Table of contents

• China’s motorcycle brands Giants that hardly anyone knows
• Many well-known cooperation partners
• Zongshen with Fantic and Piaggio
• Shineray with Mash and SWM
• Qianjiang Group (QJ) with Benelli, Geely, Keeway, Harley-Davidson
• Loncin with BMW and Voge
• Lifan
• CFMoto with KTM
• The Chinese two-wheeler industry
• opinion poll
• Conclusion

Voge

26th pictures

BMW

1/26
BMW F 850 ​​GS / Adventure: Two-cylinder engine is manufactured by Loncin in China.

Flash Art

2/26
BMW F 750 GS: two-cylinder engine is manufactured by Loncin in China.

BMW

3/26
BMW F 900 XR: two-cylinder engine is manufactured by Loncin in China.

BMW

4/26
BMW F 900 R: two-cylinder engine is manufactured by Loncin in China.

BMW motorcycle.

5/26
BMW C 400 X: The scooter is completely manufactured by Loncin in China.

Brixton

6/26
Brixton Crossfire 500: Developed in Austria and sold by KSR, the Brixton bikes are built near Chongqing Goakin.

CF Moto

7/26
CFMoto 700 CL-X Heritage: two-cylinder from China.

CF Moto

8/26
CFMoto 800 MT: Enduro with KTM two-cylinder.

Aprilia.

9/26
Aprilia SX 125: Made by Zongshen in China.

Aprilia.

10/26
Aprilia RX 125: Made by Zongshen in China.

Benelli

11/26
Benelli Leoncino 800: Benelli belongs to the Chinese group QJ.

newmotor.com.cn

12/26
Benelli 1200 GT: Supertourer with a three-cylinder engine.

Fantic

13/26
Fantic Caballero 500: The single cylinder engines come from Zongshen.

F.B. Mondial

14/26
F.B. Mondial Flat Track 125: The single cylinder engines come from Zongshen.

Slawomir Niewrzol

15/26
Italjet Dragster: The engine comes from the Jincheng Group in China.

Mash

16/26
Mash X-Ride 650 Classic: Mash models are manufactured at Shineray.

Niu

17/26
Niu: electric scooter from China.

Sky team

18/26
Skyteam T-Rex: 125cc replicas from China

VMoto

19/26
Super Soco: Small electric motorcycles from China.

Jorg Kunstle

20/26
SWM: Italian motorcycles with single cylinder engines from Shineray from China.

Voge.

21/26
Voge 500 R: Naked bike by the Loncin subsidiary.

newmotor.com.cn

22/26
Voge 500 AC: Another model variant with a 500 twin-cylinder.

Voge.

23/26
Voge 500 DS: Also available as an enduro.

Zontes

24/26
Zontes T310: single cylinder in different variants.

Zontes

25/26
Zontes ZT125-U: The Chinese are also involved in the 125 cc.

Zundapp

26/26
Zundapp ZXN 125: The brand is known, but now comes from Tianjin Motorcycles in China.

counselor

traffic & business

China’s motorcycle brands

China’s motorcycle brands
Giants that hardly anyone knows

They are called Grampus or Jack Fox, Rebel or Rex, Sky Team or Vixen. There is one thing that all brands from the giant empire have in common: They flex their muscles. Here are some internationally important manufacturers.

Thomas Schmieder,

Uli Baumann

02/11/2021

Around 200 different manufacturers of motorized two-wheelers in China bring together around 240 brands and well over 20 million units per year, from mopeds to large motorcycles. Including individual companies with a production of more than one million vehicles per year. Trend: quality, number of cylinders, displacements and performance are increasing. Also important for export to Europe and America.

CFMoto

China’s leading motorcycle manufacturers include Grand River with the brands Haojue, Lifan, Loncin, Zongshen, Jialing, Jianshe, Qianjiang, Haojin, Shineray, Bashan, Jonway, Wuxi Futong and Cyclone. E-scooters and other purely electric two-wheelers are becoming increasingly important.

Many well-known cooperation partners

MV Agusta

Many foreign motorcycle manufacturers cooperate with Chinese motorcycle companies: BMW with Loncin, Fantic and Piaggio with Zongshen, Suzuki with Haojue, Peugeot with Qingqi, Yamaha with Jianshe, Honda with Jialing and MV Agusta with Qianjiang, the owner of Benelli. Various joint ventures range from contract manufacturing through coordinated research and development and joint production companies to cooperation in sales, sales and marketing. By decree, the Chinese partner holds at least 51 percent of the shares in bilateral companies.

Zongshen with Fantic and Piaggio

newmotor.com.cn

Zongshen Cyclone RX6

Self-made man Zuo Zongshen founded a motorcycle repair shop in Chongqing in 1982 in a hut with a clay floor. In 1992 the first own factory followed, in 1996 the first own motorcycle. Today the Zongshen Group has around 18,000 employees in around 30 subsidiaries and joint ventures and builds around four million motorized two-wheelers per year. That’s more than Kawasaki. The main business areas are engines, motorcycles and real estate. The two listed subsidiaries Zongshen Power and Zongshen PEM founded their own motorcycle workshop chain Master Zuo in 2010, more or less the ATU for Chinese motorcyclists.

