338cc Harley-Davidson 338R based on the Benelli 302S Spotted!

We have been reporting on the arrival of a smaller 338cc Harley Davidson for quite some time now. Well, guess what? The production-ready Harley Davidson 338R has just been spotted!

Prior to “Rewire” Harley’s old “More Roads to Harley Davidson” growth strategy from 2017 paved paths to the development of a few unconventional Harley-Davidson bikes. One of the bikes to come off this strategy is a smaller Harley-Davidson model which has been one of the hottest topics in the motor world. In case you missed the buzz, here is a quick run-through.

In December last year, Harley Davidson announced their partnership with the Chinese motorcycle manufacturer, Qianjiang; the owner of Benelli to manufacture a range of motorcycle called the “HD350”. – This is where the news initially broke out.

Following this, the same project was seen at Benelli’s production plan but this time it was being called the  “HD338”. Sometime later, the sketch of the bike spread like wildfire, which was one of the closest tips we received regarding the bike.

With “More Road to Harley Davidson” getting replaced by “Rewire”; we weren’t sure whether Harley would still stuck with their old plan. However, it all changed when Harley Davidson announced that their relationship with Qianjian will continue as promised. Aside from this, the preview of QJ Motor’s 350cc QJ350 with Harley’s logo on the engine cover guaranteed us the arrival of the Baby Harley.

Busted!

Well, guess what! The Baby Harley has just been spotted in flesh! and it has a name too! Harley is calling it the Harley Davidson 338R. With the 338 in the name; we think the Harley Davidson 338R would be powered by a detuned 353cc parallel-twin engine from the QJ350. Aside from this, looking at the picture, it looks like most of the components have been carried forward from the current Benelli 302S. Given this is the case; the engine could also be an uprated 338cc mill based on the 300cc Benelli 302S engine.

Although the details are limited, for now, we are happy to see this long-awaited Baby Harley coming to life. Want to know what’s more exciting? According to bike social, Chinese dealers have already started teasing the Harley Davidson 338R. This makes us think Harley Davidson would most likely launch this bike by October 2020.

Related: 

350cc Harley-Davidson HD 350/ Benelli 350S/ Qianjiang QJ350 Confirmed!

Source: Bikesocial