Upcoming Harley-Davidson 338R spied

A single spy image of Harley-Davidson’s upcoming small capacity motorcycle that’s being built by Qianjiang (QJ) has just emerged. The image suggests that the bike will be called the HD 338R

• This is the spy image of the small capacity Harley bike to have emerged

• The final engine capacity remains unclear

• Harley-Davidson’s plans for this motorcycle are under question

We recently wrote about the new Qianjiang QJ350/ Benelli 350, which appeared to use an engine that had ‘Harley-Davidson’ stamped on the left side of the engine case. This implied that Harley-Davidson’s upcoming small capacity bike, which is based on the Benelli platform, would also be a 350. However, this spy picture shows that this might not be the case. For now, it isn’t certain whether this Harley-Davidson will use a 338cc engine or the 353cc motor as seen in the QJ.

What hasn’t changed is that this bike is clearly based on a Benelli and the similarities can be seen in the design of the frame, parallel-twin engine, swingarm, underslung exhaust and even the footpegs. The Harley-Davidson HD 338R seen here appears to look quite similar to the original design sketches that Harley-Davidson shared in 2019. 

This project was created specifically for China and some other Asian markets and it was to be retailed from the QJ dealer network. While some reports suggest that it would come to India as well, there is, and never has been, any indication that Harley-Davidson plans to do so. 

The American company is currently going through a major internal restructuring and it recently released a more conservative business model called the Harley-Davidson Rewire. Under this, the company has cut jobs worldwide and announced that it will be reducing its planned future model line up by 30 percent. The company also announced that it will renew focus on its core models and concentrate its business in 50 overseas markets that matter. With all the uncertainty within the 117 year-old company, the future of this small capacity Benelli wearing Harley-Davidson clothes remains in question.

IMAGE SOURCE