Aprilia

Aprilia Terra 150

Since 2004, Zongshen has been producing some Aprilia and Piaggio models on behalf of the company and is responsible for sales of all Piaggio brands in China, as well as Harley-Davidson. Zongshen builds all of Malaguti’s bikes and the engines for Fantic, and the group operates a motorcycle factory in the up-and-coming motorcycle country of Vietnam.

The Zongshen Empire’s brand names are registered in more than 160 countries. These include Lexmoto (Great Britain), Motorhispania (Spain), Minsk (Russia and Belarus), Zanella (Argentina), AKT (Colombia), Ryuka (Thailand) as well as Kasinski (Brazil) and also Zundapp. The Zongsheng factory team was the first Chinese team to take part in the motorcycle world championship in 2002.

Shineray with Mash and SWM

SWM.

Shineray was only founded in 1997 and quickly rose to become a major corporation. As recently as 2007, the quality of a 125 cc, which was only available online in Germany at the time, was very poor in MOTORRAD tests. But that was a long time ago by Chinese standards. In addition to cars and machines, Shineray mainly builds two-wheelers: commuter vehicles in the style of the Honda Super Cub, but also scooters, small enduros and athletes, mostly up to 250 cc for local markets. Shineray also manufactures in the booming country of Vietnam – and in Italy: in 2014 it was only a financial injection from Shineray that enabled the revival of the SWM brand. With its production in the EU, SWM is a springboard for Shineray into Europe, while the Chinese parent company supplies motors. As a production partner, Shineray also manufactures all mash models with 400 and 650 cm³. The top model is the new one Mash X-Ride 650 Classic. Mash develops and designs in Beaune / France, sells the machines in 26 countries. Jinan Qingqi (4,300 employees) builds smaller machines (50, 125 and 250) for Mash.

Qianjiang Group (QJ) with Benelli, Geely, Keeway, Harley-Davidson

newmotor.com.cn

Benelli 1200 GT luxury tourer

The Qianjiang Group Co. Ltd. (QJ) was founded 50 years ago, in 1971. The group currently produces around 1.2 million motorized two-wheelers and quads a year with around 13,500 employees. In 2005, QJ Benelli took over, leaving development in Pesaro / Italy. All Benellis are built entirely in China as a technology transfer. In Germany, 93 Benelli dealers take care of sales and service. QJ has been selling its in China since 1999 “Qianjiang” titled vehicles in export under the Keeway brand. QJ also builds the scooters from “Explorer” and “Generic”.

The automaker Geely, which already owns Volvo, Lotus and London-Taxi, has held almost 30 percent of QJ since 2016. The company is owned by the 57-year-old billionaire Li Shufu, who founded the company in 1986. She built her first motorcycles in 1992. In 2018, Li Shufu acquired around ten percent of the shares in Daimler AG through an investment company for almost 7.5 billion euros, making it the largest single shareholder in the Stuttgart-based company. For Harley-Davidson, QJ is to produce a 350 for the Asian market from 2021.

Loncin with BMW and Voge

newmotor.com.cn

Voge 500 AC

Founded in 1993 in Chongqing, Loncin Industrial Group Co. Ltd. Since 1996, it has built combustion engines for a wide variety of applications, such as chainsaws and lawnmowers. In 1999, Loncin’s first motorcycle hit the market. Since then, the company has grown strongly: in 2006 Loncin was the largest Chinese motorcycle exporter. Of around 5,000 employees, around 200 work in the research and development center. The product range includes over a hundred models: mopeds, mopeds, scooters, motorcycles and quads.

Jorg Kunstle

BMW F 900 XR

Air- and water-cooled two- and four-stroke engines with displacements mostly up to 300 cm³ serve as the drive. Therefore, the 500 series from Loncins act newer Premium brand Voge as a top model. There are already 70 Voge dealers in Germany. BMW Motorrad uses Loncin as an engine manufacturer, initially for the late 650s singles. Since 2018 Loncin has been supplying the in-line two-cylinder F-series with 850 and 900 cm³, the predecessors with 800 cm³ came from Rotax in Austria. In addition, Loncin completely manufactures the BMW 400 series scooter.

Lifan

Lifan

Lifan KP350

With headquarters in Chongqing, Lifan Industry (in German: “powerful sail”) Cars, trucks, commercial vehicles and motorcycles. In 1992 the company started out as a two-wheeler manufacturer with just nine employees, the first model being the Lifan TMS 200. Just a few months after it was founded, other street motorcycles and dirt bikes followed. Thanks to rapid success, Lifan rose to become one of the largest Chinese motorcycle manufacturers, today employs around 15,000 people and builds several million bikes a year.

