Few bikes are as distinct as the Ducati Panigale V4. Not only does it look absolutely stunning, it also makes all the right noises you'd expect from the race-bred sportbike for the street. From its distinctive V4 exhaust note, as well the iconic clutch rattle, I'm certain duplicating the character of this sportbike will prove to be quite the challenge.
Chinese motorcycle manufacturer Moxiao sure thinks it has what it takes to go up against the House of Borgo Panigale's latest creation with what people are calling the Domestic Ducati in China. What you're seeing here today is the Moxiao 500RR, a sportbike which has, very obviously, borrowed a few styling cues from the famed supersport. Standing about 100 feet away from this bike, there's no doubt that you would mistake it for the actual Italian stallion, however, as you get closer to the bike, and eventually hear its exhaust note, a few glaring differences come to surface.
For starters, let's take a look at the overall styling. Moxiao has done a rather impressive job in imitating the Ducati's aggressive lines, menacing fascia, and muscular stance. However, looking closely at the bike's overall fit and finish, its clear to see that it is a little rough around the edges. Additionally, Moxiao has, in a rather audacious maneuver, copied the font which Ducati uses for its branding, and finished the bike in the same striking red paint job and similarly styled graphics. To give this knock-off Ducati lifelike proportions, it comes with meaty tires consisting of 120 and 190 rubber on the front and rear respectively.
Moving on to the powertrain, we find a rather common mill used in Chinese-made motorcycles. The Moxiao 500RR gets a 471cc parallel-twin which bares strikingly similar architecture as Honda's 471cc mill found in the CBR500R, CB500X, and Rebel 500. It pumps out around 47 horsepower, and goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under seven seconds. It also boasts a top speed of 100 miles per hour—quite the distance from the Panigale's eye-watering 180 mile per hour figure. Interestingly, Moxiao has listed this bike's fuel efficiency as a selling point, bragging 22 kilometers per liter, which translates to roughly 52 miles per gallon—not bad, but not too good, either.