If I said the name 'Jonway,' it might not ring a bell on its own. But if you like paying attention to copycat motorcycle designs like we do, you've probably seen at least one Jonway already.
Like this one. Or this one. Or if you want to get out of the 400cc range, this one. And actually, that most recent link there, to YY800-2 (that's really the model name), is a great tie-in to the bike we're going to discuss today.
Jonway calls its latest mishmash of American-style cruiser "inspiration" the V-5. It comes in two versions: the YY400-9 and the YY250-9. And if you look at the winged double V logo shown on the YY800-2 above, it's the same logo you'll see on the YY400-9 and YY250-9.
That's notable because on previous Jonway American-style V-twin homages (OK, straight-up copycats), there really hasn't been any type of unifying design element to be found. No standard logo for the brand, or the models, or anything else. Just seemingly a whole lot of throwing everything related to recent American V-twin designs at the wall and seeing what sticks.
Diving into the Jonway V-5 YY400-9 and YY250-9
Let's start with the fact that it's not a V5. Instead, both of these bikes are teeny, tiny V-twins. As the YY400-9 and YY250-9 designations would imply, there's a 400cc and a 250cc version available. It's not clear what the 9 is about, but as we said earlier, it's also not a V-5. So it seems that not everything necessarily has a meaning that's immediately clear. Is it just the ninth bike in the line? I've probably already given this too much thought, sorry.
What kind of power do these teeny V-twins make? If Jonway's specs are to be believed, the VV400-9 makes about 38.2 horsepower at 9,000 rpm, as well as 20.6 pound-feet of torque at 7,000 RPM.
Choose the VV250-9 instead, and it makes a claimed 24.8 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and 20.6 pound-feet of torque slightly lower down in the rev range, at 6,500 rpm.
Like a lot of new models in 2024, these newest Jonway offerings include retro elements and modern conveniences. Lighting is full LED, for instance. It has disc brakes front and rear, as well as ABS. It's fuel injected. It rolls on a pair of 16-inch wheels, has a fuel capacity of 18 liters (about 4.7 gallons), has a six-speed gearbox, and uses a Gates belt final drive. They're both also water-cooled, not air-cooled.
Claimed top speed is 140 kilometers per hour, or about 86 mph. Curb weight is 209 kilograms, or just under 461 pounds.
Styling Inspiration in a Blender
This bike clearly took most of its styling 'inspiration,' as usual, from Harley and Indian. It's clearly going for a more "grand American touring" type of style, with hard side bags and a top box with a back rest as well as a large front fairing to offer some wind protection to both rider and passenger.
The front fairing looks a tiny bit like an Indian Chieftain if you squint (and you've also recently suffered a head injury). Strangely, the round black and brushed aluminum bar-end mirrors seem to have been lifted right out of the Triumph catalog rather than going with the mirrors normally found on either Harleys or Indians. Gotta keep 'em guessing, right?
It's also worth noting that both rider and passenger on the two V-5 bikes get standard foot pegs, not floorboards.
There's no telling what the build quality is like since we haven't ridden one. Jonway sells bikes in China and various European markets. In the US, it's worth noting there was a US Environmental Protection Agency judgment against Jonway's US distributor and the manufacturers in China back in 2014. It found that the Jonway vehicles (both motorbikes and ATVs) imported into the US violated the Clean Air Act, and that over 11,000 such vehicles had been imported and sold prior to the judgment.
Jonway does not appear to sell its motorcycles in the US at the time of writing. However, some of its 50cc scooters are currently imported and sold under the Chicago Scooter Company brand. None of them bear any resemblance to their V-twin motorcycle offerings.
