Quick fang on Harley-Davidson’s new learner legal X350 & X500 motorcycles

Harley-Davidson X350 & X500

Quick fang with Kris Hodgson

Harley recently gave us an early insight into how their new beginner (LAMS) centric offerings will stack up ahead of their official launch in December. We got to throw a leg over for a small taste of what is on offer at Allianz Stadium.

While the mileage covered was way too small to form any concrete opinions, we had a chance to do some learner styled slaloms through cones in a car park practice style environment, to get a feel for the new learner legal offerings.

As far as first impressions go, this was a good one, with the loop through the tunnels of the Allianz Stadium reminding me somewhat of a Mario Kart race, complete with some slippery sections over the paint, and of course the paparazzi hounding us at every turn.

Harley-Davidson X500

I jumped on the X500 first up, which we’re told is the more comfort driven of the models, leaning towards longer distance riding with more relaxed ergonomics.

I just wanted the more powerful model to kick off though to be honest, as I figured it’d give the X350 a challenge to live up to…

X500 styling is the more restrained of the two models, reminding me of the old Street 500 – especially at the tail, with Harley indicating that the styling cues are more Street Bob.

There’s notably wide ‘bars, a deep but somewhat rigid seat and a fairly natural reach to the pegs, unusual for a Harleyt. The simple analogue dash with small LCD readout is shared between models and while basic, suits the style of the machines – a simple ‘clock’.

Realistically the X500 aligns more with the nakedbike category given a bit of a cruiser make-over in the styling department.

The little X500 rumbles into life with a nice purr from the exhaust, that gets a bit throatier with a rip of throttle at a standstill, the parallel-twin promises a little fun.

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A smooth opening throttle, develops instantly into quite meaty torque, with that 500 donk straddling the maximum power allowed in the LAMS segment.

I did find neutral a few times instead of second on the way up, but down-shifts were solid, with nice smooth engine braking.

In the contained space of the tunnel inside the arena, getting into third was about the max without lugging the engine somewhat, however it’s easy to spot a powerplant with a bit of character that’ll be rewarding for new riders.

Sure the X500 isn’t a V-twin, but I feel like this is a bike which will at least match if not outperform any 650 cc cruiser. Compared to the old Street 500 it’s an enormous upgrade.

Beefy 50 mm forks and dual four-pot disc brakes are also fairly serious, with rebound and pre-load at the rear a nice feature. Doing loops of the Stadium didn’t really offer an opportunity to test that suspension on our goat track Sydney roads, but the brakes did offer ample stopping power.

Maybe a tiny bit wooden at the lever, but that seems typical of these non-Brembo dual brake set-ups on the smaller machines. Trying to get some ABS in the outside section did deliver and the intervention was smooth.

Through the cones the X500 was well balanced and agile, easy to throw around despite its 200 kg weight. I am sure it will prove an engaging machine ideal for zipping through traffic and commuting. While not the lightest in class, when we’re talking 500 cc twins the X500 is very much in the ballpark.

Obviously this is very much a first, quick impression, however the X500 looks the business, is well specced and looks like a strong offering.

While perhaps not quite as traditionally Harley as the old Street 500, it’s pretty clear that from a rider perspective this’ll be the far better machine.

Priced at $11,495 ride-away is pretty good for a beginner from Harley-Davidson in the 500 category either, but it certainly isn’t trying to undercut the segment.

Harley-Davidson X350

The Harley X350 is a different beast. Straight up it gets accolades for the XR750 derived styling. My first impression was how much narrower those ‘bars are compared to the X500, while the foot controls are positioned more like rear-sets.

Where I’d normally be putting my foot down onto the ‘pegs I was instead getting the brake pedal and shifter for reference, with the X350 taking a very sporty approach in comparison to the 500. It seems even more aggressive than even the little 300-400 cc supersports machines from the Japanese manufacturers at the pegs, but up top it doesn’t run anything resembling clip-on style ‘bars.

The seat is also lower, so the bike is a bit more accessible to shorter riders, which is perhaps a little off-set by the more sporty theme. Weight is a little lower too, but not to the level we see in some of the 300-400 cc machines available elsewhere.

Obviously this is a lower-spec machine, with a smaller capacity engine, however it looks like Harley are trying to recapture the flat tracker inspired concept, which seems a great direction to go.

Now the X350 isn’t going to be winning the AFT championship anytime soon, or returning Harley to the top of the podium there, but it is capable of bringing in new riders and seems well placed to lead them on to a modern sports-cruiser like a Sportster S.

Torque and drive is definitely a bit more restrained than on the X500, and while I could nab a higher gear or two on occasion as a result, I do think the X350 would shine more on the open road where it can be revved out harder.

I didn’t feel like the fuelling was quite as smooth as the larger X500, particularly transitioning on and off power, but that’s more a testament to how good the bigger bike was. You’ll be much more active through the gearbox on a smaller bike, that’s just life.

Interestingly I’d say the extra torque of the X500 was helpful through the cones, in that technical slow speed stuff, however there’s no doubt the X350 is a bit more agile in those conditions.

I didn’t feel like there was any noticeable loss moving from the radial mount calipers of the X500 to the axial units on the X350, but I’m holding off on final judgement there for a more extensive road ride at higher speeds.

The one point I did notice is that the shorter seat left quite a sharp ridge at the edges on either side, but there’s often a bit of a compromise on comfort for minimising seat height.

The X350 arrives at $8,495 ride-away, making for an even more accessible Harley option for new riders that are in a quest for a stylish machine.

Harley X350 or X500?

As a more experienced rider, the X500 was the overall winner in the short time I had on the bike, I appreciated the extra torque and more refined fuelling.

Thinking back to when I first started riding though, I think the sportier X350 with a more affordable price would likely have come out ahead. I’d also guess that working to get the most out of the smaller engine would have helped develop rider skills, compared to the more torque-laden 500, which allows for a bit more of a lazy riding style, something I’m quite prone to falling into.

Conclusion

The Harley-Davidson X models are undoubtedly a departure from tradition for the motorcycle manufacturer, with a strong focus on expanding the riders coming on board. Most riders spend three years on a LAMS machine after all, so it needs to be something good enough to keep them coming back for the next upgrade down the track.

The loss of the Street 500 left Harley without an option, but now they’ve returned with the X350 and X500 and first impression is that both new bikes are far better options overall, based on performance and ride dynamic.

Hopefully that’ll make them easy replacements for the very popular Street 500 which sold exceptionally well in Australia, while also potentially enticing riders who are interested in something a little more performance driven and spec’d out than your regular cruiser.

Time will tell, and there’ll no doubt be haters, or just those who don’t get it, but that’s nothing new – in motorcycling or the world in general.

Both bikes are due in December and Harley will apparently be riding demo events through dealers to give prospective new riders a chance to get a good feel for the machines. That’ll be before everything slows down for Christmas, so keep an eye out early December.

For more information head to the Harley-Davidson Australia website for the X500 (link), or the Harley-Davidson X350 (link).

2024 Harley-Davidson X500 Specifications

2024 Harley-Davidson X350 Specifications

Harley-Davidson X500 Gallery

Harley-Davidson X350 Gallery