IMG4947-S.jpg

Here's a rear view....

IMG4951-S.jpg

IMG4952-S.jpg

And a couple of close-ups of the visible portion of the engine block and exhaust pipes and radiator. Some guy was asking if this would make a good adventure bike; I seriously can't imagine anyone taking this on any extended stretches of unpaved road. There's little clearance, and those four pipes are very vulnerable. No one laughed when he asked, but we're a polite crowd. MaoMao said the bike was intended for riding on paved roads, and would not be particularly suitable for long-distance rides.

So how does it ride?

I'm hardly one to evaluate a motorcycle, given that I've been riding only for the past three years, and I have a strong bias toward the bikes I know -- the Kawasaki KLR650 and the Jialing JH600, both tall dual sports that are a bit top heavy and, well, just heavy at around 200kg each. Both are single-cylinder "thumpers" with very nice low-end torque and relatively low overall RPMs (redlining at 8k or so). They utter a healthy guttural growl. Because of their tallness and weight, you do need to manhandle them a bit to move them around, but this is not too challenging because the riding position is bolt upright, with your footpegs directly below the tops of your thighs and the bars positioned such that you don't have to lean forward to reach them.

The QJiang/Benelli is more oriented toward the sport-type design, and this gave me some pause. Your feet are positioned 10cm or further back on the bike, and you lean forward a bit to reach the bar, though 998S noted that his Ducatis put the rider into a much more of a stretched out prone riding position. But even this bit of forward-leaning was new for me, and I hemmed and hawed for more than an hour before screwing up the courage to take it out for a spin. By then TB-Racing and 998S had left to find someplace warm, but there are pictures to prove I'm not making this up.

IMG4958-S.jpg

The bike is small and relatively light. Here's how it looks under a 180cm, 90kg American in winter riding kit. Even on the track stand I could put both feet squarely on the ground, though my heels only touched with a bit of effort. Without the stand my feet were planted firmly and I could stand a bit with the bike between my legs. It feels light in my hands, and it was much easier to walk it back than my JH600 due to both the lighter weight and lower height. I didn't ask the actual weight, but I'm guessing maybe 150-160kg.

Prior to riding, I was required to sign a contract and show a valid motorcycle license, which the dealer retained during my very brief ride. I was required to have full safety gear, including knee and shoulder pads, boots, gloves and helmet. As I'd come by bike, I didn't need to borrow their strap-on knee pads.

MaoMao warned me a couple of times about the front brakes, which comprise two big disks with Brembo-copy caliper assemblies. He told me the guy who crashed on Saturday had panicked and locked up the front brakes, resulting in chunks of Benelli body plastic being strewn along Pubei Lu. (I didn't ask how much that unfortunate rider will be expected to pay for repairs...)

IMG4972-S.jpg

And so here it is in the wild! First thing you notice when you ride this bike is that cars behind you all start driving at different angles to each other. OK, just kidding. They always do that in China. The real first thing I noticed was that though it's a motorcycle, it's pretty damned different from a big thumper. When the engine is turning at only 4k or 5k, it sounds like it's hyperventilating -- vrooom! vrooom! But it was more bark than bite. Though the bike displaces 600cc just like my JH600, I did not feel like it was going to squirt out from under me. OK, I was being pretty timid, and though not watching the analog tachometer, I doubt I had it up anywhere beyond 6k or 7k; I think it redlines at 11k, but don't hold me to that.

I rode about 3 or 4 km in all, a straight run up Pubei Lu, then a right, and another right into the broad avenue below the Humin Elevated Highway. Then another right, then a left back into Pubei Lu. No more than five minutes in all; three right turns, then a left, then a slow left back onto the sidewalk and under the Benelli awning. I struggled a bit with the gearing, finding that after what I thought was a shift, it clearly was still in the same gear. What, I didn't pull up far enough on the flimsy lever? I tried again, same effect. So this could be user error, or it's got a balky transmission. There was only a green neutral indicator, but no current gear indicator (which we do have on our JH600s). I felt like the shift lever might snap off if I pulled it too much harder, and it was very flexible. I'm used to a very positive feeling in my JH600 shift lever. One quick click and it shifts, always. I never miss a shift. So this was different.

The bike turns very nicely, with a very light touch. I don't know if this is due to its alignment or lighter weight, or fork rake. Probably a combination. The JH600 is not hard to turn, but at slow speed the Benelli felt more relaxed and controlled. At faster speeds, it felt very controlled.

Braking was good, though I don't think I got the bike up to more than 65 or 70 kph, and, mindful of MaoMao's warning, did not hit the front brake hard. Did I mention that there was only half of a front brake lever to pull? I guess that was left on Pubei Lu on Saturday too. The bike accelerated well, though I did not put this too much to the test either. MaoMao was pillioning on a scooter to take pictures, and it was very easy to leave them far behind, even in just a short ride. The lightness helps it accelerate faster than my thumper.

So not a whole lot to say about the ride, other than that it goes OK, tracks OK, brakes OK, and feels steady and well-controlled in this newb's hands. MaoMao said that the Benelli, like most four-cylinder sport bikes, finds maximum power in the band between maybe 6k and 9k RPM. This was not in the cards today. I'll leave that for bolder and more experienced future riders, and will look forward to learning more about the bike's handling and performance.

A few other minor observations: The seat was comfortable, with a good balance of firmness and softness. It did not fit too cleanly on the bike, showing a non-uniform gap between the seat and the plastics beneath it. The control panel inlcuded a digital speedometer and analog tachometer, a green neutral indicator, turn signal indicators, and probably also a high beam indicator, as well as a fuel indicator (stacked horizontal bars), a digital clock and odometer and trip meter.

The mirrors were small, offering only a pinhole view behind me, and they seemed to be of flimsy quality. The brake and clutch levers were meatier, and felt good in my hands. The clutch was well adjusted, and I had no problems engaging and disengaging. The front triple clamp seemed to be a little loose; with the front brakes fully engaged, I felt a clicking as I rocked the bike. Don't know whether that was just a poor adjustment or a poor build. The rear suspension was pretty firm under my 90kg, and the big red shock has an easily accessible adjusting ring. I didn't take note of the brand of the shock.

I did not make close or detailed observations of most of the parts, and did not lift the seat to see the wiring harness, battery, ECU and other guts.

MaoMao seemed to know a fair bit about the bike, but by no means was expert.

We three MCMers came away thinking this could be a decent bike -- but only if, and it's a big if, Qianjiang/Benelli put some very substantial resources into after-sales support, including ongoing training of technicians as the bikes mature and the design evolves. On the other hand, if it's just a once-off design, with no ongoing, realtime evaluation and development, it'll be just that -- a once-off flash-in-the-pan bike with no deep impact in the market.

That's all I can think of for now. Any questions?