Qjiang QJ600GS / Benelli BJ600GS - rumors thread

**felix** · 01-27-2012, 02:46 PM

I'm pretty interested in this bike and cannot find very much info on it. So, here's what i've gathered so far and as we find out more maybe we can stick it in this thread.

Info from the dealer in xi'an:
Price will be something between 39,000 and 46,000 RMB. He said that the price will be fixed in february depending on where the US dollar is at then.
He claims that 60% of the engine parts are imported into china and assembled here. He doesn't know which parts.
Warranty on engine and parts for 2 years or 50,000km, whichever comes first.
6 of these bikes have already been ordered in xi'an and were supposed to arrive early january. They did not arrive. Now he says february.

I have high hopes for this bike but at the same time don't want to kid myself.
The big plus is that it's a 'joint venture' bike and not just a copy of a japanese bike (like the CF650). Clearly Qjiang's acquisition of Benelli has brought something to the table, you can even see it in their smaller models. The details on this machine are superb for a chinabike.
On the other hand it's their first attempt at building anything like this and it's a bit naive to imagine they're going to get it 100% right. So that always leads back to the big question: "can i count on it?" and then "if it breaks down, will the dealer know how handle it?". Here in xi'an the answer to the second is most likely no...

Here are a bunch of pics stolen from this thread on moto8.

I'm not great at weeding through the chinese forums and haven't found much useful info.

Here's a review by someone who rode it and is comparing to the Cfmoto CF650NK:
http://www.motorfans.com.cn/bbs/t_17213199_1.htm
From what i can understand he's saying that it doesn't feel as powerful as the CF650NK but sounds better and is more comfortable.

This thread is 166 pages of guys asking how much it costs. I don't have the courage to read it...
http://www.motorfans.com.cn/bbs/t_17126695_40.htm

If anyone out there knows anything about this bike, i'd be happy to hear it! I'm seriously considering being the MCM guinea pig on this one, but it won't be til autumn i'm afraid.

Cheers!

**MJH** · 01-27-2012, 08:47 PM

This makes me think it is already being offered for sale in China.
http://motorcycle.sh.cn/t_17204632.htm $6,000 USD?

**MJH** · 01-27-2012, 08:54 PM

They are also offering the DUE756, which is a CBU from Italy, its the 1130 engine less a cylinder.
This is all the result of Qianjiang investing 26M USD in Benelli in 2005, they are introducing more models.

**MJH** · 01-27-2012, 09:05 PM

duplicate post....

**998S** · 01-28-2012, 12:11 AM

They have a Benelli BJ600GS here in Shanghai, ready to be tested (well, THAT is something in the first place ...).
From how dirty the bike looked, it seems that at least there is much interest for it already :)

I did not ride the bike yet, but can only agree with you that the visual quality of the bike is much much higher then anything "chinese" I have seen before. And it looks damn good in overall design as well.
If that extends to the quality of the material of the components they used, it should be a big step forward.

However, Italians motorbike manufacturers are not known for their highest quality, and if you are not able to do things yourself, all depends on your 'dealer'.
With the bike a fairly complicated design (compact, 4 cylinder, all electronically controlled), that requires some knowledge.

If your delaer cannot provide that, and you can not do it yourself, you rather stay away from it.

My 2 cents ...

**ChinaV** · 01-28-2012, 01:52 AM

I wonder how long until (or if) it will be registerable across China?
I wonder where you will find a computer, and the know how, to sync 4 EFI throttle bodies? (Not everyone lives near Eric)
I wonder where you will find tires, as no reputable tire brand has decent distribution in China. Do the Qjiang shops have mounting and balancing equipment?
I wonder where you will find replacement parts for 60% of the bike that is imported? The industry can't even provide reliable parts distribution for domestic parts, and Italy is no saint when it comes to dealer parts support.
I wonder who will have a complete valve shim set in stock, and the torque specs, for doing a proper valve adjustment?

Do you think there will be online parts diagrams, where you can select the parts you need to order? Or will they leave us sitting on Taobao with our wives, trying to send pictures over QQ, explaining what we need to an idiot on the other end that has never owned or ridden a decent motorcycle?

¥40,000 (+ taxes & registration) ain't cheap, and it's seems stupid to pay that kind of money if you still have to confront the above issues. Dealing with the Chinese motorcycle industry is like that bitch who broke your heart in high school... you knew she was going f*** you over, but lust is blind.... especially when it comes to motorcycles.

