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Posted on 03/17/2023 3:06:03 PM PDT by martin_fierro
Motorcycle to the U.S., But it's Not What You Think
The small-displacement Harley-Davidson X350 RA will only be used in dealership training schools. It won't be offered for sale to customers.
Harley-Davidson’s image is as star-spangled as anything. And in 2023, that presents a challenge: Building motorcycles in the U.S. is expensive. So when Cycle World published evidence that seemed to indicate Harley was about to import a made-in-China motorcycle to the U.S., Harley fans got notably concerned. The truth is perhaps less scary: Yes, Harley is going to import the Chinese-made bike you see above to the U.S., but it won’t be offered for sale.
First things first: The bike you see above is the Harley-Davidson X350. It’s basically a beginner-friendly motorcycle swathed in Harley styling. Cycle World published the first leaked photos of the bike a few months back, explaining that the bike would be built in China by a joint-venture between H-D and Qianjiang, a Chinese conglomerate that also owns the Benelli motorcycle brand and is itself owned by Geely, parent company of Volvo and Polestar. The X350 uses a 353-cc parallel-twin engine developed by Qianjiang and used in various QJMotor and Benelli models.
Here’s where things got murky. More recently, Cycle World uncovered regulatory documents from NHTSA and the California Air Resource Board, indicating that Harley-Davidson was seeking certification to import the Chinese-made X350 (and a larger-displacement X500 variant) to the U.S. Was Harley really planning to sell a Chinese-built beginner bike in American dealerships?
Not exactly. Jalopnik reached out to Harley-Davidson to ask about the paperwork uncovered by Cycle World. A Harley representative explained that the X350 RA — a variant mentioned in the regulatory documents cited by Cycle World — will be imported to the U.S., but only for use in Harley Davidson Riding Academy, a training course aimed at first-time riders hosted by the manufacturer. Our source at Harley-Davidson was adamant: The X350 RA will not be sold in U.S. dealers. The regulatory paperwork, it seems, is just what’s required to get these beginner-friendly bikes into the U.S.
Now, that doesn’t mean Harley will never sell a Chinese-built motorcycle on U.S. shores. But for now, you can all put down your pitchforks. And hey, if Harley does decide to sell the X350 or X500 in the U.S., those bikes will join a growing number of excellent small-displacement motorcycles that are great for beginner riders.
Well, good -- because otherwise they'd have a damn hard time selling it!
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AMF rides again.
Yeah, sure. We’ll see. This was a trial balloon.
*sigh* I'm reminded of my first motorcycle, the Harley/AMF/Aermacchi SS350
GMTA
It would not surprise me to learn this is an early stage trial balloon.
While I am not a Harley fan as such, I ride an Indian, this is not cool. At least when Harley sold the Sprint it was Italian made.
I visited HD of Saigon in November of ‘22. In the showroom was a 500cc HD branded bike. It looked a lot like this but in OD green. I didn’t think to take a photo.
Can’t Harley...of all companies..build the bloody thing here? And they are also talking about electric bikes?
“Can’t Harley...of all companies..build the bloody thing here? And they are also talking about electric bikes?”
Trump tried to get the engine primed, but was blocked at every single road. The last two years with Biden has been killing every industry with life left in it. As if that wasn’t enough, they are doing everything possible to start WWIII.
After the way HD treated Eric Buell they can KMA. I got my wife’s scooter repaired and the independent shop that did it had a bunch of used HDs for sale. I was so happy to see how the prices have collapsed. Maybe half of what they were a few years ago. Eff The Motor Company.
If a Harley Davidson bike is made in China, do we call it a dog instead of a hog?
What do they hope to achieve by totally alienating their customer base?
I will drive my 93FXR into the ground and mahine my own replacement parts myself rather than buy something like that.
I bought a Harley new in 1968 that was made in Italy. I think it was under $800 new. A few years ago I fully restored it. I’ll never ride it again at my age, with neuropathy in my feet...
“If a Harley Davidson bike is made in China”
A lotta Harley parts might be made in China, or maybe not.
This is a replacement for the Buell 250.
A *lot* of Harley parts are made in China.
If you take all the imported parts off a modern Harley, you’re left with a frame, most (but not all) of an engine, some wiring, the steering head and some of the sheetmetal.
And this was five years ago, Harley’s only gotten worse since then. “AMERICAN BIKE” my arse.
HD once had a Dirt Bike............It was Husqvarna..................
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