Up until now, the powersports industry continues to be dominated mainly by Japanese, European, and American companies. You know, big names like Yamaha, Ducati, and Polaris—each of which are top players in their own respective games. But recent years have seen the rise of Chinese manufacturers.
Little by little, made-in-China bikes and powersports vehicles have been making their way to the spotlight. And that can only mean one thing: they’re getting good. So good, in fact, that some models have forced bigger names in the industry to take action and come up with their own offerings.
And it’s clear that there’s no stopping the Chinese from invading the powersports industry.
You see, a new brand you may have never heard of recently showed off its innovations, not just in the world of two wheels, but also four. Benda, a Chinese manufacturer known for its wild and outlandish cruisers, wants to expand into the off-road scene. And to do this, it pulled the covers off the Redstone 550 ATV.
According to Benda, the Redstone 550 aims to set a new standard in the ATV segment. It’s one of the few mid-displacement quads to feature a V-Twin engine, in this case, a 550cc unit Benda claims to have developed in-house. Just like in motorcycles, V-Twin engined ATVs tend to run smoother than their single-cylinder-equipped counterparts. Benda says that the Redstone 550 pumps out 48 horsepower, which is pretty decent given its displacement.
And judging from the way this thing looks, it’s clear that Benda wants this thing to be every inch an adventure-capable four-wheeler. Although not depicted in the render, it’s more than likely that a wide assortment of racks, luggage accessories, and other upgrades will be made available for this thing.
But apart from ATVs, Benda’s also flexing its muscles in other areas, too. The LFC700 cruiser we talked about previously, known for its otherworldly styling and odd choice of an inline-four engine, has bagged a Red Dot Design Award. It isn’t all too surprising, really, as there’s literally no other cruiser on the market today that looks like this—let alone powered by an engine you’d otherwise expect to find in a sportbike.
Benda has also announced that it’ll be investing heavily in hybrid technology. Judging from the company’s press release, it seems that Benda will try to hit two birds with one stone with future hybrid models—replacing displacement with electric assist. “This innovative approach eliminates the limitations associated with engine displacement, combining the strengths of internal combustion engines and electric powertrains,” says Libo Liu, General Manager and Design Director of Benda Motor Europe.
So yeah, it’s clear that Benda’s taking the game pretty damn seriously, as it has quite a lot in store for the industry. And while that’s cool and all, this doesn’t mean that brands like Benda and others from China are instantly worthy of your trust. In the grand scheme of things, these brands were pretty much born yesterday, and it’s more than likely that the goings-on beneath the surface are much more volatile than they would seem.
As such, it always pays to do your homework before deciding to pull the trigger on a brand-new Chinese-made machine in the hopes of saving a few bucks. Based on personal experience (I’ve owned a couple and ridden a handful of Chinese bikes fairly recently), Chinese-made bikes are getting there—but they’re not quite there just yet. Personally, I still find myself gravitating to the used market when shopping for a new-to-me machine, and my preferences tend to lean towards more tried and tested options.
But hey, that’s just me, and perhaps your appetite for new and novel powersports toys is greater than mine. Would you consider a Chinese-made ATV like the Redstone 550? Or perhaps a wild, otherworldly cruiser like the LFC700? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Sources: Benda Motorcycles, China Motor World
