Voge joins the small four-cylinder sports bike market
By Ben Purvis
Not long ago the small-capacity four-cylinder sports bike appeared to be dead. The Japanese 'big four' were letting their 600 cc supersports models decline, and the era of the exotic 400 cc fours of the 1980s and 1990s seemed consigned to the history books.
Then Kawasaki revived the market with its Ninja ZX-4RR four cylinder, only to be followed by the even more surprising arrival of Chinese-made four-cylinders in the same market. CFMoto launched its 500SR in China - although it's yet to be released onto export markets - and Kove introduced its 450RR. Last year QJMotor showed its upcoming 400RR four-cylinder sports bike and now Voge is getting in on the game with its new RR500.
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Voge, the high-end marque from Loncin, is already familiar in Europe, suggesting the RR500 could make its way to the west when production is underway. It's the second four-cylinder machine from the company in quick succession, following the RR650S that was shown last year, competing in the burgeoning new market for 400 cc-500 cc fours.
It's an unusual-looking design with a high-mounted air intake on the nose above the headlights, but the on-paper specs look promising. At its heart lies a 475 cc four-cylinder engine, made by Loncin's engine division and codenamed 'LX460MR' - a title that indicates four cylinders and a 60 mm bore, which means the stroke must be 42 mm. Peak power is 76.4 hp, which is on a par with the slightly smaller Kawasaki ZX-4RR, while the Voge's weight is 192 kg wet, including fuel.
Another new arrival in the same part of the market is the Lulang 500RR, which was shown last year under the 'ZXJC' brand - 'ZX' for the company's founder, Zhang Xue, who also founded the Kove brand before leaving it early last year.
New type-approval documents have been filed showing a toned-down version of that show bike, with the product name 'Lulang' and changes including a double-sided swingarm instead of the prototype's single-sider. It's lighter than the Voge RR500 at 175 kg, with an engine that's slightly smaller at 470 cc, with a 59 mm bore and 43 mm stroke for each of its four cylinders. Peak power is 75 hp for this version, down from a claimed 83 hp for the single-sided swingarm machine shown last year.
All these bikes could be overshadowed soon, though, as Honda is planning to get in on the four-cylinder baby sports bike game in the near future. The Japanese giant recently filed trademarks for the names 'CBR500 Four' and 'CBR400 Four' - suggesting it has two versions of a new sports bike under development, clearly in the 'CBR' mould and with four cylinders, as the names indicate.
The 400 cc version is likely to be for the Japanese market, where there's a different licence required to ride bikes over 400 cc, while the CBR500 Four is expected to be exported to the rest of the world. Honda alluded to the new bikes during a presentation at the Chongqing Motorcycle Show last September, indicating that China is a key market for these machines.
