The Chinese Zontes brand has built up an excellent reputation in South Africa for stylish, well-built and well-priced single-cylinder motorcycles. Now, however, apparently stung by criticism that the range doesn’t include a twin-cylinder engine in the increasingly popular 500 cc capacity in its range, the company has released details of a brand new three-cylinder engine that is in the late stages of development.
Since that announcement, more details have been released and it seems that the triples will come in two displacements – at least initially – of 650 cc and 1000 cc. According to the company, the 1000 cc version will have superbike levels of performance, a claim that is backed up by the 13.5:1 compression ratio, which comfortably beats current similar engines from Yamaha, MV Agusta and Triumph.
Responding to criticisms that the new engine bore a striking resemblance to Yamaha’s CP3 triple, Zontes then released images of three complete engines, as well as components including cylinder blocks, cylinder heads, crankshafts, camshafts and balancer shafts. Naturally, there are going to be some similarities between all the three-cylinder engines on the market today, but the new engine from Zontes really does seem to be a unique design and not simply a note-for-note copy, a reputation the Chinese seem to be working hard to dispel, at least for markets outside China.
A sketch of the ‘new’ model was released last year and shows a naked sports bike, complete with a single-sided swing arm, although it is likely that a modular concept will be used, which can be configured to create several distinct models, such as a sports tourer, adventure bike, cruiser (or muscle bike in the mould of the Ducati Diavel) and even a fully-faired sports bike.
If – or when – the three-cylinder Zontes models appear, they will be fascinating additions from an established manufacturer that already has a good toe-hold in both South African and international markets.
At the same time, Zontes has revealed a new range of 350 cc single-cylinder bikes to replace the current 310 cc models.
What do you think? Would you be tempted to consider a Yamaha MT-09 rival from China? The local importer of Zontes is keen to hear your opinions: continue with the 310/350 cc single-cylinder models or move into the premium market with the new triple-cylinder models.
Feel free to voice your opinions on the Facebook post or contact Zontes South Africa directly.
