In the multiple motorcycle shows and expos held across the world leading up to the 2023 model year, Chinese motorcycle brand QJ Motor made it incredibly clear that it means business in the international market. Under the same umbrella as Benelli, a Chinese-owned Italian brand that has been showing a lot of prowess lately, QJ Motor has been debuting new models left and right, with a good number of them expected to hit the market in 2023.
A good example of this is the brands's newest neo-retro roadster called the SRV 550. Differentiating itself from its cruiser sibling, the SRV 550 ST, the roadster gets an overall sportier, cafe-racer aesthetic, mated with bulbous bodywork, dual-disc brakes, and an inverted front fork. Unlike the bigger bikes in QJ Motor's lineup, the SRV 550 departs in terms of styling with a two-tone finish on the fuel tank. Additional retro design cues include a round LED headlight, top-stitched saddle, and a small flyscreen.
QJ Motor relies on an existing engine in its model range, a 554cc parallel-twin engine cranking out 47.6 horsepower and 35 lb-ft of torque mounted to the tubular steel frame. The same engine powers the SRV 550 ST, SRT 550, and the GS550 sportbike. It sends power to the rear wheel via a chain-driven six-speed manual transmission. Apart from that, the bike rolls on 17-inch wheels front and rear, shod in road-focused rubber. The inverted front forks measure 41 millimeters, while a preload-adjustable monoshock handles rear suspension duties. Of course, the bike is equipped with ABS.
Overall, the QJ Motor SRV 550 is rather heavy for its displacement class, tipping the scales at 193 kilograms dry. Regardless, a bike of this nature isn't really designed with performance in mind, but rather mild to moderately spirited riding in a stylish package. QJ Motor offers the SRV 550 in a three two-tone colorways consisting of black, gray, and blue, and has slapped on a 6,790-Euro ($7,293 USD) price tag. The bike is already available in select QJ Motor dealerships across Europe.
