Recent years have ushered in quite a number of interesting motorcycles from Chinese manufacturers. We've seen quite a few impressive offerings from the likes of CFMoto, Benelli, and QJ Motor. In terms of performance and technology, Chinese motorcycles are coming close to their Japanese and European counterparts, and in some cases, even surpassing them.
Another Chinese manufacturer that's been making headlines recently is Benda. The brand has quite a knack for releasing bikes with extremely polarizing designs. Its models usually feature a 700cc class inline-four engine – such as the radically styled LFC 700 cruiser and the LFS 700 naked bike. Unsurprisingly, despite being a Benda-branded engine, it was modeled after a popular engine from a Japanese manufacturer – namely, the 649cc inline-four found in Honda's CB650 series. Having said that, Benda is adding yet another motorcycle to its 700cc range in the form of the LFR 700.
The "R" in LFR makes it clear that this bike is a sportbike, and its styling couldn't possibly make that any clearer. Out of all the bikes in Benda's lineup, the LFR 700 is by far the sportiest, as it gets a full fairing, low-slung clip-ons, high rearsets, and a radically styled tail. The frame is similar to that of the LFS in that it's made out of a combo of steel and aluminum. Meanwhile, the bike is underpinned by an inverted front fork and an offset monoshock at the rear. Interestingly, the LFR 700 features fancy brakes in the form of Brembo Stylema calipers up front.
On the performance side of the equation, Benda makes use of the previously mentioned inline-four reverse-engineered from the Honda CB650R. In the case of the LFR, it's been bumped up to 676cc, but delivers just 94 horsepower and 44 pound-feet of torque – performance figures that are nearly identical to that of the Honda, despite the bump in displacement.
As for availability, it seems that the Benda LFR 700 is available exclusively in China for the time being. Its launch in the European market is by no means far-fetched, as the LFC 700 is already on sale in Europe with a rather steep retail price of 11,900 Euros, or about $13,066 USD.
