2024 Harley Davidson X500 & X350: New BEGINNER Hogs

We’d heard rumours of new smaller capacity, more affordable options from Harley-Davidson, and now it’s finally happening, with their partnership with China’s Qianjiang bearing fruit, in the form of two new parallel-twin Harleys, the X350 and the X500.

The X350 here in Australia will retail for $8.5K ride-away for reference, and the X500 bumps that up to $11.5K, with both expected in December if you want to get your name down.

It’s pretty clear these offerings aren’t designed for the North American market either, where American-made Harleys are the norm, instead suiting regions were smaller capacity motorcycles are more the norm, where there’s beginner rider restrictions, or alternatively where a more affordable and modern motorcycle may be a winner.

So let’s look at the X500 first, the bigger brother of the new Harley-Davidson X range.

So, a 500 cc liquid-cooled, parallel-twin, 69 x 66.8 mm bore and stroke, 11.5:1 compression ratio and 46 Nm of torque plus 47 hp or 35 kW of power, peaking at 8500 rpm. That torque is about 15% higher than the old Street 500 and peaks at 6000 rpm, which is much higher in the rev range, however these new bikes will no doubt rev harder and longer than the ole Street.

An 820 mm seat height is also on the taller side, with a wet weight of 208 kg, which isn’t the lightest, but also shaves some weight off the old Street 500 too, and I’d say the new X500 will be a bit more agile and nimble in the handling department just looking at it, and the spec sheet. There’s over 20 degrees more lean angle on each side available compared to the Street!

Wheels are 17 inch units front and rear in cast aluminium and we’re seeing Maxxis Supermaxx ST tyres run, in a fairly common 120/70 front, and a narrower 160/60 rear. I mean this isn’t a Sportster S!

Suspension and brakes are a standout, as we’re seeing dual disc rotors on the front with four-piston calipers, while many bikes in the class make do with a single caliper, until they reach that 650 class. Obviously there’s ABS too, but nothing fancy like cornering ABS.

The suspension likewise surprises, beefy 50 mm front forks with rebound adjustment, not bad at all Harley. The rear monoshock also offers preload and rebound adjustment, and while obviously we’ll need to see how the bike rides, we’re already seeing a good point of difference in the suspension loadout here, putting the bike ahead of much of the competition, on paper anyway.

Lighting is LED all round, and there’s no mention of self cancelling indicators, and I’m not sure which way that goes. Riding a Harley with self cancelling indicators years ago left me permanently mentally scarred in having to try and reteach myself to turn them off. I still flick indicators to cancel at every bend in the road.

The dash looks to be a simple analogue clock with a digital readout, and apparently shares speed, rpm (digitally), hour, trips and a km/mile indication which I guess may be distance to empty?

The tank holds 13.5 L too, and a 4.85 L per 100 km claimed figure is actually a tiny bit lower than the X350 and should get you an easy 250 km with room to spare between refills.

The X500 also runs a bit more downstated styling, not as sporty of the two models, with rounder lines to my eyes, and a tail which again harks back to the Street 500, and of course Harley’s more traditional models. The seat is clearly more padded and runs a taller profile, but that may in part be how it’s mounted and integrated into the tail, while you’re getting a full muffler, rather than one of those hidden away belly-exits, which reduce weight but tend to be ugly as sin.

Images & footage courtesy of Harley-Davidson Australia

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