The Chinese motorcycle market is ripe with all kinds of motorcycles, but it is perhaps most well known for the….you guessed it, rip-offs!

Belonging to that very aforementioned group is the Xiang Shuai XS650N which looks exactly like a Harley-Davidson Iron 883 that appears to outperform the American model in a couple of areas. Shocking, right?

Harley-Davidson Iron 883 Clone From China

The XS650N is clearly based on the Harley-Davidson Iron 883 and its design elements all cement this claim.

Everything - the teardrop-type fuel tank, round headlight, fenders, seat design - looks just like the Iron 883. Heck, the Chinese company has even copied the alloy wheel design, fork gaiters, exhaust routing, and even the alternator case.

The only real distinction to the American motorcycle here is that XS650N has only the belt/pulley on the left side, while the Iron 883 has both the disc and the belt/pulley on the left side.

Where the XS650N seems to do a better job than the Iron 883, though, is in terms of features and performance. Yes, you read that right!

The XS650N boasts a front LED light and a digital instrument cluster while the Iron makes do with its dated analog display and a halogen headlight.

This is one-upped by the Chinese bike’s power output of ~53 horsepower, 2 horsepower more than the Harley, even though the former uses a smaller 650cc twin-cylinder engine. With a liquid-cooled engine, the XS650 should also have better thermal efficiency than the Iron 883.

As for underpinnings, the XS650N features alloy wheels, telescopic forks, disc brakes at both ends, and twin shock absorbers, pretty much the same as the Harley.

All in all, the XS650N doesn’t sound all that bad in isolation and has the potential to be a capable, mid-capacity cruiser. However, there’s no looking past the obvious rip-off job the company has done, which becomes a deal-breaker.

That’s not something you should worry about, though, as this clone is probably staying firm in China and will never make its way here.