American motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson has joined
hands with China's Zhejiang Qianjiang Motorcycle to make its new entry-level
model. Zhejiang Qianjiang Motorcycle will manufacture the company’s upcoming product,
a 338cc motorcycle, and the product will arrive in China by the end of next
year. The launch in the Chinese market will be followed by other Asian markets.
This collaboration is part of "More Roads to
Harley-Davidson" growth plan. With the new partnership, the American
cruiser brand aims to expand access to the Harley-Davidson brand to more
riders. The strategy is intended to boost the sales in the new
small-displacement along with traditional Harley-Davidson products. Harley-Davidson also released a sketch of the motorcycle. The upcoming product
from the American-Chinese collaboration will be a naked roadster style
motorcycle. The illustrations reveal various details, such as the engine layout
and hardware specifications of the new product.
Do note that Zhejiang Qianjiang Motorcycle also owns
Italian two-wheeler brand, Benelli. The Chinese manufacturer most likely plans
to use the several parts from the existing 300 cc product from Benelli, the TNT
300, on the new Harley-Davidson branded motorcycle. As seen in the sketches
released by the company, the upcoming 338 cc motorcycle will use a trellis
frame. The frame and the swingarm look identical to the units that are used on
the Benelli TNT 300. The engine design, rear fender, underbelly exhaust, alloy
wheel design, asymmetrically mounted rear monoshock and the braking setup, too,
look identical to the Italian naked roadster.
The engine, uses a
parallel-twin format and it looks nearly identical to the unit on the TNT 300.
We believe that Zhejiang Qianjiang Motorcycle may revise the existing motor
from the TNT 300 with a revised bore or longer stroke to achieve a relatively
higher displacement. The same engine may also power the BS-VI/Euro-V compliant
TNT 300. The current 300 cc liquid-cooled, twin-cylinder
engine, produces 38.26 BHP at 11,500 rpm and 26.5 Nm at 10,000
rpm. The motor on the TNT 300 is known to produce a sport exhaust note that
almost mimics an inline 4-cylinder engine’s sound. We expect to hear a similar
exhaust sound from the upcoming Harley-Davidson product. Braking department will include
twin, petal-type discs at the front and a single disc at the back while the
safety net will consist of dual-channel ABS. Shock absorption hardware will
consist of upside-down telescopic forks and an asymmetrically mounted monoshock
at the front and rear respectively.
While the underpinnings are similar to the Benelli
TNT 300, the styling is entirely different. The front fascia features a round
headlight with a brushed silver mask. As revealed in the sketches, the upcoming
338 cc Harley-Davidson will use a full LED headlamp. The TNT 300 uses an LED
tail lamp and blinkers, and we expect to see the same hardware on the upcoming
Harley-Davidson branded product. Do note that other products in the segment
such as the KTM 390 Duke and the Honda CB300R, too, use full LED lighting.
The cockpit will most likely feature a single-pod,
fully-digital instrument console to display ride related information. Bluetooth
integration is catching up, and it will not be entirely incorrect to see the
feature on the upcoming Harley-Davidson roadster. A flat, single-piece
handlebar will perform the steering tasks while round rear-view mirrors will
add a retro touch to the package.
The fuel tank is seen with a dual-tone finish in the
sketches, and we expect the final product to retain the design. The brushed
silver tank shrouds will add some muscle to the styling. The saddle, as seen in
the sketches, is a single-piece step-up unit. Do note that the TNT 300 features
a similar seat layout.
The upcoming motorcycle will
first arrive in the Chinese market by the end of 2020. The India launch details
are scarce although we expect to see the product in our market in early- or
mid-2021. The vehicle will likely be imported via the CKD route and be locally
assembled to keep the price competitive.
