The latest from Harley Davidson, the X 500 is developed in collaboration with QJ Motor. The two-wheeler uses the same platform as the Benelli Leoncino
The Harley Davidson X 500 has finally made its official global debut. It is the second product from Harley Davidson’s alliance with the Chinese two-wheeler manufacturer, QJ Motor. The first one was the Harley Davidson X 350, which was revealed some time back. Let’s discuss more about the Harley Davidson X 500.
Harley Davidson X 500: The Benelli Leoncino Connection
The neo-retro-styled two-wheeler is based on the Benelli Leoncino and essentially uses the same platform. Taking a close look at both bikes reveals that there are some resemblances here and there, despite the distinctive design language. The X 500 is destined to be sold in the Chinese market only.
Harley Davidson X 500: Powertrain and Hardware
The HD X 500 draws power from a 500cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine mated to a 6-speed gearbox. The power output figures stand at 47.5 bhp and 46 Nm of peak torque. Yes, the latest from Harley skips the parallel twin motor and the power output exactly matches Benelli Leoncino’s figures.
This means that the engine in X 500 is a straight lift-off from Benelli. In addition to this, the steel tube frame and the swing arm are also identical on both bikes. The suspension set-up comprises 50mm USD forks at the front and a mono-shock at the rear end, with both preload and rebound adjustment settings.
The kerb weight stands at 208 kg and it gets 13 litres of fuel tank capacity. The bike comes fitted with 120-section rubber for the front and 160 for the rear, and it obviously gets cast alloy wheels. Being true to the Harley DNA, the X 500 is not tech-loaded, however, gets a decent amount of loadings.
Some significant talking point includes all LED lights, dual channel ABS, and a mono-pod mid-set instrument cluster. Talking about its India launch, there is no chance that this bike will make it to the country. Furthermore, the existence of Royal Enfield 650 twins would have given a hard time to HD X 500.