It is no more a secret that Harley-Davidson is planning to launch a new entry-level motorcycle targeted towards the emerging market. Harley-Davidson reported earlier that it will be joining hand with Chinese motorcycle major, Qianjiang which is also the parent company of Italian motorcycle brand, Benelli. Pictures of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle which was speculated to be powered by a 338cc engine were also reported in the past, along with design rendering of the motorcycle revealed by the American brand. In the recent past, images of an engine cover with ‘Harley-Davidson Motor Company stamped on it, circulated the internet. The engine cover was from leaked photographs of the QJ Motor QJ350-13.
Now a new image of the entry-level Harley-Davidson motorcycle has emerged on the internet confirming that the brand is nearing completion on the 338cc motorcycle, built for the emerging market including China. The image also reveals that the motorcycle is likely to be dubbed the Harley-Davidson 338R.
Taking a closer look at the image reveals that the Harley-Davidson 338R will come with the mechanical bits and even the engine from the Benelli 302S. But it is unlikely to be the same exact unit and the American manufacturer is speculated to have changed the bore and stroke of the engine giving it different characteristics in terms of drivability and tractability. The Harley-Davidson block is also expected to produce more power than the Benelli 302S, thanks to its fractionally larger displacement. The larger capacity engine is speculated to develop around 43 Hp of power 5 more than the Benelli 302S. The Harley-Davidson engine is also likely to develop more low-end grunt as compared to the Italian counterpart.
The Harley-Davidson 338R was earlier speculated to be powered by a 350cc engine owning to the project name – ‘HD350’ which was announced in the past and the 338cc engine capacity is also speculation based on the moniker that might reflect the engine capacity. It was also hypothesized that the brand might bring the Harley-Davidson 338R to the Indian market but new rumours are that Harley-Davidson might be planning to axe the Indian arm altogether which leads us to believe that the 338R may not arrive to India.
