Are you a Harley-Davidson biker looking to buy a small Harley-Davidson bike, but don’t know which is the smallest one? If so, then you are definitely in the right placeÂ
The Harley-Davidson Street 500 is the smallest model, weighing around 492 pounds and featuring a 500cc engine, making it ideal for beginners.
In this article, you will get to know all about the smallest Harley-Davidson bikes, what is the smallest Harley-Davidson bike, things to consider before purchasing a small Harley-Davidson bike, what is the smallest and cheapest Harley-Davidson bike in the Asian market, and more. Continue reading to get all the answers that you are looking for.
What is the smallest Harley-Davidson bike for beginners and short riders?
If you’re a short person but love to ride bikes, then high-sitting Harley-Davidson bikes might create a problem for you. As a shorter rider, you should be looking for two things – seat height and footpeg distance. You need to look for a small, low-sitting Harley-Davison bike that isn’t too stretched out that the footpegs are extremely far away.
You won’t want to be on a Harley-Davidson bike where you cannot put both your legs on the ground. Riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle is a matter of safety and control, and you shouldn’t neglect this when choosing your bike. There are bikes made especially for short riders. If you’re a short rider, you no longer have to search for what is the smallest Harley-Davidson bike.Â
The Harley-Davidson Softail Slim Model is the smallest Harley-Davidson motorcycle. It comes with a seat height of 23.8 inches (or 60.5 cm), features around, 1690cc, and has a weight of almost 700 lbs. (or 318 kg).
Things to remember before buying a small Harley-Davidson bike
Aside from the Harley-Davidson Softail Slim Model, there are other bikes, especially for short riders. The first thing you’ll need to consider is that you should always go for a low-sitting Harley-Davidson bike. The seat height is critical because it’ll help you feel in full control of your bike. Therefore, you’ll have to make sure that you’ve got the correct seat height for your Harley-Davidson bike.
Most of the Harley-Davidson bikes for short riders will offer aftermarket options for adjusting the height of the seat. Aside from the height of the seat, the width of the seat will also be important.
You would not want the lowest-sitting Harley-Davidson bike with a seat that is too wide, either. Having a seat with excess width will make you spread your legs too far apart. This will make it difficult to keep your feet on the ground. Narrow seats will provide you with much more control and confidence over your bike.
What is the smallest and lightest bike for a beginner?
In 2013, Harley-Davidson shocked the world with the news that the company was building a new 500cc bike for beginners. This is an idea antithetical to the Harley-Davidson brand that the bikers could hardly get their heads around it. Almost a year later, the world got the first chance to look at the Harley-Davidson Street 500. The aim of this motorcycle is to open up new and significant markets in the coming years, particularly in regions where beginners face power-to-weight or capacity restrictions in their initial riding days.
The Harley-Davidson Street 50 is built around a new engine – a 492cc, liquid-cooled Revolution X V-twin. The engine is designed to capture the essence of the bulletproof Revolution engine that was developed in conjunction with Porsche for the V-ROD range. In Harley-Davidson Street 500, the engine makes 29.5 ft-lbs of torque at 3500 RPM. The peak horsepower is unspecified, but this is not what Harley-Davidson bikes are about anyway. The sound, feel, and soul of the motor will be Harley-Davidson all the way.
The fuel economy is listed at 64 miles per gallon, meaning the tiny 3.5-gallon tank will be good enough to deliver an astonishing 224-mile range. At just 489 lbs. wet and ready, this is still a relatively large and heavy motorcycle for a learner. However, the 27.9-inch seat height and low center of gravity will make it easy to lift up and throw around, even for short bikers. This is one of the smallest and lightest bikes in the Harley-Davidson market, beating the popular Iron 883 by 80-odd pounds.
Like all Harley-Davidson bikes, this one is built to be customized. Meanwhile, the ride-away price of $6,700 USD is a decent starting point for all sorts of custom additions that take the bike in different directions design-wise. Under the odd-looking fork gaiters at the front, the Harley-Davidson Street 500’s suspension travel is two inches longer than the Harley-Davidson Iron 883. While it can easily handle rough urban routes, it also won’t hurt the bike’s chances of breaking off in the Indian motorcycle market.
According to the data collected, almost 13.4 million bikes were sold in India in FY 2011-12. This is a staggering figure, dwarfing America’s total sales of 450,000 units in the same duration of time. There is a huge market for large motorcycles in India. With the launch of Street 500 in India, the price is much more affordable compared to other Harley-Davidson bikes. The move has largely paid off for the iconic American motorcycle brand. The Harley-Davidson Street 500, Street 750, and Street Rod were manufactured in India and were the company’s entry-level models. Moreover, they have also been the highest-selling Harley-Davidson motorcycles in India for many years.
Harley-Davidson 338 – The Smallest and cheapest Harley bike in the Asian market
For the past few years, Harley-Davidson has been experiencing a lot of uncertainty and changes, especially around the pandemic era. Moreover, recent times have also seen a change in leadership. Harley-Davidson also announced the release of its first adventure bike – the Pan America. However, Bronx Streetfighter could be axed and not be a long-term bike. Interestingly, Harley-Davidson has entered into an agreement with Benelli to build mid-capacity bikes in China.
Moreover, there has already been a lot of buzz about the latter. Numerous images of the Benelli-based Harley-Davidson 338R surfaced online for the first time in 2020. Two years later, the details of the bike have been published in the US as the bike is closer to production. This bike has been developed specifically for Asian markets. It’ll be the stepping stone for bikers in the Asian region, where the motorcycling scene isn’t as mature as it is in the west.
The Harley-Davidson 338R is a bike based on the popular Benelli TNT 300. However, the company has increased the engine displacement to 338cc by using the cylinders and pistons from the larger Benelli 502 engines. Meanwhile, the 300cc engine on the Benelli TNT 300 is capable of producing 38PS of power. However, the Harley-Davidson bike is unlikely to gain a power advantage despite the extra displacement due to the stricter emission norms.
Not only spy shots, but also the patent images and other details of the Harley-Davidson 338R have surfaced on the looks of it. From the reports and details, the bike is production ready. The bike looks quite close to the design sketches that Harley-Davidson has shown in the past. In fact, you can even say that the Harley-Davidson 338R is a scaled-down version of the Bronx streetfighter. The 338R makes use of the same trellis frame, 12-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels, petal disc brakes, and USD fork/mono-shock suspension setup as the Benelli 302s.
Benelli’s parent company Qianjang had earlier released the product timeline, according to which the 338R was scheduled for launch in June 2020. However, the COVID-19 global pandemic disrupted the plans entirely. Two years later and the bike looks almost production-ready and the bike can be officially unveiled sometime in the Asian market in the coming months.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading. Hopefully, now you know a lot more about the smallest Harley-Davidson bikes, what is the smallest Harley-Davidson bike, things to consider before purchasing a small Harley-Davidson bike, what is the smallest and cheapest Harley-Davidson bike in the Asian market, and more. The smallest Harley-Davidson bike in the market is the Harley-Davidson Softail Slim Model, and it has a seat height of 23.8 inches or 60.5 cm. Meanwhile, the motorcycle is capable of delivering almost, 1690cc and a weight of around 700 lbs. (or 318 kg).
Meanwhile, the Asian market will be receiving a special bike, as the smallest Harley-Davidson developed for the Asian market will be the Benelli-based Harley-Davidson 338R. A small Harley-Davidson bike would be perfect for riders who are short or beginners who are looking for a small bike to be on par with their comfort levels.