The SRT 900 SX is the big dog in QJ’s Adventure bike lineup. Looking at the listed price and the bike’s specs before picking it up, I questioned whether to phone KMSA to confirm that the price was not a typo! HOLY COW! R169,995, which, given that this is a 900 cc adventure bike, is mind-boggling. Then, to really put the boot in, I noted the specs. Get this: the bike comes standard with aluminium panniers and top box, crash bars, cruise control, heated grips and seat, quick shifter and blind spot warning.
It is a parallel twin with a 270-degree crank, 90 hp, 90 Nm of torque, Marzocchi suspension (fully adjustable), tubeless spoked wheels, Brembo brakes, 24-litre fuel capacity. All that for what is a pittance! Ok, so it must be butt ugly and finished like a “hoenderhok” (chicken coop for our foreign readers). Wrong on both counts! It has typical adventure-type styling, a sweet paint job and is decently finished.
In addition, as if that does not already qualify the SRT 900 SX as the buy of the decade, it sports a large TFT display which gives you all the vital information, allows you to change engine modes and do more via a downloadable app—a typical feature to be found on bikes costing twice the price. Now all of this is all good and exceedingly well, but how does it perform as an adventure bike? To adequately answer that, we need to consider what constitutes an adventure bike, and the riders who ride these bikes.
What is an Adventure bike?
Honda recently launched a pannier-bedecked CB1000 GT Sports Tourer and has topped the sales for “adventure bikes” in the last quarter of the year, according to industry sources in the UK. So, what is considered a Sports Tourer by South Africans is considered an adventure bike in Europe. To understand this, we need to consider who rides adventure bikes in South Africa. Essentially, we come from two different backgrounds. Firstly, guys who grew up riding dirt bikes and want adventure bikes that look and ride like what you would see entered in the adventure bike category at Redbull Romaniacs. KTMs, Husqvarnas, Yamaha T7s and the odd Africa Twin, Ducati Desert X, BMW F900 GS, Triumph Tiger Rally Pro and the hardcore Chinese contingent from CFMOTO and Kove. KTM’s mantra, “Ready to Race”, says it all. Machines built to serve at the altar of speed, with scant, or only secondary, regard for creature comforts.
Then we have the second category, ex-roadies. Guys who generally rode sport bikes and have got to a point where they are tired of visits to the chiropractor, and who want to take in the scenery on their rides, rather than fly past in a blur. Maybe even plan a multi-day tour with their significant other on the pillion. They want decent performance and riding dynamics, but with the ability to trickle down a dirt road to an overnight stop if necessary. Dirt roads are not embraced but rather endured and avoided if possible. Included in this group are the Super Tourers. Bikes like Honda’s Goldwing, big touring Harleys, Triumphs and BMWs, whose riders now want the comfort, but at a more manageable weight.
The Swiss Army Knife of bikes
These second-category adventure bikes are the genre that has developed as the “Swiss Army Knife of bikes”, competent at most things without shooting the lights out at any one discipline. The established leader in this category is the BMW R 1300 GS, the top dog, jack-of-all-trades bike. Worldwide, the average age of motorcycle owners, applicable to road-legal bikes, is around 50. There are fewer buyers, but bike sales are still growing globally, with the 50-year-olds often owning more than one bike. Put it down to Empty Nest Syndrome, impulse buying, revenge spending or just the need to break out of their mundane life, but this is the genre enjoying significant action amongst these buyers.
The QJ Motor SRT 900 SX is a godsend in this class. It offers incredible value even without any of the extras which come standard. If you buy anything else and simply add on the top box and panniers with their brackets, you need to add at least R20,000 to the overall cost. Any of the mainstream rivals will set you back R100,000 more, and then you will still have to add on the extras.
The ride
I spent a morning on the QJ, riding out to Cullinan and around, as I typically would, to see if there was anything in the riding experience that could explain the huge discrepancy in value. The bike was in “sports” mode when I picked it up from KMSA. The power comes and goes with a bang, as can be expected in a mode that requires the engine to access all of the performance all the time. That is cool, but just not the way this type of adventure bike is typically ridden. I switched to “normal” mode. What a pleasure. Goodbye “Raped Ape”, and hello to Mellow Monkey. The bike makes exactly the same power in “normal” mode, but the power delivery is way more linear and pleasant.
The top gear roll-on, such an important part of big-bore adventure bike riding, is so strong that I found myself glancing to confirm that I was in top gear. The eagerness of the motor, especially in the mid-range, had me thinking that you could easily pull a tooth bigger on the front sprocket. This would benefit with lower revs at speed, probably better fuel consumption, and also reduce vibes felt through the bars at higher engine speeds. To clarify, the vibrations are almost more visceral in feeling than intrusive, but cruising at 5,000 rpm would be even more pleasant. I always seem to get QJ’s on review in cold weather, and this time was no different. I switched on the heated grips and seat via the left switchgear buttons (good job, QJ), engaged the cruise control, and reflected on what was a very pleasant place to be. The seat is all-day comfortable—so important on an adventure bike.
The suspension has 150 mm of travel, making for suspension which is both supple yet controlled. Certainly, up to the soft adventure design of the bike. As with every QJ that I have ridden, the handling is excellent. The bike is stable at all speeds; it sticks to the chosen line and lets you enjoy the experience. The Brembo callipers are both powerful and have good feel. The more normally I rode the bike, the more I enjoyed it. There is a tendency, when testing a bike, to see how fast it will go, how well it handles on the limit, and how quickly it pulls up on the brakes. You howl down the road, tapping the quick shifter like a dervish and hit the brakes as though your life depends on it. The reality is that almost no one rides like that. I say “almost” because the ego is a terrible thing and some dudes are on a different mission. I meandered out of Cullinan heading west before turning down a brand-new tar road to Rayton. Smooth and wide, I swept along until, with scant warning, the tar ended and I encountered a rutted and corrugated dirt road.
I stood up as I typically do when riding unfamiliar dirt and adjusted my speed accordingly. I could immediately feel the road-biased tyres scrabbling for traction on the poor surface, especially at the hard tar pressures. The suspension did a reasonable job of soaking up the corrugations and ruts. I decided to sit down and slow down to a point that I could take in the scenery without being fixated on the road surface. The QJ managed the dirt just fine. Dirt roads, taken at moderate speeds, can be negotiated with confidence. For me, that is what this bike is about. An all-road travel tourer that will get you there and back in comfort.
So, guys, if the dastardly mid-life crisis is upon you, don’t despair. You do not have to sell a kidney or take out a second bond on the house to scratch that itch. Buy a QJ Motors SRT 900 SX and start planning the adventure of a lifetime.
QJ Motor SRT 900 SX
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