Subjects don’t get much more divisive than the topic of Chinese-made goods, and there’s inevitably a conflict between the appeal of affordability-potentially giving access to something that you’d otherwise be unable to attain-and the political and economic impact of supporting Chinese industry. But putting those concerns to one side, it’s hard not to be impressed by the rapid rise of the QJMotor brand which has unveiled a range of machines for 2025 that would be unimaginable from a Chinese bike maker just a few years ago.
While the QJMotor name has only been around since 2020, it’s essentially a house brand of Qianjiang Motorcycle Co. Ltd., which has owned Benelli since 2005 as part of a group of brands including Keeway and, most recently, Morbidelli. Qianjiang itself is part of the massive Geely industrial empire that owns a host of carmakers, most famously including Volvo, Polestar, Smart, Lotus, and LEVC. Not everyone will be familiar with that last name, but you’ll know its products: It’s the company that makes the famous black taxicabs of London. While Benelli was once Qianjiang’s foothold in Western markets and home to its flagship products, QJMotor now has a much more impressive range of bikes and a growing presence on the global stage.
The headline bikes for 2025 are a pair of 921cc four-cylinder machines, the SRK 1000 and SRK 1000 RR, based on a developed version of the inline-four-cylinder engine that Qianjiang inherited from MV Agusta as a result of a deal made back in 2020. Initially, the idea was to use the four, which is based on the original F4 750 engine design from the late 1990s, in a Benelli-branded sportbike, but the growth of QJMotor means it’s appearing in several machines wearing that badge first. Exact details of the arrangement between Qianjiang and MV aren’t public, but originally the two companies intended to cooperate on models, with the Chinese offering manufacturing leverage for smaller capacity MVs including the canceled Lucky Explorer 5.5. KTM’s purchase of a controlling stake in MV appears to have put an end to that idea but Qianjiang is still able to use the MV-based engine design, manufactured in-house in China.
Let’s start with the range-topper, QJMotor’s SRK 1000 RR. This is the production version of SRK 1000 RC Ten78 concept bike that was shown 12 months ago, and apart from the paintwork it’s made the transition from show bike to production model nearly unaltered. One change? The engine, which was 1,078cc for last year’s show bike, has shrunk to 921cc to match the other versions of the four made by Qianjiang. Despite that, it’s substantially more powerful than the 144 hp that was claimed for the Ten78. The production SRK 1000 RR peaks at 161 hp and 13,600 rpm, with 44.4 lb.-ft. of torque at 11,000 rpm. Paired to a curb weight, including fuel, of 474 pounds, the result is a machine that’s not quite on a par with the best that Europe and Japan can offer, but rapidly getting there.
The styling comes from C Creative, founded by ex-MV Agusta boss Giovanni Castiglioni alongside onetime MV and Benelli design chief Adrian Morton and another MV alumni, Paolo Bianchi. The same guys are also behind the second of QJMotor’s new offerings, the SRK 1000. Built around the same 161 hp, 921cc four-cylinder engine, with an identical partial-trellis frame and single-sided swingarm, the SRK 1000 is a roadster version of the bike, but rather than following the usual route of simply stripping off the fairing and bolting on some wide bars and a different headlight, the SRK 1000 has entirely different bodywork from nose to tail. Both the faired SRK 1000 RR and the naked SRK 1000, however, have a style that manages to avoid criticism of ripping off existing bikes.
Not satisfied with launching two new inline-fours, QJMotor has also revealed a brand new V-4 machine for 2025 in the form of the SRV 900 V, which is a sport cruiser that promises 110 hp from its new 899cc DOHC V-4. This is QJ’s own engine design, first revealed in patent applications last year, and it finds its first home in the SRV 900 V. The bike itself doesn’t slavishly follow cruiser tropes but has elements that hint of machines like the Harley-Davidson Sportster S and even Yamaha’s old VMAX. Unusual touches include faired fork legs, giving the look of a girder front end even though there is an upside-down telescopic fork hiding behind the covers. The bike’s curb weight of 487 pounds is lighter than a lot of machines in its class, despite its relatively long 62.2-inch wheelbase.
Moving into a completely different arena, QJMotor’s new large-capacity models also include the SRT 800 RX, a parallel-twin rally-style adventure bike that targets Yamaha’s Ténéré 700 and KTM’s 790 Adventure as well as closer Chinese rivals like the CFMoto 800MT-X, Kove 800X, and Voge 900DSX. The engine appears to be a clone of KTM’s 799cc LC8c engine, and puts out a claimed 91 hp at 9,000 rpm and 56.8 lb.-ft. at 8,000 rpm, in a package that weighs 436 pounds topped up with 5.6 gallons of fuel.
We’ll have to wait a little longer to discover which, if any, of these machines make their way to the US market, or just how far they can undercut their more established rivals in terms of price.
Media Contact
Company Name: QJMOTOR
Email: Send Email
Address:No. 169 Jimping Rd. Wenling
City: Taizhou
State: Zhejiang
Country: China
Website: https://global.qjmotor.com/