It has been in news since a really long time that Harley-Davidson is working on a new entry-level motorcycle. In fact, the American two-wheeler maker officially confirmed that this new entry-level Harley-Davidson motorcycle will be specifically developed for the emerging Asian markets. In December 2019, Harley showed us a glimpse of this motorcycle and its concept version was called the HD350. Now, its production-spec version has been spied in flesh and it will be most likely called the Harley-Davidson 338R.
The image of the production-ready model of the Harley-Davidson 338R has been doing rounds on the internet. We all knew that an affordable Harley is on its way as back in June 2019, Harley announced its plan to build a small-capacity parallel-twin motorcycle. Harley has been developing its small-capacity parallel-twin motorcycle in collaboration with Qianjiang. If you don't know, let me tell you that Qianjiang is the parent company of Benelli.
Also, the upcoming small-capacity Harley-Davidson motorcycle will be based on the Benelli 302S. The upcoming affordable Harley motorcycle will share a lot of components with the Benelli 302S, including the engine. Also, while the Benelli 302S gets an aggressive streetfighter look, the upcoming Harley motorcycle will get a different bodywork. It has been re-designed to give it a Harley-specific aesthetic appeal. It sports a very neat profile with a stepped-up single-piece seat, slim fuel-tank, arrow-shaped radiator shroud, etc.
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Also, we can see in the spied image of the Harley-Davidson 338R that it gets an exposed frame and an underbelly exhaust. The suspension duties will be performed by upside-down (USD) front forks and it will get an offset mono-shock absorber at the rear. The motorcycle will also get disc brakes at both the ends and we expect dual-channel ABS too. According to media reports, this upcoming Harley will be powered by a new 338cc twin-cylinder engine.
This new 338cc liquid-cooled motor will be a fusion of the 300cc parallel-twin engine of the Benelli 302S and Benelli's 500cc twin. This new mill will use the bottom end and crankshaft from the 302S' engine while the pistons and cylinders will be from the Benelli's 500cc twin. It will develop around 42 PS of power and nearly 26 Nm of torque. It will come mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox and will meet all the latest emission norms.
Talking about the launch timeline of this affordable Harley-Davidson motorcycle, so initially, it was about to be launched in China in June this year. However, thanks to the on-going coronavirus pandemic, its launch was delayed. Harley-Davidson dealerships in China have started promoting this upcoming motorcycle and so we believe it will be launched very soon. As this affordable Harley motorcycle will be targeted towards the emerging Asian markets, we believe it will make its way to India too by mid-2021.
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We want this motorcycle to reach our shores as it will make the Harley brand more accessible in India. Also, it will be priced significantly lower than the Harley-Davidson Street 750, which is currently the most affordable Harley on sale in the Indian market. What are your thoughts on this new Harley-Davidson 338R? Tell us in the comments below. You can also join our 91Wheels Two-wheelers group (click via mobile to join) curated exclusively for the fans, enthusiasts and the owners.
