Harley-Davidson Pulls The Covers Off The X 350 In ChinaThe very accessible X 350 and the X 500 are about to sing their last song in Japan.Ever since Harley-Davidson introduced the nicely-styled and approachable X 350, there's been interest in this model all over the place.Although it was only ever primarily intended for Asian markets (it is made for the brand through a partnership with QJ Motors), for folks looking for a relatively lightweight, small-displacement, more approachable way into the Bar and Shield, its attractive tracker styling made a compelling case. And while it's true that the X 350 RA is used to help new riders learn the basics through the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy, it's not a model that has been made available for sale on US shores.Japan is one place it's been available for sale, though, along with its slightly larger sibling, the X 500. However, thanks to Japan's tiered motorcycle licensing system, of the two middleweight Harleys, the X 350 alone holds the distinction of being the only Harley currently sold in Japan where you don't need a large motorcycle license to legally ride it. All you need in Japan is a regular motorcycle license, which by definition makes it more accessible to a wider array of riders.That's about to change, though. Harley-Davidson Japan broke the bad news to fans that both the X 350 and the X 500 are about to go away from that market. Authorized Harley dealers throughout Japan will sell down what stock they have left, but after that, they'll be gone for good.While the company didn't specifically cite reasons why these models in particular are going away, declining motorcycle sales figures from 2023 through 2026 throughout Japan may shed a little bit of light. We know that correlation isn't causation, but at the same time, it's difficult not to see a decline like this and want to put your deductive reasoning hat on.jama-new-motorcycle-registrations-july-2023-july-2026Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association - New Motorcycle Registrations, July 2023 through July 2026Photo by: JAMARecent Memories2024 Harley-Davidson X350 And X500 Set To Launch In AustraliaHarley-Davidson To Launch X350 And X500 In JapanThe Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association keeps statistical data on both the automobile and motorcycle industries in the country. Looking solely at new motorcycle registrations from July 2023 (around the time the X 350 was first announced) through the most recently collated data in July 2026, a downward trend is immediately evident. That's true whether you're looking at overall motorcycle sales and registrations, or just those over 250cc (which is where both the X 350 and the X 500 would sit).While we can't say for certain how many of each of those models were sold, the margin on these more reasonably priced bikes is slimmer than on the larger-displacement bikes. Therefore, it's unsurprising that if you're a motorcycle manufacturer and you're looking to trim your lineup down due to sales contractions, the less profitable models will be the ones that are first on the chopping block.From July 2023 through July 2026, new motorcycle registrations of bikes over 250cc have shrunk by nearly 25 percent. Overall motorcycle sales of all displacements have dropped by nearly 30 percent. While it's no secret that much of the world is in a pretty strong economic slump right now, it's also probably not surprising that motorcycle sales are suffering.Do you have a Harley-Davidson X 350 or X 500? Are you sad to see the model disappear from Japan's lineup, or do you see this move as making way for potentially newer and better things? Tell us about it in the comments.Source: Harley-Davidson Japan, Japan Automobile Manufacturer's Association