Harley-Davidson 350’s Chinese version revealed
Harley-Davidson and Zhejiang Qianjiang (Benelli brand owners) joined hands in early 2019 to build small-capacity motorcycles for Asian markets, including China, Thailand, Indonesia, and Viet Nam. Now, a few months down the road, we have a taste of the fruit of that relationship in the form of the Qianjiang QJ350 (also to be badged on certain markets as the Benelli 350).
The interesting bit here is that the announced future Harley-Davidson small-capacity motorcycle will be based on the QJ350 which also includes the engine. This is evident in those photos in the Harley-Davidson stamp on the motorcycle’s left engine shell.
This takes us to another revelation about the latest parallel-twin engine’s increase in cubic ability, which was announced at the outset. Harley-Davidson said a 338cc engine would fuel its limited capacity motorcycle. Nonetheless, the Chinese QJ350 homologation documents specifically state that this is a 353cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine generating 36hp.
This peak power figure may come as a surprise, as the new engine produces slightly less power than the 38hp Benelli TNT 300 on which this motorcycle bases itself. The lower power output could theoretically result from engine upgrades to meet Euro 5/BS6 emission requirements.
Aside from sharing the engine, the Harley-Davidson 350’s will also use the same frame as the QJ350 / Benelli 350 and other cycle components.
The QJ350 announcement would usually suggest that the Harley-Davidson 350’s is just around the corner. However, as we mentioned earlier, Harley-Davidson is rethinking its approach to new bikes and needs to concentrate on its core brands and markets instead of new ones. While there is no official word yet, this could mean that the 350cc parallel Harley-Davidson twin will be manufactured in China.
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