Lifan also established its own production facilities in Thailand and Vietnam, among others. Lifan has been producing cars since 2002 and trucks since 2003. The brand’s trucks are sold in many countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. So far Lifan has not yet exported to the European Union. A few dealers within the EU offer the Lifan LF 125 and Lifan LF 150 models from Bulgarian production.

CFMoto with KTM

CF Moto

CFMoto 700 CL-X

In 1989 the Lai Zhejiang brothers founded CFMoto Power Co. Ltd. as a parts supplier. The company started manufacturing its own engines in 1996, its first motorcycle rolled off the production line in 2000 and the first ATV in 2004. In the state-of-the-art factory on an area of ​​200,000 m2, well over 100 different models with dozens of self-designed engines have already been created. CFMoto holds more than 100 patents and exports to over 70 countries. In addition, the group has been cooperating with KTM and the Austrian design team Kiska in the development of new motorcycles since 2009. Since then, the Chinese company has also taken on the import and distribution of all KTMs in China.

CF Moto

CFMoto 1250 TR-G

From 2021 CFMoto will also build all 790 models from (i.e. for) KTM in a specially built KTM factory opposite the CFMoto headquarters in Hangzhou. This production joint venture develops in Austria and manufactures in China. The first project will be a naked bike with the engine of the 790 Duke produced by CFMoto. KTM boss Pierer calls it “an entry-level two-cylinder as a world model”. CFMoto itself produces the chic MT 800 travel enduro with KTM’s 95 hp twin. The import professionals KSR take over the distribution of CFMoto in Europe.

The Chinese two-wheeler industry

• The Chinese motorcycle industry is the largest in the world, it is spread over three main regions: the provinces of Guangdong and Zhejiang and, as the center of motorcycle production, the mega-metropolis of Chongqing, the world’s largest metropolitan area with 34 million inhabitants.
• In China there are up to 200 different manufacturers of motorized two-wheelers (motorcycles, scooters and 50/125).
• In 2013 alone, almost 22.9 million units were produced, and the trend is growing rapidly.
• Around 40 percent of production is exported.
• In addition, there are engines exported, including to Europe. In 2013 alone, this was around 26.2 million units.
• China also produces auto rickshaws and three- and four-wheeled vehicles (quads and ATVs) in large numbers.
• China is also a leading manufacturer of motorcycle parts and accessories, from A for exhaust to Z for cylinder head gasket.
• Furthermore, a large part of the global production of motorcycle clothing takes place in China, for example textile suits from Rukka.
• China is also catching up rapidly as the country of origin of helmets. Well-known brands in this country are LS2 and Scorpion.

  opinion poll

  Will the Chinese become serious competitors for the established motorcycle manufacturers??

  Voted 4652 times

  Yes, they learn quickly.

  No, they never reach their level.

Conclusion

Chinese motorcycles are still often ridiculed in this country, but the two-wheel superpower is gearing up for new markets. The Chinese motorcycle industry is the largest in the world. Around 200 different manufacturers of motorized two-wheelers in China bring together around 240 brands and well over 20 million units per year, from mopeds to large motorcycles.

Related articles

• Motorcycle market in china

  Edge motorcycles Motorcycle market in china Motorcycle market in china Mass mobilization The Chinese motorcycle market seems inexhaustible, but only for…

• Nine short biographies about German motorcycle brands

  archive 10 pictures NSU 1/10 What happened to you Biographies of German motorcycle brands. fact 2/10 Excellent workmanship, small, handy and fast: Adler…

• Comeback of old motorcycle brands

  bilski-fotografie.de 32 pictures Siemer 1/32 A smooth 100 years lie between this Indian and … fact 2/32 … and this Indian Scout. 3/32 The snowmobile…

• Report: BMW engine from China

  motorcycles Report: BMW engine from China Report: BMW engine from China China Xcountry You don’t see it and you don’t hear it. Yeah, you don’t even feel…

• 10 motorcycle imitations from China

  Topic special Everything about BMW Motorrad manufacturer 20th pictures manufacturer 1/20 Jonway JJ 250: Yikes, what’s that? According to the Chinese…

• Spotlight: Motorcycles from China

  archive counselor traffic & business Spotlight: Motorcycles from China Spotlight: Motorcycles from China China: danger or opportunity? In terms of…

• Motorcycle brands and their reputation

  mps photo studio counselor traffic & business Motorcycle brands and their reputation The brands and their reputation Image check from MOTORRAD 48,118…

• Scene: motorcycle legends and their situation today

  MZ Sports & scene Scene: motorcycle legends and their situation today Scene: motorcycle legends and their situation today What are actually doing……

• Motorcycle history

  NSU / Audi 11 pictures simplicissimus.info 1/11 The history of the motorcycle began around 1900. BMW 2/11 In the deepest valley of the motorcycle…

• Motorcycle production at Bimota

  Jahn counselor traffic & business Motorcycle production at Bimota This is how one of the smallest manufacturers in the world produces Motorcycle…