Harley-Davidson Will Finally Sell You Its Small Training Motorcycles. There's Just One Small Catch

They're gonna be used.

By: Jonathon Klein

Jun 29, at 8:21am ET

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Harley-Davidson's upcoming entry-level, small-displacement Sprint motorcycle is coming. And soon. But the brand has been building that sort of motorcycle for years now with the X350, in conjunction with Qianjiang, and using it as the training motorcycle for Harley's Riding Academy motorcycle school. It just never sold them to the public.

That always seemed like a poor decision, given riders are more likely to purchase it after learning on it. But now, with the Sprint incoming, that's all going to change.

As Harley prepares to replace its X350 training fleet with the new Sprint, with the idea I mentioned above being an obvious sales driver, those older X350s are finally going to go on sale to the general public, offering riders an entry-level Harley-Davidson right here, right now. The only catch? It's gonna be used, likely have a bunch of miles, and dealerships will have to install a few parts to make them road-worthy.

But hey, this could be the Screamin' Eagle'ist of Harley deals ever. At least until the Sprint arrives.

According to a service bulletin and dealer communication letter uncovered by Powersport Business, the letter instructs dealers that they're now free to sell their old X350 motorcycles to the general public after years of not being able to.

The bulletin starts by stating, "Dear Dealers, We're pleased to announce that participating Harley-Davidson Riding Academy (HDRA) dealers can now sell de-fleeted H-D X350 RA vehicles. This model can now be resold as a used vehicle to consumers, after warranty expiration, and with specific retrofits as outlined in Service Bulletin M1705, X350RA Retail Conversion Kit."

As mentioned above, X350 motorcycles are built in conjunction with China's Qianjiang, and were never homologated for road use here in the United States. They were only ever allowed in to be the brand's off-highway training motorcycles for the Motor Co.'s really great rider training program—over 1 million folks have taken the classes. Now, according to this bulletin, that's all changing, and apparently, there's a kit that dealerships will need to install for the bikes to be sold off and registered at your local DMV, which is pretty cool.

What do you think?

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What's better is that these aren't expensive motorcycles to begin with, as even new, they come in under $9,000 when you do the conversion from where they are sold. Add in a little depreciation, some bumps and bruises, and some miles, and you're likely looking at the cheapest Harley-Davidson outside of someone selling a frame on Facebook Marketplace with a VIN. That, in combination with the upcoming Sprint, which supposedly arrives in the next few months, and you've got a one-two combo that makes Harleys that much more approachable to the average new and returning consumer.

If this is part of the "Back to the Bricks" program, it seems to be one avenue that's absolutely on the right track of getting the company back to where it came from.