Weird Flex: Harley-Davidson Iron 883's Chinese Copycat Compared In 8 Images

The battle of the real deal and the rip-off, the Xiang Shuai XS650N in detailed images 

For today’s episode of weird flex, here’s the Xiang Shuai XS650N, very visibly the Chinese version of the Harley-Davidson Iron 883. So let’s compare both the motorcycles against each other in images:

In terms of design, there are no two ways about the uncanny similarities both the bikes share. Both get the teardrop muscular fuel tank, high-rise handlebar and chopped fenders on both ends. Even the headlight, turn indicators, taillight, and rear view mirrors are identical. However, the XS650N gets fancy ‘Yin-Yang’ inspired inside light placement. The only thing visibly different is the single-seat setup on the Iron 883, whereas the XS650N gets a split-seat configuration.

Let's talk about the figures. The Harley-Davidson Iron 883 gets an 883cc air-cooled V-twin engine that churns out 51.6PS and 68Nm, and is mated to a five-speed gearbox.

The Xiang Shuai XS650N, on the other hand, gets a 650cc liquid-cooled (unlike the Iron 883) V-twin engine which produces about 1.4PS more but 10Nm less than its counterpart. With a liquid-cooled engine, the XS650N should have better thermal efficiency than air-cooled engines, at least theoretically.

Both the bikes are suspended on a telescopic fork up front and dual shock absorbers at the rear with preload adjustability. Even the braking hardware is similar, with a single disc at both ends paired with dual-piston calipers. Both come with the safety net of dual-channel ABS. In terms of weight, the Chinese clone gets a kerb weight of 226kg, almost 30kg lighter than the Iron 883.

In terms of features, the XS650N gets a retro-styled fully digital LCD instrument cluster, unlike the Iron 883, which gets an analogue instrument cluster.

Summing up, both the bikes look identical, and even though the Chinese bike gets a combo of great kit, performance and features, Xiang Shuai should have given its bike a distinct identity, rather than blindly imitating another brand’s offering.