Is Harley Returning To Its Roots For The Small Bike Project?

As disheartening as it is, owning a Harley-Davidson motorcycle isn’t as sought after an affair nowadays as it was perhaps a decade ago. When it announced the 'More Roads To H-D' initiative, the small bike for Asia really piqued our curiosity. But then you know what happened: everything got 'Rewired' and 'Hardwired.' This brought along the company’s exit as a standalone entity in India and its partnership with Hero MotoCorp has left owners and dealers in a bit of uncertainty regarding the future. But what happened to the small bike project? It has taken a new turn.

Harley had joined hands with China’s Qianjiang Motors (QJMotors in short) to work on this project. Initial sketches based on the Benelli TNT300 were drawn up. A prototype was also created, bearing a larger displacement parallel-twin. This seems to have been 'Rewired' (okay we are going to stop doing that) and it seems a fresh new traditional cruiser is on the cards now.

QJMotors did tease the arrival of a small-capacity cruiser that looked eerily similar to few of Harley’s Sportster series of bikes. Now, an image of the production-ready has emerged on the interwebs that showcases a small-capacity V-twin engine. It is said to displace 296cc and produce a reasonable 30PS. Couple that with a claimed weight of 165kg, and this QJMotors’ cruiser is surely not going to lack oomph.

Sadly, this bike is unlikely to ever make it to India. Harley-Davidson has clearly denied the possibility of the China-built bike being sold in our country. It is said to be working alongside Hero for a more local solution but that isn’t likely going to be a V-twin. Nevertheless, the main focus of the Bar & Shield marque will be the Pan America 1250 this year. Check out all the details of the most ambitious Harley project to date in our story here.

Source: Cycle World