bhp.
Many of the design elements on Harley-Davidson X350 seem to be inspired by XR1200. Especially at the rear subframe, giving out 90s Japanese bike vibes. Contrasting Orange painted guards at the front and rear offer protection and a lot of funk, while round headlights and ORVMs radiate classic bike feel.
Other elements include LED headlights, a round semi-digital speedo, a flat-ish handlebar and more. Componentry includes front USD forks single-sided rear mono-shock suspension reminding us of Kawasaki ER6N, alloy wheels, dual petal discs at front and a single disc at the rear and liquid-cooling flanked by beefy tank shrouds.
Harley Davidson X350 – Size And Features
Dimensionally, it is 2110 mm long, 785 mm wide, 1110 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 1410 mm. Kerb weight is pegged at 195 kg, while gross weight is 255 kg. Front tyre is a 120/70Z R17, while rear is a wide 160/60Z R17 rubber. The underbelly exhaust looks neat as well. ABS is standard.
The company is likely to push this motorcycle very aggressively. Attractive EMI plans and with decent down payment of 8,888 Yuan (Rs 1 lakh), reflect the same. With aggressive pricing like this, we expect Harley-Davidson to soon reach India to rival the domination of Royal Enfield in middle-weight space. India launch is not yet announced, but given the partnership with Hero MotorCorp, Harley-Davidson might use the latter’s extensive dealer network to offer X350 and X500 in India.
