Harley-Davidson 338R Spotted For The First Time

The bike looks production ready which implies it could hit markets pretty soon

The Harley-Davidson 338R is based on the Benelli 302S. Shares the same chassis, suspension, brakes and wheels. Engine capacity has been bumped up to 338cc.

We’ve all known for a while that American bikemaker Harley-Davidson has had plans of tapping into the entry-level premium motorcycles space so as to widen its target audience. Back in June last year, the brand joined hands with Qianjiang Motorcycles to build small-capacity bikes, the first of which would go into production in December 2019. Since then though we haven’t heard much about the motorcycle thanks to the delays caused by COVID-19. Nevertheless, a certain Asian publication has now spotted the Harley-Davidson 338R in its flesh and it looks almost identical to the earlier render. 

It’s already been established that the bike will be based on Benelli’s 302S model which means the chassis, suspension, brakes and wheels are all but the same. Consequently, the weight is likely to be on the heavier side… say around the 185kg mark. The styling of the two bikes, however, is different with the Harley sporting some American flair and the obvious Harley-Davidson branding.  

The two also differ when it comes to the powertrain. Harley has managed to bump the engine capacity by increasing the bore and stroke of the bike. This has increased the cee cees to 338cc. Hence the name ‘338R’. The larger engine could also make more ponies compared to its Italian cousin. For reference, the Benelli 302’s parallel-twin motor makes 38.06PS

The bike has been specifically designed for the Asian markets and could be offered in other developing countries which will enable newer riders to hop onto the Harley bandwagon without burning a hole in their pocket. Moreover, the spy image suggests the bike is production ready which implies it could be hitting the markets soon with its India launch sometime in 2021. It’s expected to be priced around Rs 3 lakh to 3.5 lakh (ex-showroom).

 

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