For a long time, the Chinese have had a well-deserved reputation for plagiarising other manufacturer's designs but perhaps the time has come to reassess their products

Is Now The Time To Reassess Chinese Motorcycles?

Say 'Chinese' to anyone in motorcycling and immediately a vision of terrible copies of western manufacturers' designs come to mind. What's even worse is that the Chinese seem completely unabashed about their blatant copying, safe, perhaps, in the knowledge that their own people will buy the products in their millions and what we in the west really think isn't worth worrying about.

But recently, there have been signs that the Chinese are starting to get a handle on designing their own products without recourse to leafing through rival manufacturer's catalogues for ideas. Maybe the time has come when the Chinese manufacturers realise that expansion into European and U.S. markets is necessary, especially for higher priced motorcycles than their home market can handle.

Traditionally, Chinese motorcycles have been powered by small-displacement engines but the trend is turning towards larger-displacement engines. There are engines in the 650 - 1200cc range from the likes of Zeths, Weisenke, Benda, Zontes, Qianjiang and CF Moto: this isn't the Chinese looking at the local market, this is them plying for trade outside of China.

The latest model to emerge is the Gaokin Thor GK1000, a cruiser with a 1000cc v-twin, liquid-cooled engine and belt drive. Whilst the design is a little restrained, it doesn't blatantly copy from any other bike on the market. What is more, it is an attractive design that would appeal to European and US buyers.

Quality might have once been a sticking point with Chinese manufacture but that is something that simply has to be put to rest once and for all. After all, a large proportion of components used in many western motorcycle designs are of Chinese origin and the quality has to be high if those manufacturers are to maintain their reputations. If the Chinese can translate that quality to their own motorcycle products, then, really, the only barrier to their success is the prejudice of western buyers.

Another factor is that the Chinese aren't afraid to build a new engine if the need arises and hang the expense. The Gaokin Thor GK1000 for example, could have used the 1200cc parallel twin engine it has already produced that does service in the Cromwell 1200 but Gaokin realised that a cruiser looks better with a v-twin and produced one! With an output of 90bhp or thereabouts, it's not the most powerful 1000cc v-twin out there but then again, cruiser v-twins are more about torque than horsepower. Top speed is quoted as a shade over 120mph, which is probably more than your arms could stand!

In these times, with most manufacturers looking towards electrification of motorcycle propulsion, it could be that the Chinese might be the last bastion of the internal combustion engine and we might be forced to ride them for our fix of fossil-fuel burning hedonism!