Hate ‘em or love ‘em, but you just can no longer ignore motorcycles made in China. Now, I know that Chinese motorcycles generally get your attention because they look like cheap rip-offs of European bikes, but Chinese bikemaker Gaokin is trying to change this perception with its new ‘thunderous’ cruiser dubbed the Thor GK 1000.

Before diving into the details, let me tell you Gaokin is part of the massive Chongqing group that also owns British bikemaker [Brixton.

->art194026] With that out of the way, let’s get to it.

Gaokin Thor GK 1000 - Design & Features

As I mentioned above, the GK 1000 doesn’t come under the usual crop of rip-offs usually seen in China.

Instead, the power cruiser actually does its own thing, and it does it quite well. Starting up top, the bike boasts a round, silver nacelled all-LED headlight coupled with a brawny radiator guard right below it.

In the middle, things turn even more muscular, thanks to the bike’s wide and swooping fuel tank that tapers down into a low yet spacious seat. Contrary to this, the tail end has been kept short, sort of reminiscent of the Harley-Davidson FXDR 114, but only chunkier. }

Things only get better from here on, as we come to the bike’s features. Apart from all-LED lighting, the Thor 1000 comes loaded with a huge TFT instrument cluster which helps toggle through the bike’s ride modes, traction control, and Bluetooth connectivity bits, along with the usual crop of information that you'd typically find.

Gaokin Thor GK 1000 - Engine & Underpinnings

Underneath the muscular skin, the GK 1000 employs an all-new belt-driven, 997cc engine, which pumps out a more than respectable 88.5 horsepower and 70 pound-feet.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, this is good enough to reach a claimed top speed of 198kmph (123mph).

The engine is housed in an aluminum chassis that’s coupled to beefy 43mm USD forks and a monoshock, both coming from Kayaba (KYB). Meanwhile, stopping this 555-pound mammoth is 320mm front discs and a 300mm rear disc, both mounted on 18-inch alloy wheels (with Metzeler tires) and clamped by JJuan calipers.

Gaokin Thor GK 1000 - Price

Back in China, the Gaokin GK 1000 retails at an equivalent of $7,700, which makes it pretty solid value for the money, considering it undercuts several Harley models.

However, it still remains unclear whether Gaokin will rebrand this as a Brixton and sell it to European, and more importantly, North American markets.

Picture Credits: YouTube