Voge

Voge RR660 confirmed

Voge has been making an impression as Loncin's high-end brand targeting export audiences and now it's confirmed its most ambitious project yet in the form of the RR660 sports bike.

The RR660 is to be the first home to Loncin's entirely new four-cylinder engine, which appeared at shows late last year. It's the latest in a string of projects from Chinese companies as they move towards the leisure end of the motorcycle market, moving away from their core commuter-focused products and towards a more Western approach to cater to increasingly affluent customers. 

It's intriguing that the Chinese demand for sports bikes comes after years of decline for such machines in Europe and the USA. Combined with costs involved in meeting emissions rules, slow sales mean Japan's 'big four' have essentially exited the 600 cc supersports market, and even the once-dominant 1,000 cc class is no longer a priority, to the extent that Suzuki has withdrawn the GSX-R1000 from the European market rather than upgrading it to meet Euro 5 rules. That's left a vacuum that China's fast-growing industry has clearly spotted.

Voge has revealed a styling sketch for the RR660 along with some initial specifications, confirming the engine's 660 cc capacity, a top speed in excess of 200 km/h (125 mph) and 0-100 km/h acceleration of 3.5 seconds. Those numbers suggest the new engine isn't as powerful as the best Japanese 600 cc fours, peaking at around 100 hp, but Voge claims that instead it's smaller and lighter, allowing the bike to be 10% narrower than rivals. The company also says the engine revs to 13,000 rpm and its transmission is fitted with a quickshifter.

Other details announced so far include the use of KYB forks and an aluminium single-sided swingarm, while Brembo is contracted to supply the brakes, with radial four-pot calipers at the front. Pirelli Diablo tyres will also be standard, along with ABS and traction control, while the TFT dash will have a track mode including a lap timer, lean angle display and accelerometer. 

Voge's plans for the future don't end with the RR660. The company recently showed the 900DS, based on the BMW F900R's parallel twin engine, which is already manufactured on BMW's behalf by Voge's parent company, Loncin, in much the same way that KTM's LC8c twin is made in China by CFMoto. Product plans shown by the company also revealed the silhouette of a larger sports model above the RR660, suggesting it eventually intends to manufacture a 1,000 cc superbike model.