Harley-Davidson 338R Design Revealed In Patent Filings Leak

A design filings leak has revealed the complete styling of the Harley-Davidson 338R motorcycle which is based on the Qianjiang QJ350.

Despite exiting the Indian market recently and announcing that it will axe the Sportster range from its European line-up, the American brand is going ahead with the 338R as planned.

These leaked drawings are from the design filings made by Harley-Davidson with China’s National Intellectual Property Administration way back in December last year.

The Harley-Davidson 338R design has been inspired from flat-tracks. It features a circular headlight with what appears to be the DRL in the centre. It will have chunky USD forks and dual discs upfront, a flat-ish handlebar and a circular instrument gauge that is off-set (leftwards).

At the sides we can see the exposed frame, a tightly packed engine bay, short 2 into 1 exhaust, rear monoshock and a single-piece seat. Rear profile of the bike shows a small taillight and a licence plate holder with integrated blinkers.

Overall design of the bike is minimalistic and is done well to differentiate it from the QJ350 and Benelli 302S which also share the same frame, engine, suspension, among other components.

To be built in Thailand, the Harley-Davidson 338R will become the cheapest model from the automaker when it is put on sale. It is not known if the bike will be launched in India and Europe as of now.

Considering Harley is in talks with Hero to contract manufacture a sub-600cc two-wheeler, the 338R could well be made here. But, since Harley has exited India, we might hypothetically see Hero MotoCorp launch its own version of the 338R, like what TVS did owing to its partnership with BMW Motorrad.