QJMotor triple under development
By Ben Purvis
Despite only being in existence for a few years, the QJMotor brand already has a vast array of bikes in its range - including electric models, singles, twins, inline fours and V4s - but, so far, there hasn't been a three-cylinder model. That looks set to change as the company has filed a patent that shows a triple engine fitted with an automated manual transmission.
QJMotor's parent company, Qianjiang, isn't completely without experience in three-cylinder bikes. It also owns Benelli, which it bought in 2004, inheriting the Italian company's existing triple in the process, and currently manufactures a version of the same engine in China for the large Benelli 1200GT tourer that's only sold in that market.
However, the new design is a completely different three-cylinder that has more in common with the 699 cc engine seen in the Zontes 703 model range - the pictures show a similar pattern of bolts around the engine covers, and it's not uncommon for Chinese brands to copy each other when it comes to powertrains. If the engine is related to the Zontes design, it's likely to be around the 700 cc mark and to make around 75 kW.
The semi-auto transmission is similar in concept to the designs recently introduced by BMW, KTM and Yamaha, with actuators for the clutch and shifter of an otherwise conventional manual box. QJMotor already offers such a system in China on its SRV300 AMT, a V-twin cruiser. That was launched late last year, and the same system is likely to rapidly spread to more models in the QJMotor range.
There's also a possibility that the engine could be destined for a future Benelli. Most of the current Benelli models are versions of existing QJMotor machines, with new styling to suit the Italian branding, and Benelli as a long three-cylinder heritage going back to the Tornado Tre 900 that revived the brand at the turn of the millennium.
