By Ben Purvis
For years it has been unclear if China's huge but largely domestic-facing motorcycle industry will ever replicate the rise of the Japanese manufacturers more than forty years ago. Now, a growing number of high-end, export-focused Chinese brands suggest just such a revolution could already be underway...
The latest Chinese brand to appear on European markets is a relative newcomer to the bike industry, Benda. The cruiser-focused company has hit the market in Spain and Portugal as well as related territories, including the Azores and Canaries - and later this summer it will launch its most ambitious model yet, the LFC 700.
At the moment, Benda's range is made up of singles and twins between 125 cc and 400 cc, with its newest in Europe an impressive looking 300 cc V-twin, called the Fox. However, the LFC 700 will catapult the brand into a completely new market, as it uses a homegrown 680 cc inline four-cylinder engine mounted in an aluminium chassis - all wrapped in styling that will turn heads even if parked alongside the latest European exotica.
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| Benda LFC 700 |
The LFC 700 was previewed as the LF-01 concept bike last year, but prototypes have now been spotted on test in China and the company is promising a full unveiling on 1st July 2021. All indications are that the production model will be near-identical to the show bike, which had a Ducati XDiavel-style muscle-cruiser stance, but a look all of its own.
The engine, developed by Benda, appears to share some similarities with Honda's CB650 four-cylinder, but it's not a direct copy. The 67 mm bore is the same, as is the 11.6:1 compression ratio, but Benda's unit has different castings for the cases, cylinders and head, as well as a longer-throw crankshaft to add 2 mm to the stroke, at 48 mm, for a 680 cc total capacity. The bike itself is much larger than you might expect from that engine size, with a total length of 2,430 mm - the same as a Harley-Davidson Road Glide - and a vast 1,720 mm wheelbase. However, the alloy frame means it weighs only 215 kg, at least in LF-01 concept form.
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| Benda LF-01 |
The crazy dimensions are matched by a huge 310/35-18 rear tyre, allied to a more modest 130/70-19 front. Benda has said that buyers will be able to specify a 240-section rear tyre if they prefer. The original concept bike's engine featured an unusual intake system with a single ride-by-wire throttle butterfly and a long manifold splitting the air going to the four cylinders, rather like a car engine might use, but the production version is expected to revert to a more conventional setup with individual throttles for each cylinder. The intake air itself enters via a finned duct surrounding the small LED headlight, while the exhaust is just as flamboyant, with four individual exits from a central under-engine collector box.
The LFC 700 isn't the only ambitious project underway at Benda, either. Earlier this year the company said it is also working on a small-capacity, turbocharged sports bike, the VTR 300 Turbo. Given the fast development of the LFC 700, it might not be long before we see that bike as well.
Voge ER10
Benda isn't the only Chinese brand to have arrived in Europe recently, as Voge - a high-end sub-brand of the long-established Loncin marque - has also met Euro 5 emissions requirements with its machines. They are already sold in countries including Spain and Germany and will arrive in the UK soon. Lexmoto parent firm Llexeter Ltd has already set up a Voge UK website, and its dealer network is ideally placed to provide nationwide coverage for the brand.
Voge's current product range includes a range of 300 cc and 500 cc models, but its most intriguing and latest offering is the ER10 electric bike - the result of a long-running development project that originally began under another Chinese company, Sur-Ron. The ER10 fits into the 125 cc licence class with a rated 'continuous' power of 8 hp, but like most electric bikes, it's capable of brief bursts of significantly more than that. Torque is rated at 31 ft-lb, and the ER10 should be good for around 56 mph and a range of about 60 miles at 30 mph. The range may be short, but it's plenty for most daily commutes and means the ER10 can use a relatively small, light battery, keeping the bike's weight down to just 122 kg.
