QJMotor is the latest Chinese brand to arrive in the UK and it’s truly big news. QJMotor is the ‘own brand’ of Chinese motorcycle giant Quaingjiang Motor which until now has been best known in the UK for owning Benelli. Quaingjiang was created in 1985 and is now part of the vast Geely automotive group (which also owns Volvo, Polestar and Lotus cars, among others).
It’s involved in racing, competing with its own products in the Supersport World Championship and partnering in Moto2 and Moto3 with the Gresini squad. It currently has two vast factories in China, employing 6000 people and producing 1.5million bikes a year. It’s now entering Britain with, initially, a 16-bike range (selected from the 60-odd it currently produces) which is brought in by Moto73, a spin-off of leading independent importers MotoGB. See, I told you it was big!
Of those 16 bikes, the highlight is probably the SRT900S adventure bike and its slightly upspecced brother, the SRT900SX. Both are 900cc parallel twins with impressive equipment levels (including standard heated grip/seats, cruise control, big TFT dashes, tyre pressure monitoring system) and even, as an introductory offer, free three-box aluminium luggage.
The SX has more off-road ambitions with its cross spoke wire wheels, with a larger 19” front and slighter longer travel suspension. While both, as has become expected with Chinese bikes, have temptingly cheap prices – the SX at £7,699 (plus £200 on the road charges) and the S at just £7,499. We rode both for the best part of half a day near Moto73’s HQ in Lancashire to see how they measured up.
At the heart of them is a 904cc parallel twin producing claimed peak power of 95bhp and 66lb-ft of torque, which is in the same ballpark as more established rivals such as Triumph’s 900 Tiger and BMW’s F900. It also comes as standard with a quick shifter (up, but not down), cruise control and traction control.
Delivery and performance is pretty much as you’d expect from those specs without either excelling or underwhelming in any way. There’s enough oomph for spritely riding and it will happily cruise at motorway speeds. It has the rumbly character you associate with a twin (if not feeling quite as refined as some more familiar and premium competitors) while its braking is actually better than most thanks to its pukka Brembo radial calipers.
Chassis-wise it’s not particularly remarkable either but, on the whole and considering the SRT’s bargain basement price, that’s a very good thing. The slightly taller SX in particular feels more substantial than most contemporaries and it’s certainly enough to be comfortable two-up. Yet, as a 900 twin, it’s also fairly slim and unintimidating.
From the outset the suspension from historic Italian brand Marzocchi (QJ has been making Marzocchi suspension in China since 2022) has an air of quality which is underlined by being both rebound and compression damping adjustable. I wouldn’t say the ride is perfect but it’s certainly up to the job.
Steering is decently light and accurate, too, although swapping to the road-tyred ‘S’ version, with its smaller front wheel, immediately revealed it to be slightly sharper and more immediate. Overall, handling is more than competent and has the reassurance of further adjustability if you need it.
Comfort-wise, the SRT900, in both forms, has a lot going for it. Being a typical adventure bike means its upright and natural; as a 900 twin it’s not too imposing or intimidating but it’s also not as compact as rivals such as BMW’s F 900 GS, either, plus it has lots of equipment to pamper further.
Heated grips and seat are standard (although, it has to be said they take a while to heat up then cool down); the screen’s adequate (but, slightly frustratingly, is also non-adjustable) and we didn’t get sufficient saddle time to be sure about the riding position’s long distance comfort – but by the same token I’ve no reason to doubt its capability. All in all, it’s better than fine, especially at this price point.
As for practicality – and I know I keep mentioning it, but it really is the elephant in the room – it’s hard to imagine a more versatile, useful motorcycle at this price than the SRT900. It’s big enough, sufficiently long legged and with ample performance to play the big adventure bike role.
At the same time it’s suitably equipped (heated grips, seat and even luggage) to be a brilliant budget-priced tourer; it’s not so big and extreme to be awkward around town; it’s got decent handling and enough performance to be fun and, at this price, nor is it so precious that you’d be deterred from using it as a year-round commuter. What’s more, in SX trim, it even has some off-road potential (not that I tried it). The only slight niggles in this respect? Its 4000-mile service intervals may put off mega-milers while, as a brand new bike from a brand-new manufacturer, its reliability can’t be guaranteed at this stage, either.
As for equipment levels, the SRT900 again is hugely impressive, especially for the price – although, again, some of its ‘goodies’ aren’t as high quality as those from more premium brands. So, in stock trim, the SRT comes with (wait for it): 7” TFT dash with Bluetooth; two USB charging points; handguards and crash bars; heated grips and seats; adjustable suspension; cruise control; TPMS; quick shifter and centre stand.
Oh, and there’s a radar proximity warning, too. The SX version, meanwhile (the red bike in the pictures) comes with 19/17” cross-spoke wire wheels and matching dual-purpose tyres (in place of the S’s 17” cast items with more street orientated rubber). Oh, and for a limited time, both also come with free three-box aluminium luggage. On the slight downside: the screen is non-adjustable, the quick shifter has no downshift ‘blipper’; the heated seat is a little slow; the radar is a little basic, and the switchgear is a bit crude. But hey, for £7699, it sounds ridiculous to complain at all.
And here’s the big question. The SRT900S is £7499 + OTR (so £7699) and the SX version is just £7699 (£7899 OTR) which, considering its spec is simply phenomenal. That’s not just around £5k less than a similar Triumph Tiger or BMW F900GS but is also significantly cheaper than its closest Chinese competition, Morbidelli’s £7999 T1002VX or Voge’s £8499 900DSX.
In that sense, the SRT900 is such good value it’s almost a ‘no-brainer’. But, yes, there’s a but – although this time it’s not a very big one. No, it’s not outstanding in any way other than value – but it doesn’t really disappoint, either. And, no, some of its extensive equipment is a little crude – the luggage, for example, isn’t very capacious, but, hey, it’s free! No, instead it’s the same old chestnut about brand new bikes/manufacturers: it’s not proven, its residuals are unknown, its service intervals are a little short and it’s no new I can’t confidently yet tell you where its (so far 20-odd) dealers are. But that will all come – and quickly…
2025 QJMotor SRT900SX/S Specification
Price: £7,699/£7,499 +OTR
Engine: 904cc parallel twin, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, liquid cooled
Power: 95bhp (70kW) @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 90Nm (66lb-ft) @ 6,500rpm
Transmission: Six-speed, chain
Frame: Tubular steel
Suspension: (F) Marzocchi 43mm USD telescopic forks, compression and rebound adjust (R) fully adjustable Marzocchi mono-shock.
Wheels: Alloy rimmed crosspoke, (F) 19 x 3in (R) 17 x 5in/10-spoke cast aluminium, (F) 17 x 3.5in (R) 17 x 5in
Tyres: Maxxis Maxxventure (F) 110/80 x 19 (R) 150/70 x 17/Pirelli Angel GT (F) 120/70 x 17 (R) 160/60 x 17
Brakes: (F) 2 x 320mm discs, Brembo four-piston radial calipers, (R) 260mm disc, single-piston caliper. ABS
Weight: 264kg (wet with luggage)/
Wheelbase: 1,540mm/
Seat height: 835mm/815mm
Fuel tank: 24 litres
Fuel consumption: N/a
Service intervals: 4000 miles/12 months
Warranty: 24 months unlimited mileage
Contact: https://www.qjmotor.co.uk
Words: Phil West
Photos: Sim Mainey
