Cyclone SR1000 nears production
By Ben Purvis
The idea of large-capacity bikes from Chinese manufacturers is rapidly becoming more familiar, but when Zonsen showed its RA9 concept bike in 2021 as a 1000 cc V-twin it was breaking new ground for the company - and for the Chinese industry as a whole.
Four years later and the RA9 is getting closer to production, with Zonsen gaining official type-approval for the bike in China. Expected to use the name 'SR1000' in production form, the new model is heavily based on elements of the old Aprilia Shiver, which was sold from 2007 to 2021 in a 750 cc and 900 cc forms, sharing the same essential engine and chassis design as the Aprilia.
But this isn't a stereotypical Chinese copy. Zonsen operates a joint manufacturing venture with Aprilia's parent company, Piaggio, in China, and has just revived the Shiver 900 model as a new offering for the Chinese market. That means it has direct access to the genuine Aprilia designs and components to use as the basis of the SR1000.
While the rereleased Shiver 900 uses an 896 cc, 90-degree V-twin engine, putting out 70kW (94hp), and has only been mildly facelifted compared to the last version to be sold in Europe, with new side panels and a slightly revised headlight, the SR1000 has substantial changes. First, the engine is upped to 996 cc, retaining the same 67.4 mm stroke as the Shiver but increasing bore from 92 mm to 97 mm to gain an additional 100 cc. Power rises by similar proportion, increasing to 78.5 kW (105 hp), as a result. Since the same basic engine design was also the basis of the old Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200, which used a 106 mm bore, there's scope for further capacity increases in future.
The SR1000's frame is clearly derived from the Shiver, too, with the same cast aluminium rear section bolted to a steel trellis front part. The upside-down forks and radial brakes also mimic the Shiver, but the Cyclone features its own swingarm design, wider than the Aprilia's to carry a huge 240/45-17 rear tyre instead of the Shiver's 180/55-17. The original RA9 concept featured a single-sided swingarm, but the single photo of the production version accompanying the type-approval documents shows a dual-sided setup.
The documents list a curb weight of 225 kg, 5 kg more than the Shiver 900, as well as a substantially higher 235 km/h (146 mph) top speed in place of the Aprilia's 210 km/h (130 mph).
