The latest new bikes from China come from Taizhou
Moray. The firm have revealed 400 cc and 500 cc parallel
twins, the MT-400 and MG-500, with plans for more new models.
First to market will be the MT-400, a naked sports
bike with a 399 cc DOHC twin making a claimed 35 bhp at 7600 rpm and 33 Nm at 5500 rpm. It’s bolted to a straightforward steel frame with
unbranded inverted fork and radial brakes. Weight is claimed to be 182 kg dry,
which seems about right, while prices in China are expected to start at around
£ 2900.
Next, comes a 500 cc parallel-twin adventure-style
bike, the MG-500. It also sports a DOHC twin, but with a completely different
design. In the case of the MG-500, the engine is visually very similar to Honda’s CB500
engine, but it’s likely to be made by fellow Chinese firm Loncin. The MG-500
uses a 76 mm bore and 55.1 mm stroke for a 491 cc capacity, compared to the
Honda’s 471 cc which is achieved from a much squarer 67x66.8 mm bore and stroke.
The claimed power and torque figures are 47 bhp and 32 lb-ft at 8500 rpm and
7500 rpm respectively. Weight is claimed at 197 kg dry, while the bike boasts a
full colour TFT display and LED lights. Both models are planned to get Euro4
approval, allowing them to go on sale in Europe.
Patents from the firm’s owners also show that a
fully-faired sports model based around the MT-400’s chassis is also under
development, currently going under the name MT2. Strangely, the design drawings
show the MT2 sports bike with yet another engine – a 400 cc twin from rival
Chinese firm Jiajue – but it’s likely this is just a placeholder in the
computer design images since it doesn’t line up with engine mounts that are
positioned to suit the MT-400 engine.
