First Photos of Harley-Davidson HD350 and HD500

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The 500cc X500 shares an engine with Benelli’s Leoncino 500. (Harley-Davidson/)

The idea of a small, parallel-twin Harley-Davidson was first announced way back in 2019 as part of a plan to join forces with China’s giant Qianjiang group; now not one but two such bikes have been type-approved for sales in China.

Originally, this small Harley was to be called the 338R, reflecting a 338cc capacity achieved by combining the stroke of Qianjiang’s 300cc twin with the bore of its larger 500cc motor. However, since then, the Chinese firm has introduced its own 353cc version of the engine, and that’s the unit that will appear in the smallest of the Harley-Davidsons, internally called “HD350″ but wearing badges that appear to read “X350.”

As shown in the sole photograph accompanying the type approval, the production machine is essentially identical to the sketches Harley showed back in 2019, with a flat-track-inspired shape. It’s wrapped around a set of ready-made chassis components, largely borrowed from the Benelli 302S roadster. Benelli is, of course, owned by Qianjiang. The Chinese market QJMotor SRK350 also uses the same parts, as well as an identical 353cc engine.

The 353cc engine in the Harley-Davidson X350 is shared with other Benelli models. (Harley-Davidson/)

That engine, according to the approval documents, is good for 36 hp in the Harley HD350, but it has a relatively hefty load to move. Ready to ride, the quoted weight of the smallest Harley is 430 pounds. The type approval says the result is a top speed of 89 mph. Other figures on the paperwork include a wheelbase of 55.5 inches, while the wheels, which appear identical to those used on the Benelli 302S, wear 120/70-17 rubber at the front and 160/60-17 at the rear. The suspension and brakes are straight from the Benelli 302S, including the petal-style front discs and upside-down fork.

But the HD350 isn’t the only fruit of the project. Harley is also making the HD500 (potentially to be called X500), a 500cc twin based around the chassis and engine of the Benelli Leoncino 500. Also type-approved in China, the X500 makes 47 hp and weighs in at 456 pounds wet. Top speed is 99 mph, and the wheelbase is 57 inches, while the wheels and tires are the same sizes as the HD350. The larger bike has bigger brake discs and radial-mount calipers—directly from the Leoncino 500—and its styling is more traditional cruiser than the HD350, particularly toward the rear.

Both bikes are made by a joint venture company set up by Harley-Davidson and Qianjiang, going by the name Zhejiang Jisheng Motor Vehicle Co., Ltd. This brand was originally established in 2021, but was only awarded a license to manufacture motorcycles by the Chinese government as recently as November 2022. This delay likely explains the long gap between the announcement of the project and the type approval of these finished-looking bikes.

Will the small Harleys be sold outside Asia? That remains unknown at the moment. The intention is clearly to attract new riders to the brand in markets like China where full-size Harleys are unaffordable to most riders. However, given the components shared with globally sold Benelli models there’s no reason that the bikes couldn’t be approved for sale in Western markets if there’s a hunger for them.

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