Scooter Wars! China’s QJMotor Pumps Up The FORTress To 350cc

[advrider]

Back in the day, any scooter that displaced 150cc was an absolute speed demon (especially as a two-stroke) compared to the mopeds and 49cc buzz bombs on the road.  They were capable of reaching a blistering 50mph or better in top tune, if you could point it down a hill and had the room to run it all the way to the limit. Ah, the old slow days.

Now, the scooter segment is quickly diversifying in unexpected ways, not the least of which are the “adventure scoots” like the Honda 125 and Euro 350 “ADV” models, and a scooter-sized horsepower war that has seen displacements rise above 300cc lately. The latest entry in that “big scooter” category (the “super scooter” or “touring scooter” realm is usually 400cc to 650cc but can go as high as 850cc) is the FORTress 350 from Chinese scooter and motorcycle maker Qianjiang Motorcycles, better known as QJMotor.

QJMotor makes a lot of scooters and motorcycles, including this 650 V-Twin adventure machine, and they also operate another brand you may have heard of: Benelli. QJMotor itself is owned by Chinese mega-corporation Geely, which also operates Volvo, Lotus, smart, Polestar, Proton and numerous China-only marques. QJMotor also makes the SRT800X adventure bike and provides engines for some mainstream motorcycle companies. But their latest offering—and it looks like an Asian/EU market only offering so far—is the FORTress 350 scooter.

Photo: QJMotor

The FORTress 350 includes much of the tech we expect on a bigger scooter today: ByBre triple-disc brakes with two-channel ABS, a color LCD display, LED lighting, underseat storage for two helmets, adjustable rear suspension and best of all, a stout (and claimed) 34 horsepower from the engine, putting it ahead of rivals like Vespa’s 23-hp 300-series machines by a solid margin and giving it a top speed close to or over 80 mph. As an nice extra, there is also a motorized height-adjustable windscreen.

Price is expected to be €5,300 or about $5,500 USD. No release date has been specified so far, and there’s no word yet on if the scooter will be coming to North American markets. QJMotors is working to expand their presence in European markets, where scooters are more likely to be used a critical transportation rather than recreational vehicles as is typically the case in the U.S.

Photo: QJMotor

 

 

 

 

 

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