Leading Chinese bikemaker QJ Motors, has a wide variety of motorcycles for its domestic market. These bikes not only compete against big names like Honda, KTM, and Suzuki but also outsell them, and it’s not stopping there.

Recently leaked approval documents have revealed that QJ Motors is now planning to set foot in the middleweight sportbike segment with two new 700cc motorcycles, suggesting an imminent unveil back home in China.

QJ Motor 700cc Sport Bike

The two bikes are quite identical to each other and it seems the better-equipped model is likely to be a top-spec variant rather than a different bike altogether. We say this because both bikes share the same engine, suspension, and design and only differ in terms of a few components and livery.

Taking up the common bits first, both bikes look quite sporty and feature twin LED headlights upfront which is similar to the Honda CBR650R}. This is coupled with brawny fairings on the side which, to our surprise, feature small winglets. Now, surely these won’t add any downforce or improve the handling of the bike but they'll surely give you bragging rights.

Another common element between the two variants is the engine. Both bikes employ a 693cc, parallel-twin engine dishing out 75 horsepower, bringing them right in the ballpark of the Yamaha R7 which makes 72 horsepower. }

Like the engine, the two variants also share Marzocchi USD forks and a mono-shock between them, along with Nissin calipers to cut speed.

So what’s different? For starters, the more premium variant comes wrapped in a much more premium silver, black, and red livery, clearly inspired by the Ducati Panigale V4R’s winter test colors}. In addition, you also get a golden finish on the USD forks and a single-sided swingarm for an added premium touch.

However, single-sided swingarms, though cool, are heavier than regular swingarms and as a result, the higher-spec QJ Motor 700cc sportbike weighs 436lbs, 11lbs more than the base variant. The more premium variant also gets an unnecessarily wide 190-section rear wheel which also contributes to its extra heft.

Nevertheless, even at 425lbs, the QJ Motor 700cc sportbike is quite hefty for a middleweight and offsets its performance advantage over the Yamaha R7, which weighs considerably less at 414lbs.

Final Thoughts

Judging from all we know right now, the QJ Motor 700cc sportbike looks well set to take on the middleweight sportbike segment. However, the crucial point here will be as to how the company decided to price it and whether it’ll actually go on sale in overseas markets.

Even if it doesn’t though, QJ Motor is the parent company of Italian giant Benelli so we could very well see this bike rebranded as a Benelli and then sold abroad, which we won’t really complain about.

Source: Bennetts