Is QJ Motor’s New SRK 600 RR A Nod To Sportbikes Of The Past?

The Chinese manufacturer is trying to revive the 600cc supersport class with its newest sportbike.

By: Enrico Punsalang

Jul 18, 2023 at 7:40pm ET

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In the early 2000s, bikes like the Honda CBR600RR, Yamaha YZF-R6, Suzuki GSX-R600, and Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R were pretty much the embodiment of what it meant to ride a sportbike. You could say that these bikes paved the way for the motorcycle industry’s obsession with the “R” suffix, as now, nearly every single motorcycle manufacturer has a bike with an “R” at the end of its name to connote its sporting nature.

It’s clear to see that the glory days of the 600cc supersports have come and gone, as nearly all the bikes I mentioned earlier are now relics of an era gone by. Sure, the ZX-6R and CBR600RR live on, but they’ve not really seen much technological innovation in recent years apart from the addition of “bold new colors.” Nevertheless, Chinese motorcycle manufacturer QJ Motor hopes to breathe new life into this dying segment. With the launch of the SRK 600 RR in its home market of China, QJ Motor presents a familiar, almost throwback platform.

On paper, the QJ Motor SRK 600 RR follows in the tire tracks of the 600cc supersports of yesteryear. It’s powered by a 600cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, inline-four cylinder engine. Interestingly, it’s down on power when compared to its decades-old counterparts, with just 81 horsepower and 35 pound-feet of torque on tap.

As for the bike’s underpinnings, we find respectable suspension components from KYB up front, with an inverted front fork. The rear suspension is handled by a preload-adjustable monoshock. Meanwhile, the SRK 600 RR comes to a stop with Brembo hardware consisting of twin radially mounted discs up front, and a single rear disc brake.

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Despite the bike’s seemingly old-school powerplant, QJ Motor has fitted it with some pretty cutting-edge technology. For starters, it’s equipped with an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), which means it has fancy rider aids like lean-sensitive traction control and ABS at its disposal. It also gets two riding modes – presumably Eco and Sport modes – to allow the rider to adjust engine performance on the fly. Lastly, an electronic quickshifter adds to the excitement.

At present, QJ Motor has launched the SRK 600 RR exclusively in the Chinese market. Nevertheless, given the rate at which the brand is expanding in the global market, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that a bike like the SRK 600 RR could eventually make its way to the US and European markets.