HD338 appears to share plenty with Benelli’s 302s
Words by Kali Kotoski
Photos courtesy of Harley-Davidson and Qianjiang Motorcycle Company
In June of 2019, Harley-Davidson signed a deal with a Chinese firm to manufacture a small 338cc bike.
And now it looks like the motorcycle will be released as soon as this summer.
The partnership between Harley and Qianjiang Motorcycle Company Limited—a subsidiary of Geely which owns Volvo—received the green light for project “HD350” in December. This was followed up by a Qianjiang news conference laying out the June timeline.
While the news of a Chinese-made Harley predictably created a stir, there has been little news about design aspects. But according to Qianjiang, which owns Benelli, the Harley will be taking Italian cues.
The HD338 is expected to be heavily based off of the Benelli 302S, sharing an identical frame. The size of the engine suggests that the bike uses the 45.2mm stroke from the 300cc Benelli 302S and the larger 69mm bore from Benelli’s larger 500cc twin.
The bike will exclusively be sold in Harley-Davidson dealerships in China, with expectations for regional growth. Reports out of India suggest the new HD338 could enter the subcontinent by the end of 2020.
