Whereas final yr’s general UK motorbike gross sales had been disappointingly down by round 20 per cent, the opposite headline gross sales stat of the yr was absolutely the rise and success of beforehand little-known Chinese language manufacturers akin to Voge, CFMoto and, most just lately, QJMotor.
Voge, for instance, was launched by huge Chinese language producer Loncin as its new premium model in 2018, and in 2024, its BMW F900-derived DS900X proved a Europe-wide finest vendor for its excessive spec, credible efficiency and sub-£9K worth.
Whereas one of many newest, QJMotor, might be the most important of all, and is behind revived Benelli and Morbidelli, and has now launched underneath its personal identify, too, and there are lots of, many extra.
However what can we find out about them, precisely? How massive are they? When had been they based? What do they make and what can we anticipate sooner or later? We determined to do a ‘deep dive’ and discover out every thing it’s good to know on the most important gamers…
CFMoto – KTMs, quads and extra
CFMoto 1000MT-X driving off-road
Let’s begin with one of many oldest and most acquainted of all. Zhejiang Chunfeng Energy Co., Ltd., extra generally recognized by its commerce identify of CFMoto, was based in 1989 in Hangzhou, China, by Lai Guoqiang, initially as an engine producer/provider (as nicely, oddly, as a side-line in yachts) earlier than branching out within the early 2000s to make full machines – primarily ATVs or ‘quads’.
Considerably, it entered right into a ‘strategic partnership’ with KTM in 2011, initially to produce elements and later engines, and in 2017, this developed right into a three way partnership (51 per cent owned by CFMoto) which resulted in some KTMs being produced and bought in China, later some KTMs (notably the 790 Journey) being produced by CFMoto for world gross sales and crucially additionally, some new CFMoto machines utilizing KTM-derived tech occurring sale in Europe. In 2022 CFMoto entered the Moto3 world championship with a KTM-based machine.
KTM 790 duke
Following KTM’s monetary woes and Bajaj taking growing management (in November the Indian agency took 74.9 per cent possession), KTM divested a few of its CFMoto connections, akin to its European distribution. Within the UK, as a result of quad connection, Quadzilla took over CFMoto distribution. As we speak CFMoto UK affords six fashions starting from the 125NK learner bare to 800MT-X journey.
QJMotor – Benelli, Harleys, Morbidelli…
Benelli TRK 702
Of all of the Chinese language motorbike firms, QJMotor shouldn’t be solely the latest but in addition one of many greatest and most important.
It’s the ‘personal model’ motorbike of the massive Qianjiang Group, finest recognized to motorcyclists for proudly owning Benelli since 2005, can also be behind Morbidelli and, final autumn launched within the UK with its ‘QJMotor’ model by way of unbiased importers MotoGB.
Qianjiang was based in 1985 in Wenling, China, has been a part of the even vaster Geely group since 2016 (which additionally owns Volvo, Polestar and Lotus vehicles), and final yr produced over 1.5million bikes.
Morbidelli T1002VX – driving
Amongst these manufacturing figures are plenty of collaborations, most eye-catchingly with Harley-Davidson, which sees H-D’s Chinese language-market X350 and X500 fashions made by Qianjiang.
Qiangjiang’s export arm is named Keeway, which owns Benelli and likewise produces some light-weight machines underneath its personal identify. In 2021 Keeway additionally arrange the MBP model. Following the dying of Giancarlo Morbidelli, MBP purchased the rights to the historic Italian Morbidelli model in 2024. The primary new Morbidelli-badged bike was the C1002V 1000cc V-twin cruiser adopted by the T1002V, an journey bike is predicated on a modified model of the engine as designed at Keeway’s design centre in Benelli/Morbidelli’s historic house of Pesaro, Italy, developed in Germany and Spain and inbuilt China.
Whereas within the autumn of 2025, Qianjiang additionally started exporting to Europe an additional vary of bikes this time underneath its personal QJMotor model. An preliminary six fashions are being introduced in first, with plans to shortly improve this to round 16, 20 sellers have already been signed up and there are extra to return. Acquired all that? Good.
Loncin – BMW, Voge and… Honda?