It's funny that the number one hit on Google for Qjiang/Benelli is a YouTube link, guess they didn't get the memo about that little firewall thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oXD7v7QT3Y

That said, I think it's a cool looking bike, and it's nice to see one of the large SOE companies in China making something sexy.

Cheers!
ChinaV

**felix** · 01-28-2012, 05:10 AM

Originally Posted by ChinaV

I wonder how long until (or if) it will be registerable across China?
I wonder where you will find a computer, and the know how, to sync 4 EFI throttle bodies? (Not everyone lives near Eric)
I wonder where you will find tires, as no reputable tire brand has decent distribution in China. Do the Qjiang shops have mounting and balancing equipment?
I wonder where you will find replacement parts for 60% of the bike that is imported? The industry can't even provide reliable parts distribution for domestic parts, and Italy is no saint when it comes to dealer parts support.
I wonder who will have a complete valve shim set in stock, and the torque specs, for doing a proper valve adjustment?

Originally Posted by 998S

If your dealer cannot provide that knowledge, and you can not do it yourself, you rather stay away from it.

Registrable - Yes. I forgot to mention that in the original post. That's why this bike is interesting.

Everything else - I'd love to be surprised but there's no way the dealer here can provide that kind of support. Their equipment level consists of a shoebox with a couple of adjustable spanners and a hammer. I have seen it.

You guys are correct, the only thing that will make this bike different from any other chinese bikes is after sales support. The odds of getting 'jialinged' are still pretty high. Although the fact that their warranty is much better gives hope.

I'll hang around at the dealer some more in the next couple of weeks and try to find out how much he actually knows.

Eric, if you ever go by that dealer and feel like stopping to get a test ride, please feel free to tell us what you think of it!

**michemouche** · 01-28-2012, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by ChinaV

Dealing with the Chinese motorcycle industry is like that bitch who broke your heart in high school... you knew she was going f*** you over, but lust is blind.... especially when it comes to motorcycles.

ChinaV

Excellent!
I LOOOOve that one, it should be part of the sticky notes.

Nice bike though... remarkable frame and wonderful swingarm!
A top bike to bet some sports bike on the twisty roads... but wouldn't think about buying neither for the previous mentioned reason (Reliability and maintenance)
Benelli is not the most common brand already in Europe and lot of people don't get for this kind of brand because of after sales service.... in Asia, it's a bit of a bet and probably will be future headache

**Lao Jia Hou** · 02-22-2012, 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by ChinaV

Dealing with the Chinese motorcycle industry is like that bitch who broke your heart in high school... you knew she was going f*** you over, but lust is blind.... especially when it comes to motorcycles.

Friggin' perfect

Well, after riding her hard to break her in, and she begins to hesitate/stall, one can always do the upgrade to the "A" model ... i.e., the younger sister.

**euphonius** · 01-28-2012, 05:54 AM

Originally Posted by 998S

They have a Benelli BJ600GS here in Shanghai, ready to be tested (well, THAT is something in the first place ...).
From how dirty the bike looked, it seems that at least there is much interest for it already :)
...

Dear Eric,

Thanks for posting. Where did you see the QJiang/Benelli here in Shanghai? I'd love to check it out, interrogate the dealer on Felix's behalf, take a bunch of pictures, and maybe even get her out for a ride. (I'll wait till the rain stops.)

At the risk of sounding like a pollyanna, I think it's important that we now have three Chinese manufacturers making C3-compliant EFI bikes in this mid-displacement, and clearly looking at each other when doing their pricing. And if there's a growing buzz in the Chinese forums about these bikes, we may be witnessing the dawn of a legitimate, rational recreational motorcycle market here inside China. On the other hand, the makers of all three of these bikes -- the Chunfeng CF650NK, the Jialing JH600A and now the Benelli QJ600GS -- clearly see their main value in the export market, and it may be years yet before they give a flast flying fluck for the home market.

I have a vested interest in this, of course, and I've been expending some minor energy exploring an avenue to a certain boardroom in Chongqing, thinking -- again wearing pollyanna bonnet and fishnets -- that talking some sense at the top could yield some improvements. It's good to know I can now bend their m*litary/c*mmunist ears about a couple of competing steeds (assuming I can get to them)....

cheers!