For the last decade , Honda ' s MSX125 Grom has demonstrated that there ' s a thriving market for smallwheeled minibikes with a focus on fun , and rivals are starting to emerge as other brands try to muscle in on the scene . CFMoto ' s Papio was an early one and the same company ' s retro-styled XO Papio Racer and XO Papio trail raise the bar . Now Zonsen is aiming to take slice of the action with a pair of new ZS150 models . Europe doesn ' t currently get the CFMoto machines as both XO Papio models come in at 126 cc - just missing out on the learnerlegal limit . But in the U . S . market , where they ' re called the Papio SS and Papio CL , they ' re proving popular thanks to low pricing and retro looks that have more contemporary styling than the more expensive Honda Grom . Zonsen ' s new ZS150-A and ZS150-B models have been revealed in Chinese typeapprovals , but the company supplies bikes to markets all over the world under a variety |
of brands . By the time these models reach showrooms , they ' re sure to have better names ; Papio , for instance , is derived from the Chinese term for baboon - clearly a spin on Honda ' s Monkey and Gorilla models - and the CFMoto ZS150 machines have pandas on their fuel tank badges , suggesting they might carry a pandarelated title . Like the XO Papio models , the ZS150s are set to come in two variants , a faired model and a trail version . Just as the XO Papio models both share distinctive twin headlights , the ZS150s make sure they ' re immediately recognisable thanks to an unusual headlamp design . A ring of LEDs forms a daytime running light , which isn ' t odd in itself , but becomes distinctive here because there ' s nothing in the centre of the hoop - the air passes straight through it . The main headlight is housed in a small lozengeshaped section that bisects the bottom half of that ring . Spec-wise , the bikes each use a 149 cc air-cooled single , so like |
the XO Papio models won ' t be suited to European learner limits unless additional , sub-125 cc versions are created . The engines make 7.8 kW ( 10.5 hp ), a fraction up on the 7 kW ( 9.4 hp ) of the Papios and the 7.4 kW ( 9.9 hp ) that the Grom can muster . Like their rivals , they run on 12- inch wheels and use upside-down forks . The Chinese approval documents show the naked ' A ' version weighs 120 kg , while the ' B ' model is 121 kg , both a fraction heavier than |
the 114 kg CFMoto XO Papio machines and substantially more than the 103 kg Grom . Top speed is listed as 95 km / h ( 59 mph ). Although the 149 cc engine in the Chinese-marked version of the bikes makes them unsuited to European markets , Zongshen has a wide array of engines in its armoury including 125 cc aircooled singles , so making Euro-suited versions of the new models would be relatively simple if the company decides there ' s enough demand . |
If one design lies at the heart of the success that China ' s QJMotor has seen over the last few years , it ' s the parallel twin adventure bike platform that forms the basis of the Benelli TRK502 and the QJMotor SRT550 . Now the company has updated that idea with the SRT600 - which is already heading to some European markets under the name SRT550 SX . The TRK502 has been a breakthrough model for the Benelli brand , establishing itself as a regular bestseller in the Italian market , and essentially the same chassis and engine forms the basis of the Chinese QJMotor SRT550 , as well as the now cancelled MV Agusta Lucky Explorer 5.5 that was briefly intended to become an affordable entry point to that brand , but was cancelled after KTM ' s parent , Pierer Mobility , took a stake in MV . The new SRT600 / SRT550 SX - both bikes are the same , despite the different names - carries over essentially the same engine but with |
substantially more performance , and wraps it in a new , lighter chassis and much more accomplished styling . Power comes from the 554 cc version of QJMotor ' s long-running parallel twin engine , which was the same unit originally destined for the MV Agusta Lucky Explorer 5.5 . It has a 70.5 mm bore and 71 mm stroke , up from 69 mm and 66.8 mm in the 500 cc Benelli TRK502 , and power rises to 45 kW ( 60 |
hp ) for the Chinese-spec model , and a slightly lower 41.2 kW ( 55 hp ) at 8,500 rpm for the initial European version of the bike , on sale now in Italy at an affordable € 5,290 . Either way , an improvement over the 35 kW ( 47 hp ) of the previous version . The bike ' s weight is down , too , from 235 kg to a much more appealing 215 kg , and peak torque rises from 51 Nm to 54 Nm at 6,000 rpm . |
Two versions have been developed , one with wire wheels , the other with alloys , both using a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear for a street-biased adventure style that still has an element of off-road utility usability . The frame is new , and the brakes - fourpiston calipers on dual 320 mm discs with Bosch ABS . The styling is a significant step forward . Where the previous SRT550 adopted ADV cliches including a ' beak ' below the headlight , the new SRT550 SX is a more confident design . The entire upper fairing is transparent , with a windscreen that also covers the central headlight - a light that ' s assisted by two additional units , each made of four separate LEDs , on the sides of the fairing . Despite its modest engine capacity , it ' s a large bike - that seat is 805 mm high and the fuel tank carries 20 litres , both slight increases compared to the earlier SRK550 . At the moment , the SRK550 SX only appears to be available in Italy , and the near-identical SRK600 in China . |