After having made a name for themselves with light motorcycles in their own country, many Chinese brands are now also starting to mix in heavy bikes for the European and American markets. This includes QJMotor, which has developed a first 200 hp one-liter superbike with the 1000RR. That is, a prototype of it.
If the name QJMotor does not mean anything to you: it is the Chinese motorcycle brand of Qianjiang Motor, which in turn is part of the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, the mega automotive group that has also incorporated the Swedish Volvo, among others. Qianjiang acquired Benelli in 2005 and entered into a strategic partnership with MV Agusta in 2020.
That collaboration has now led to the QJMotor 1000RR, the first 200 hp one-liter superbike that has more Italian than Chinese roots under the skin. The bicycle part and engine block come from MV Agusta’s Brutale 1000 RR, where the only Chinese is the fairing, which seems to be derived from the 600RR restyled last year.
Especially the nose and the headlights seem to have been taken over from that 600RR, the big difference is in the winglets that are considerably larger on this 1000RR than on the 600RR. But it is obvious that they are related.
Although the engine appears to be absolutely ready for production in terms of finish, it is ‘only’ a prototype. That is, unless the Chinese want to set a new trend: the engine has a different color on both sides. This indicates that the engine is mainly intended to sound out the opinions of the public.
Back to the technical part. Frame and block are, as mentioned, taken over from the Brutale 1000 RR, including the Brembo brakes, the single-sided swingarm and the characteristic four tailpipes.
The only difference is in the front fork, which appears to be a Marzocchi unit produced in China on this 1000RR. Which in turn comes as no surprise: in early 2022, Marzocchi entered into a partnership with Qianjiang for a production facility in Zhejiang.
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.