04/01/2026

Contributing Editor Keshy Dhillon / keshy@piston.my Editorial

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SUNDAY | JAN 4, 2026

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Game changers! Chinese motorcycle makers far more advanced than you may think

Chinese motorcycle makers have come a long way.

them being officially available in our market by the first half of 2026. MORBIDELLI Morbidelli was one of the quintessential Italian motorcycle makers, having won many prestigious races around the world. They launched four models alongside Keeway. This is not a personal opinion, but shared collectively among all 40 of us: these bikes looked really good, not just in terms of design, but also in their quality, specifica tions, and features. The market will be salivating over these had they been stamped with “Made in Europe” or “Made in Japan.” The four models launched were the F252 naked/roadster, T250X, T252X, and T502X, the last three being adven ture/dual-purpose bikes. All except the T250X are equipped with large TFT screens and top notch suspen sion. But all four have premium brakes, TCS, and ABS, plus an emergency call fea ture which dials up the emergency number stored in the rider’s phone, when the rider in peril presses the button for at least 3 sec onds. QJMOTOR QJMotor is now a Chinese motorcycle powerhouse. Holding several brands including Keeway, it is a subsidiary of the Geely supergroup which also owns Proton. MV Agusta had signed an MOU with this company to produce small capacity MVs for the Chinese and Asian markets but

lery which showcased their amazing pro gress, from building simple scooters to sup plying large capacity tourers to their National Police. Unfortunately, we did not get to visit the factory floor and were instead provided several upcoming models for test rides. These included the CL-C with AMT trans mission, a 250cc dirtbike, 750 SR-RR inline-four sportbike which we tested with glee. They also showed us the 1000MT-X adventure bike, which was launched a cou ple of days later to the international mar ket. Oh, lest we forget. We asked CFMoto if they are really taking over KTM’s MotoGP effort, to which the factory representative replied, “We don’t have confirmation yet.” KEEWAY Some motorcycle enthusiasts in Malaysia may remember this brand from the time it was distributed by another com pany other than MForce. But really, the brand has improved exponentially since then. In fact, we could not even believe that their bikes look this good now. The Keeway Group is not a small concern to be sneezed at as they own several brands including Morbidelli, Benda, and Benelli. The brand launched two models during our visit, namely the BX200i scooter, and RKR250 sportbike. The latter was already launched earlier in the year, but importation and CKD pro duction has not begun. We look forward to

ers predominantly, but also makes all-ter rain vehicles (ATVs) and side-by-side bug gies. The company took us to their ATV pro duction facility, instead of the motorcycle factory as “there were several prototypes under R&D”. We test rode the Dark Flag 500 Commander (powered by a 500cc V4), Chinchilla 300, and a 900cc V-Twin and came away impressed as these handled superbly with great suspension and brakes despite being cruisers, while being sere naded by rowdy exhaust notes. Can’t believe these exhausts are Euro 5+ compli ant. The paintwork, components, panels, and welding all oozed quality more like European motorcycles, which was a far cry from the days of “cheap Chinese clones.” None of the bikes we tested broke down despite being pushed hard: drag raced, cor nered until the footpeg feelers peeled off, and one bike even running out gas! CFMOTO CFMoto is already an established brand, being present in more than 100 countries. Their partnership with KTM (and the Kiska design firm) had undoubtedly kickstarted the development of their own motorcycles. In fact, CFMoto did not shy away from revelling in this partnership as there was a section dedicated to KTM and Husqvarna in their main showroom. Our entourage of 40-odd rowdy journal ists were guided through the makers’ gal

BY WHAID OOI

FOURTY motoring media personnel were invited by MForce Bike Holdings to visit several motorcycle manufacturers in China recently. The visit coincided with the MForce Top 68 Dealers’ visit as an appreciation for their efforts in selling the bikes distributed by MForce in Malaysia. We visited, viewed, and tested motorcy cles from Benda, CFMoto, Keeway, Morbidelli, QJMotor, ARIIC, and Moto Morini. Among these, Benda and QJMotor opened their factories to us. The visits covered two main cities, Hangzhou, where Benda and CFMoto are based at, and Taizhou, where the rest of the makers call home. So lets sum everything up in one article for easy reference. BENDA The company’s executives said “Benda” means “running toward our destiny” in a poetic Chinese phrasing. Benda began as Hangzhou Saturn Power Technology Co Ltd in 2016 in Hangzhou. Instead of producing cheap motorcycles for the Chinese domestic mar ket, they set their sights on the global scene from the get-go. They have been relentless in their pur suit since then and see their motorcycles being popular in Europe, particularly in Germany. Benda produces cruiser style two-wheel