QJ Motor Introduces A New 550cc Sportbike

QJ Motor will take on other 500cc-class sportbikes with its new model, but wait, Is that a single-sided swingarm?

By: Earl Davidson

Apr 23, 2022 at 12:01pm ET

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QJ Motor has just unveiled its new sportbike that’s set to compete in the category of affordable middleweight sportbikes. While no official name has been stated, the bike will come with a parallel twin that it shares with other models in the QJ Motor family as well as some rather familiar styling.

This news comes right after a report documented QJ’s efforts to develop a new line of middleweight cruisers. This time around, the sportbike looks to compete with the likes of the Honda CBR500R, and the new CFMoto 450SR, sporting similar kits and engines that may offer European riders a bike that is A2 compliant.

Power-wise, the new QJ Motor sportbike will get 554ccs of displacement to play with which nets a horsepower figure of 47, taking into account the A2 license restrictions. However, the motor is capable of a little more and unleashed it can produce up to 56 horsepower and 40 pound-feet of torque. European sources are speculating that if the QJ Motor sportbike makes its way to the continent, customers will have the option to make the bike A2 compliant and then bump up the power at the dealership once their license levels up so to speak.

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The motor is shared with the 5.5 version of MV Agusta’s Lucky Explorer, and the engine platform itself is essentially a bored-out version of the Benelli Leoncino, TRK 502, and 502C’s mill. QJ Motor is, after all, the parent company of both of these brands and one can hope that the Benellis will get a bump in displacement and power when the time is right.

The photos that surfaced from China detail the power figures of the motorcycle as well as the kit that it will come with. The chassis will be made from steel, and it even has a single-sided swingarm, a first in the category. CFMoto made a concept bike and showcased it in EICMA, but scrapped the concept’s single-swingarm for a traditional double-sided setup. Meanwhile, QJ Motor went all-in and fitted such a unit on this 550cc sportbike. KYB will supply the bike with its suspension, which includes a set of front forks and a rear mono-shock, and what’s even more surprising is that the brakes will come from Brembo.