QJMotor SRK 650 R Production Ready

Chinese motorcycles might be off the table for US buyers at the moment in the midst of the ongoing tariff battle between the two biggest trading nations on the globe, but when the dust settles the upcoming QJMotor SRK 650 R looks like it could be a convincing alternative to established Japanese four-cylinder sportbikes.

Not officially launched yet, the SRK 650 R has been type-approved in China, revealing a single photograph and enough specifications to confirm that QJMotor—a brand that’s growing so fast it’s hard to keep track of new model launches—is continuing its trajectory of improvement. It appears to be a successor to the four-cylinder SRK 600 RC that started life as the launch model for the QJMotor brand back in 2020 before being updated to its current form in 2023, but the addition of a mere 50cc to the capacity underplays the huge performance increase that’s revealed in the approval documents.

The original SRK 600 engine can trace its roots back to the dawn of the 21st century and the stillborn Benelli Quattro sportbike project, which was obtained by QJMotor’s parent company along with the entire Benelli brand back in 2004. It’s soldiered on in various forms to the present day, but the new SRK 650 R appears to have a completely different four-cylinder, based on the more modern design seen in the 778cc SRK 800 RR that’s currently the basis of QJMotor’s official racing effort in the World Supersport Championship.

It has the same 67.0mm bore as the SRK 800 RR, but the engine is de-stroked from 55.2mm to 46.0mm to reduce the capacity to 649cc, but despite 17% less capacity the smaller engine loses little more than 3% of the SRK 800 RR’s power, dropping from 121 hp to 117 hp. That, along with the shorter stroke, indicates that the SRK 650 R will reach its power peak at higher rpm than the 12,000 of the SRK 800 RR. For comparison, the existing SRK 600 RC, using a derivative of the old Benelli-designed four-cylinder engine, maxes out at just 80.5 hp and 11,000 rpm. The new bike’s performance puts it within touching distance of the best Japanese four-cylinder bikes in the 600cc class, including the 122 hp Kawasaki ZX-6R, which has an identical 67.0mm bore and fractionally shorter 45.1mm stroke for a capacity of 636cc, hitting its peak at 13,000 rpm.

The chassis, too, is derived from the latest generation of SRK 800 RR, with a cast alloy twin-spar frame and braced aluminum swingarm, plus a Marzocchi upside-down fork and Brembo radial-mount four-piston brakes, but it’s wrapped in more subtle bodywork than its race-oriented sister model. Breaking with current trends, it does without huge winglets on either side, instead adopting additional side panels mounted atop the main fairing to control airflow around the bike. The bike also adopts turn signals mounted in the mirrors, giving a slightly more upmarket look.

Other specs revealed in the type approval include a wheelbase of 55.5 inches, again within a fraction of other bikes in the 600cc supersport category, and a maximum rated speed of 143 mph, which seems a little on the low side given the bike’s power level. Weight comes in at 452 pounds wet, a fraction heavier than the best bikes in the class.

While the type approval doesn’t reveal details of the equipment levels, it confirms that ABS is fitted, and we can see in the sole image that there’s a load sensor in the shift linkage, indicating that a quickshifter is fitted. A steering damper is also just visible above the top triple clamp.

Price and availability will be the key to deciding the success of the new model, and those are both areas where it’s likely to stumble in the US unless the current high tariffs on Chinese goods are lowered. However, in markets where QJMotor’s bikes are more widely available—now including much of mainland Europe—they generally undercut Japanese equivalents by a substantial margin.

Related: QJMotors Heading to US