For a guy who is sceptical about Chinese bikes, I sure do spend a lot of time thinking about them. For example, check out the current issue of Bike magazine (July 2025). Turn to page 50 and you’ll find a six-page article from yours truly on the rising influence of China-made bikes in the motorcycling mainstream.
One of the manufacturers that I mention in the article Qianjiang, which is the force behind Keeway, Benelli, and Morbidelli. Keeway’s superlight has been the best-selling 125cc bike in the UK for three years running. Benelli’s TRK 502 and TRK 702 have been the best-selling bikes in Italy for years, and they’ve done pretty well here, too. When I spoke to dealers for my Bike article they told me that they struggle to keep the Benellis in stock.
On top of that, Qianjiang builds Harley-Davidson’s X300 and X500 bikes, which are currently only available in Asian markets but could conceivably come our way under stated plans by the MoCo to offer entry-level models.
But seemingly that’s not enough. This week, Qianjiang announced that it is bringing yet another of its brands – QJMotor – to the UK market later this summer. QJMotor’s been operating in a handful of European countries for a little while and notably offers five-year warranties on its bikes. The company is promising a lineup of 16 different motorcycles.
Some of the stand-out models include the SRK 900, a sporty naked that’s aimed at the likes of Yamaha’s MT-09 and the Kawasaki Z900. The SRK 800 RR, meanwhile, is a faired middleweight driven by a 778cc inline four promising peak power outputs of 119 horsepower and 55 lb-ft of torque.
The latter bike’s starting price will £6,999, which speaks to why I find myself so interested in Chinese bikes. They are insanely cheap. Consider the SRK 800 RR against, say, the Suzuki GSX-8R. The Japanese bike costs £2,000 more and produces less power (82 hp)
Of course there is an adventure bike. The SRT 900 SX (£7,699) claims 94 hp from its 904cc parallel twin engine. The SVT 650 X (£6,199) is a 645cc V-twin adventure bike offering a respectable 75 hp, thereby outgunning the Suzuki V-Strom 650 and Kawasaki Versys 650 on power and price.
Perhaps one of the more unique offerings from QJMotor is its V4-powered SRV 600 V cruiser (£5,699).
And because there apparently aren’t enough Chinese 125s on the roads, QJMotor is bringing a number of those over, as well.
Qianjiang’s been in the moto game since the 1980s. They’re now one of China’s biggest bike brands and they’re in cahoots with Geely, who own Volvo and Polestar.
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