International Dealer News 167 June/July 2022 IDN167 June/July 2022 | Page 17

NEWS

from the 302R , but all the body panels are different , and the overall look is more sophisticated than the smaller bike . In China there ' s an increasingly hardfought battle for the 400 cc sports bike market , with contenders from a growing number of companies . Benelli ' s sister brand QJMotor has already launched its machine in the class - the 400RR - but while it has a similar single-sided swingarm to the one seen here , it ' s otherwise a totally different bike . The engine in the QJMotor machine is an older design , derived from the company ' s own 350 cc twin , and there are differences to the frame , suspension and brakes - for instance , the QJMotor 400RR has twin front discs . The QJMotor ' s styling is also unlike the Benelli model seen in this patent , with twin headlights mounted side-by-side in a style that ' s more Ducati-esque . We ' ll have to wait for an official launch to discover whether Benelli plans to sell the 402R globally , but in 2020 the company announced plans to offer twin-cylinder bikes in 400 cc , 700 cc and 900 cc categories , as well as 900 cc and 1200 cc triples and 650 cc and 1000 cc fours . comes in at 247 kg including fuel , compared to 256 kg for the 754 cc version in the same state . The new parallel twin isn ' t the only apparent connection between Qianjiang and KTM or CFMoto . The Chinese company is running in the Moto3 World Championship this year with the Avintia team , using KTM-made bikes emblazoned with the QJMotor logo , and the company recently patented the visual design of a new 1301 cc V-twin engine in China . Dubbed the ' QJ2V108MYL ', it is identical to KTM ' s 1301 cc LC8 , as used in bikes like the 1290 Super Duke R and shares the same 108 mm bore and 71 mm stroke . QJMotor has also developed several new models with an engine that ' s essentially the same , both visually and mechanically , to the 693 cc twin used in CFMoto ' s 700CL-X . As well as the new look , the SRT800 promises improved technology . The TFT dashboard appears to be larger than the current 750 ' s 5 " display , and it looks like there ' s a forwardfacing camera

mounted on the front mudguard , just below the headlight . That mirrors a recent trend in high-end Chinese bikes to have built-in dash-cams front and rear , started by the Chinaonly Benelli 1200GT tourer . The Norton 650-powered Zongshen RX6 has also adopted the same system , and the QJMotor SRT800 looks destined to do the same . If it ' s similar to the systems in the other machines , there ' s also likely to be a camera at the back , and the dashboard will be able to display images from both cameras on the move . They ' ll also be able to record rides , either for posterity or as a precaution to prove fault or innocence in the event of an accident .

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