Chinese manufacturers are very clearly stepping up their game when it comes to performance-oriented motorcycles. EICMA 2023 was a clear indication of this, with brands like CFMoto and QJ Motor flexing their muscles when it comes to bikes flaunting cutting-edge performance and technology. Motorcycle giant QJ Motor had quite a lot to show off, with the SRK 1000 RC Concept being one of the highlights.
Chinese and European brands teaming up is nothing new. We’ve seen it with KTM and CFMoto, BMW and Loncin, and much more recently, MV Agusta and QJ Motor. That being said, it’s easy to see that QJ Motor has leveraged on MV Agusta’s performance-oriented expertise for the SRK 1000 RC Concept. What better platform to use than the MV Agusta Brutale 1000 RR? Indeed, take just one glance at this superbike concept, and it’s easy to see its MV Agusta inspirations.
From a styling perspective, it looks like MV Agusta’s F3 supersport, only given more angular lines and a more futuristic aesthetic. The SRK 1000 RC gets a narrow twin-pod LED headlamp giving it a menacing fascia. Meanwhile, an angular fairing and muscular fuel tank give the bike a hunched over stance as if it’s traveling 200 miles an hour sitting still. Like the MV Agusta, the SRK 1000 RC gets an exposed aluminum frame and single-sided swingarm. It breathes out of a dual-exhaust setup with pipes sticking out on either side of the tail.
It’ll likely come as a surprise to nobody that the biggest element borrowed from the Brutale is the engine. The SRK 1000 RC gets a reworked version of MV’s 1,078cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, inline-four cylinder engine detuned to 146 horsepower and 112 Newton-meters (about 78 pound-feet) of torque (of course, you can’t let the copycat get all the power). That said, despite its futuristic styling and Italian design origins, the SRK 1000 RC isn’t on the same league even as more dated superbikes such as the Yamaha R1, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, and Honda CBR1000RR.
Nevertheless, the SRK 1000 RC is looking to be a sharp-handling machine thanks to Ohlins suspension and Brembo Stylema brake calipers. Pirelli Rosso Corsa tires round up the mix, providing a track-focused approach. In terms of pricing and availability, there’s no word just yet from QJ Motor, however, we can expect the bike to be unveiled in its production-ready form in 2024. It’s also worth noting that QJ has homologated models in various markets, and a bike as fancy as this will more than likely be sold beyond the brand’s home country of China.
