Harley-Davidson To Ride In With Its Parallel-Twin 338R And 500R Bikes Soon

Published December 14, 2022
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Both bikes will be based on Qianjiang bikes’ engines

We have been hearing for quite a while that Harley-Davidson will launch small-capacity, parallel-twin cruisers, but where are they? Well, after no news for months about the same, there is finally some good news, and a small bummer too, for enthusiasts looking forward to seeing Harley in the small bike segment.

The good news first. Harley and Qianjiang Motors have been working together on the Harley-Davidson 338R and 500R. Just recently, the Chinese government has given the joint venture company of both bike brands the go-ahead to manufacture the motorcycles.

Qianjiang, Benelli’s parent company, partnered up with Harley back in 2019 to build small bikes for Asian markets. Interestingly, the 338R will be built on the previously existing QJ SV300 cruiser, and the 500R will be based on the Benelli Leoncino 500.

Now, the bummer. These are mainly for the Chinese domestic and a few Southeast Asian markets, which do not include India. Yeah, we understand your disappointment. But here’s a small glimmer, Harley and Hero are working on a small-capacity motorcycle for India. We have some details on this collaboration in this story and the result of this venture should be a good rival to Royal Enfield’s J-platform bikes like the Classic 350, Hunter 350 and Meteor 350.