Chinese four-cylinder sports bike revolution By Ben Purvis
In Western countries, the once vast market for middleweight four-cylinder sports bikes has all but disappeared over the last two decades - with big adventure bikes and naked roadsters stepping in to replace them as the default choice for riders who want one do-everything machine. But in China, there's a tidal wave of new four-cylinder race-reps from brands both familiar and new as the country's huge population realises the appeal of such machines.
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| Zonsen Cyclone RC680R |
The recent CIMA show in Beijing was the launchpad for multiple new homegrown four-cylinder models, all stepping into a market where four-cylinder options have previously been limited to the 600s from Benelli and QJMotor and, more recently, Kove's 450RR.
QJMotor, part of the giant Qianjiang group (sister company to the Benelli business), is at the head of the charge, launching its new SRK800RR. Although QJMotor already has the SRK600RR, based on the Benelli-designed four-cylinder engine from the TNT600i, the SRK800RR uses a completely different design that - like many of the latest Chinese fours - is copied from the layout of Honda's long-lived CBR650R engine.
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| Yingang 400RR |
The QJMotor adds a long 55 mm stroke to the same 47 mm bore used in the Honda design to reach a capacity of 778 cc and achieve a peak power of 75 kW (100 hp) at 10,000 rpm. But it's not just the engine that's 'inspired' by Honda, as the bike's steel frame is also remarkably similar to the CBR650R's, sharing similar shapes and even an identical 1,450 mm wheelbase. The kit bolted to it is higher spec, though, including Brembo brakes and adjustable Marzocchi suspension.
'Little-known brands target middleweight sports market'
In competition to the SRK800RR, there's a new rival in the form of Voge's RR666S. Also making 75 kW (100 hp), it uses a 660 cc four-cylinder engine made by Voge's parent company, Loncin. A single-sided swingarm gives the RR666S an exotic look - it's a signature of several of China's latest sports bike models. Although other details remain under wraps at the moment, Voge's presence on the international market means there's a strong chance that the RR666S could be offered outside China eventually.
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| Voge RR666S |
Another company that's increasingly being seen outside China is Zonsen (formerly Zongshen) with its high-end Cyclone sub-brand. The company is already making overtures to the European market, launching its Norton twin-cylinder-based RX650 in Europe at EICMA this year, but in China it's also heading into the four-cylinder sports bike arena with the RC680R.
Like the QJMotor, the RC680R's engine bares a distinct resemblance to Honda's CBR650R four, once again hitting a claimed 75 kW (100h p) and combining it with a chassis that also looks rather Honda-esque, but with the addition of a single-sided swingarm and Brembo brakes. Tech includes a large TFT dash and, unusually, a front-facing camera. At 206 kg, the bike is 1 kg lighter than the 207 kg claimed for QJMotor's SRK800RR.
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| QJMotor SRK800RR |
Getting into the less familiar brands, another new Chinese four-cylinder comes from newcomer Vinto, which showed a machine with MotoGP-inspired aerodynamics, single-sided swingarm and a homegrown engine. Specs for the bike are limited at the moment, but it's claimed to weigh 208 kg and features a 1,452 mm wheelbase, putting it right in the same class as QJMotor, Voge and Cyclone machines.
Finally, there's a smaller, higher-revving four-cylinder in the form of the Yingang 400RR, designed to compete with the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R and Kove's 450RR in the reborn 400 cc class. Putting out a claimed 40 kW (54 hp) at 11,000 rpm and 39 Nm of torque at 9,000 rpm, the 400RR still appears to be some way from being production-ready, but could appear in showroom form by 2025.