The Voge DS800X Rally – static
The Loncin Motor Firm was based in 1993 as a small restore store in Chongqing, China and has since grown to be a worldwide large,
manufacturing engines, bikes and ATVs, being an engine provider for BMW, has its personal premium export model Voge (now additionally distributed within the UK by MotoGB) and immediately, by way of manufacturing, distribution and advertising and marketing amenities in Chongqing, Zhejiang and Guangdong, has a reported annual manufacturing capability of two,500,000 bikes, 3,000,000 engines and 150,000 ATVs.
Voge DS900X
A key milestone in its development got here in 2005 when Loncin entered a strategic partnership with BMW Motorrad to provide engines for the then G650GS, a relationship that considerably enhanced their technical capabilities. This has since expanded to incorporate different elements, the F-series twin-cylinder engine (since 2017, beforehand made by Rotax) and the whole meeting of BMW’s C400X and C400GT scooters.
This in flip, underneath particular pointers, led to Loncin’s launch, in 2018, of its new, export model Voge, utilizing derivates of the identical engine. In 2024 its BMW F900-derived DS900X proved a large vendor for its excessive spec, credible efficiency and sub-£9K worth. Additional Voge journey fashions have adopted, together with 125s, 500s, with the most recent being the DS625X, which makes use of a reverse-engineered, enlarged model of Honda’s 471cc twin as used within the CB500 collection…
Zongshen – lightweights and Lexmoto
lexmoto lxs evaluate 2021
One other which began out in small, humble methods is Zongshen. The Chinese language large which now produces bikes, quads, generator and engines, was based by Zuo Zongshen in Chongqing in 1982 as small motorbike restore store referred to as ‘Grasp Zuo’. Nevertheless, in 1992 he expanded into manufacturing with the muse of the Zongshen firm (typically referred to as Zonsen). 1992. In 2007, Zongshen invested CNY300 million (approx. £31million) into a brand new analysis and growth centre and by 2012, Zongshen exported roughly 30% of its motorbike manufacturing.
These bikes are largely smaller and fewer well-known than another Chinese language marques, partly as a result of Zongshen provide the likes of Lexmoto in Europe (as do others) and likewise as a result of they focus extra on much less develop nations globally nevertheless it nonetheless claims immediately to have a yearly output of over 1,000,000 bikes.
Zhongneng Automobile Group – Moto Morini
Moto Morini X-Cape
Zhongneng? Who’re they? Properly, since October 2018, this different Chinese language manufacturing large has been the proprietor (and now producer) of the previous legendary Italian marque Moto Morini, which made its identify with the likes of the three ½ Sport V-twin within the Seventies then had a quick revival with its Corsaro 1200 and extra within the early Noughties. They function in an identical approach to Benelli in being Italian-designed (by way of a design and engineering headquarters in Milan) however Chinese language constructed however have to this point struggled within the UK in by not having a confirmed distributor, though this has, like many others, just lately been taken up by MotoGB. It presently affords two fashions to the UK, the X-Cape 700 and X-Cape 1200 with extra, together with the Calibro bagger, promised to observe quickly.
Hangzhou Saturn Energy Know-how – Benda Moto
Benda Napoleonbob 500
If you happen to haven’t heard of the snappily titled Hangzhou Saturn Energy Know-how firm, you most likely have heard of the additionally sadly titled Benda Moto, its model of largely cruiser-style bikes, that are additionally now being imported into the UK by MotoGB.
Launched as a standalone cruising model as just lately as 2016, the primary Bendas had been proven at EICMA in Milan in 2019, the corporate has already bought over 1,000,000 bikes largely in China, it now has a line-up which employs 5 totally different home-brewed powertrains, and for 2025 it partnered with Keeway (who’s additionally behind Morbidelli and Voge) for worldwide distribution together with its arrival within the UK. As Keeway already has sturdy hyperlinks with MotoGB, it was solely pure that MotoGB dealt with Benda’s UK distribution too, and the consequence, immediately, is three totally different fashions, the Chinchilla and NapoleonBob 500s plus the LFC700 4, with extra to return.
The identify, Benda, by the way, derives from ‘B and D Bikes’, however, contemplating the oddball mannequin names as nicely, we predict they could have to attempt tougher…
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