Will QJmotor’s New 700 Models Challenge the Yamaha R7?

[Hugh Janus]

One of the 693cc QJ models will be a more premium offering, with a single-sided swingarm, gold fork, and a wider rear tire. (QJmotor/)

The middleweight sportbike class has been poorly served in recent years as manufacturers have concentrated on liter machines and left the junior models to go stale on the shelf. Now that’s turning around with a growing interest in midsize parallel-twin machines that appear to be revitalizing the category.

Aprilia’s RS 660 and Yamaha’s R7 have shown there’s interest at both higher and lower price points, and Honda’s upcoming Hornet revival, which also features a high-revving twin, is also likely to spawn a full-faired sibling at some point. Now Chinese giant Qianjiang is joining the same market with a pair of 693cc parallel-twin sportbikes that will soon be launched under its QJmotor brand name. Both have yet to be officially launched, but pictures and basic specs have emerged via approval filings in China.

Related: New QJMotor 600cc and 700cc Models Revealed

This red version looks to be the lower-spec model, though both bikes share the same frame, engine, and basic styling. (QJmotor/)

The two models are variations on the same machine, sharing an identical engine, styling, and frame but with different suspension specs and paintwork to set them apart. We don’t have names for the machines yet, but since QJmotor’s four-cylinder 600cc sportbike is simply called the 600RR, there’s a good chance the new models will go under 700RR branding.

Power comes from the same 693cc twin that recently emerged in the QJmotor SRK700 roadster, and despite being made in-house by Qianjiang, appears to be either a clone or a license-made version of the identically sized engine in CFMoto’s 700CL-X. With the same 83mm bore and 64mm stroke as the CFMoto engine and near-identical peak power, it’s likely to feel much the same as that engine and, importantly, should have no trouble meeting international emissions standards.

The 693cc engine in both QJ versions looks nearly identical to the liquid-cooled parallel twin seen in CFMoto’s 700CL-X model. (CFMoto/)

It’s bolted to a steel tube frame, again from the SRK700, with what appears to be Marzocchi suspension. The Italian brand is used on several other QJmotor models, and Qianjiang recently signed a joint venture deal to take over production of Marzocchi components, although the suspension company’s kit will still be designed in Italy.

The suspension is where the two versions of the bike differ though. The red machine seen here is the lower-spec model, with black fork and a double-sided swingarm holding a rear wheel clad in a 180/55-17 tire. The black version, which has a look that takes a leaf from Ducati’s Panigale V4 SP, complete with a silver tank and red trim, uses a single-sided swingarm, gold-colored fork, and a wider 190/55-17 hoop at the back.

Both have competent, if not spectacular, styling that ticks all the usual sportbike boxes, including the seemingly inevitable winglets on either side of the nose. The look isn’t the sort of blatant copy seen from some Chinese firms, but neither is it anything radically original. It’s a surprise to see the small, conventionally mounted Nissin brake calipers on both versions, though, as early shots of the unfaired SRK700 (that shares the same frame and engine) showed it fitted with Brembo radial brakes.

Steel tube frame on both appears to be shared with the firm’s existing SRK700 roadster, and the suspension looks to be from Marzocchi. (QJmotor/)

While QJmotor hasn’t announced any clear plans for international sales yet—the brand was only launched a couple of years ago in the Chinese market—it’s raising its global profile this year as title sponsor of the Avintia Moto3 effort and took a stand at last year’s EICMA show in Milan. Its parent firm, Qianjiang, is already one of the most internationally active of China’s motorcycle makers, having owned Benelli since 2005 and securing deals with both MV Agusta and Harley-Davidson to develop and manufacture bikes for both those companies. The result for MV is the Lucky Explorer 5.5 that was unveiled last year—effectively a restyled version of an existing Chinese-market QJmotor bike—while the Harley project, despite being ongoing for years, has yet to be officially revealed. So while there’s no clue that the new QJmotor 700RR models will be sold in the US, there’s a strong chance that these bikes, or a derivative of them, will eventually be offered on international markets.

Source

[Pedro]

24 minutes ago, Hugh Janus said:

QJmotor

[Buckster]

[boboneleg]

20 hours ago, Pedro said:

He's a pretty good footballer