Breaking: First Look: New Harley-Davidson X 500

We’ve known for a while now that Harley-Davidson has been working on two small-capacity motorcycles for the Asian market. Recently it launched the X 350 (the smallest Harley-Davidson, yet) in China and soon after, it has unveiled the X 500, also in China. Here’s a first look at the 500cc twin-cylinder roadster. 

In terms of design, the X 500 looks akin to Harley-Davidson’s Sportster family of bikes, especially thanks to the small LED headlight and short rear fender. However, there’s no escaping the fact that underneath, this is essentially a Benelli Leoncino 500 with mild aesthetic changes to look more Harley-Davidson-esque. The X 500 gets a redesigned and muscular fuel tank (13-litre capacity) and a chunky one-piece seat, not to mention the chopped rear fender giving it a proper Harley appeal. It will be available in three colours - black, orange and silver.

The performance package on offer comprises a 500cc liquid-cooled, parallel twin motor, the same as in the Leoncino 500. The twin-cylinder motor makes 47.5PS and 46Nm, and with a kerb weight of 208kg. In comparison, the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650’s twin-cylinder makes 47.4PS and 52.3Nm. The motor is mated to a six-speed gearbox and has a claimed milage of 20.8kmpl.

With regard to hardware, it gets an upside down fork (50mm) at the front and a monoshock at the rear. Both are adjustable for rebound, but the rear is preload adjustable as well. Braking is likely managed by the same twin 320mm discs at the front and a 260mm disc at the rear as on the Leoncino 500 and dual-channel ABS will be offered as standard. The X 500 gets a seat height of 820mm and a ground clearance of 153mm, which suggests it won’t be as accessible to shorter riders as some other Harley Sportsters are.

While Harley-Davidson China has not listed down any features, like rider-aid, of the X 500, what we know is that it gets all-LED lighting and a semi-digital instrument cluster which reads - speed, ODO, km/mile readout toggle and tripmeter. It’s highly likely that it misses out on Bluetooth connectivity. 

While Harley-Davidson is yet to disclose the pricing for X 500, this motorcycle will not make its way to India. Which is fine because Harley-Davidson has ‘leaked’ images of its upcoming India-spec 400cc roadster. That said, if you are keen on the HD X 500, just buy the Leoncino 500. But if you want a potent middle-weight retro-style bike, consider the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. And if you’re a Harley-Davidson fanboy from India, we recommend you wait for the HD 4XX because it will be priced aggressively.