One More Middleweight ADV: QJ Motor SRT 800SX

[advrider]

We’ve been hearing rumors of quite a few midsize adventure bikes allegedly coming out of QJ Motor, including a 650 V-twin, a Benelli-based 600 inline-4, as well as an 800. Surprisingly, it’s the biggest one of these that was revealed at EICMA, in the form of the QJ Motor SRT 800SX. Perhaps this shouldn’t be much of a surprise, though, due to the popularity of this segment, ranging from the Yamaha Tenere 700 to the Suzuki V-Strom 800, and the recent arrival of the Honda Transalp 750. QJ Motor isn’t even the only Chinese contender to come out of EICMA, as one of the worst-kept secrets in the industry, what we now know to be the Voge Valico DS900X, was seen in spy photos over a year ago.

While Benelli has its own similar bike, the Leoncino 800, a quick review of each bike’s specifications reveals that the SRT 800SX does not use the same engine. It has more horsepower and torque, and QJ Motor claims a true 800 cc displacement while the Benelli “800” was really 752 cc. It’s likely that this is the new parallel-twin 800 we reported on last year, which is quite similar to KTMs LC8c engine from the 790/890 Duke and Adventure, as well as the Husqvarna Norden 901. In the SRT 800SX, this engine makes 91 horsepower and 54 lb-ft of torque through a six-speed transmission and slipper clutch. It gets Marzocchi telescopic upside-down forks, a rear monoshock, and twin Brembo discs in the front with a single Brembo disk in the back and ABS, seven inches of ground clearance, and an overall weight of 531 pounds. Other features include a 4.9-gallon fuel tank, a full-color TFT display, and LED lighting all around. All of these specs are right where they should be for a modern midsize ADV bike.

Photo: QJ Motor

QJ Motor has not announced pricing for the SRT 800SX, but it’s likely to undercut some of the name-brand contenders mentioned above. Whether it will be available in North America and/or Europe is unknown, as well as whether it would be badged as a Benelli in either of these markets. What we do know is that, at least on paper, this bike looks like the real deal.

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