The name Mash Motorcycles may be familiar to you as the French brand that sells scooters and vintage-style sidecars throughout Europe. And indeed, we've talked about the company's products quite a bit in the past, with notable models like the B-Side sidecar and E-City electric scooter.
This time around, the brand's taking a more performance-oriented approach by launching a neo-retro-style naked bike called the FR750 Roadster.
Like many small brands that proliferate in the European market, Mash is indeed headquartered in France, but its products are sourced mainly from China, as the company has ties to manufacturer Shineray, and imports bikes into the European market and slaps them with Mash branding.
In the case of the FR750 Roadster, it's pretty much been pulled directly from the Shineray catalog, and is known as the Jedi FR750 in China. It follows the formula of most middleweight naked bikes in the market today, that's to say a punchy twin, premium underpinnings, and a nimble-handling chassis.
More specifically, the FR750 is rocking a 749cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected parallel-twin engine with about 75 ponies on tap. It rides on adjustable inverted front forks and a rear monoshock with preload adjustability, and comes to a stop with dual Brembo brakes up front. Mash claims a wet weight of 213 kilograms, or about 470 pounds.
From a styling perspective, the FR750 looks like a mash-up of design elements borrowed from a bunch of other bikes. The square-ish headlight reminds me of the Suzuki Katana, while the bulky, retro-inspired stance of the bike conjures up images of the Honda CB650R. Meanwhile, the bodywork at the tail of the bike gives it a flat-tracker feel.
So yes, you could say that this bike has an identity crisis.
Nevertheless, at 6,999 euros, or about $7,530 USD, the FR750 makes quite a strong case for itself, especially because Mash has established itself as a trustworthy brand in the region. For reference, a Yamaha XSR700 carries a price tag close to 9,000 euros, so riders looking to save a few bucks on a stylish, retro-themed naked bike will surely gravitate to the FR750.
I've said this about Chinese motorcycles before, but a lot of them are actually well-built and, based on personal experience, tend to feature dependable and reliable tech. But given just how new they are to the scene means that buying a China-made bike comes with a certain degree of risk, as no one really knows for sure how these bikes will stand the test of time.
