Zontes 350 coming soon
By Ben Purvis
A new range of 350 cc bikes is to replace the 310 cc line-up of single-cylinder bikes in the Chinese-made Zontes range - led by an all-new ZT350-GK retro-inspired roadster.
Zontes has been teasing the GK for a while, revealing renders and videos of the bike, and now the final version has emerged in Chinese type-approval documents. Alongside it, every model in the existing ZT310 range is to be replaced with updated ZT350 versions featuring the same engine and updates to their suspension and brakes.
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| ZT350-GK |
The current Zontes 310 range includes the ZT310-R naked bike, ZT-310T adventure mode, ZT310-X sports tourer and ZT310-V cruiser, all based around a shared chassis and engine. Most models come in more than one form, with the choice of wire or alloy wheels and the option of a single-sided swingarm, and they're all moving to the new 350 cc single.
It's not just a bored-out engine as the 350 gets new cases, a new cylinder and a new cylinder head. Inside, there's a different starter motor and oil pump. Originally, the company intended two versions of the engine - one with 32 kW (43 hp) and one with 29 kW (39 bhp) - but testing showed the more powerful one was unsatisfactory, with excessive vibration, so only the lower-powered version will be offered, at least initially, with a lower compression ratio.
All the bikes get a redesigned frame to suit the updated engine, with increased rigidity and revised suspension, brakes and wheels. The forks are bumped up from 37 mm to 43 mm in diameter, while the brakes go from axially-mounted, two-piston calipers to radial-mount J.Juan four-pots, on 320 mm discs instead of 300 mm.
A larger-diameter spring and damper is fitted at the back, with a redesigned, stiffer dual-sided swingarm alongside the existing single-sider, while the front tyre on all models rises from 110-section to 120-section.
