Harley-Davidson’s upcoming entry-level, small-displacement sprint motorcycle is coming. And so on. But the brand has been building that kind of motorcycle with the X350 in collaboration with Qianjiang for years, and using it as a training motorcycle. Harley Riding Academy Motorcycle School. It never sold them to the public.
This always seems to be a bad decision, as riders are more likely to buy it once they know about it. But now, with the arrival of Sprint, that’s all about to change.
As Harley prepares to replace its X350 training fleet with the new Sprint, the idea I mentioned above is an obvious sales driver, those old The only catch? It will be used, will probably have many miles on it, and the dealership will have to install some parts to make them road-worthy.
But hey, this might be the biggest Harley deal ever. At least until Sprint arrives.
According to a service bulletin and dealer communication letter exposed by powersports businessThe letter instructs dealers that after years of being unable to, they are now free to sell their old X350 motorcycles to the general public.
The bulletin begins with, “Dear Dealers, We are pleased to announce that participating Harley-Davidson Riding Academy (HDRA) dealers can now sell de-fleeted HD X350 RA vehicles. This model can now be resold to consumers as a used vehicle after warranty expiration and with the specific retrofit outlined in Service Bulletin M1705, Can go.”
As mentioned above, the X350 motorcycles are co-built with Qianjiang of China, and were never intended for road use in the United States. They were only allowed to become the brand’s off-highway training motorcycle thanks to the motor company’s really great rider training program – more than 1 million people have taken classes. Now, according to this bulletin, that’s all changing, and apparently, there’s a kit that dealerships will need to install in order to sell the bike and register it at your local DMV, which is great.
What’s even better is that these aren’t expensive motorcycles to begin with, as even new they come in at under $9,000 for a conversion if you get them where they are sold. Add a little depreciation, a few bumps and bruises, and a few miles, and you’ll be looking at the most affordable Harley-Davidson outside of someone selling a frame with a VIN on Facebook Marketplace. That, in combination with the upcoming Sprint, which will likely arrive in the next few months, and you’ve got a one-two combo that makes Harley more accessible to the average new and returning consumer.
If this is part of the “Back to the Bricks” program, it seems like it’s a way that’s absolutely on track to take the company back to where it came from.
