Zontes Releases New Retro-Styled Street Bike

Punchy personality mated to a punchy engine.

Enrico Punsalang

By: Enrico Punsalang

Mar 23, 2021 at 9:35pm ET

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Love them or hate them, there's no denying that Chinese-made motorcycles have drastically lowered the barriers to entry into motorcycling. This is especially prevalent in the U.S. and Europe, where motorcycles are mostly seen as toys, as opposed to necessities for daily life. While the quality of these motorcycles is sometimes questionable, lots of people still patronize machines which find their roots in Chinese origins.

It's only in recent years that we've seen Chinese manufacturers significantly improve their product offerings, and actually make themselves worthy of playing in the global market. Brands like Benelli, which recently made its North American debut, CFMoto, and Zontes have gained popularity across Europe, Asia, and Australia, thanks to their affordable price tags and ever-improving build quality and features. Zontes, in particular, has rolled out a new model which is expected to initially roll out in the Chinese market. Dubbed the 350 GK, this bike is a noticeable detraction from the company's futuristic, angular styling.

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Leaning towards a retro-inspired designed, the 350GK still boasts sharp, angular bodywork, but with an overall scrambler-esque aesthetic. While the exact specifications of the Zontes 350 GK have yet to be disclosed, we do know that the bike comes with a single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine. With a displacement of around 350cc, we can expect it to come with dual-overhead-cams, and a four-valve cylinder head, as Zontes has stated that the bike pumps out a healthy 43.5 horsepower—putting it within the performance class of the likes of the KTM 390 Duke.

Zontes claims that although the bike has been fitted with a single-cylinder engine, it runs a lot smoother than other thumpers out there thanks to meticulously engineered counter-balancers, which do a good job at countering vibrations. The company states that the vibration has been reduced by 20-percent, when compared to other thumpers in its class. Now, pricing and global availability has yet to be announced, but if Zontes' existing product portfolio is anything to go by, we can expect the 350 GK to roll out in Asia and parts of Europe in the coming months.