What’s the most common perception about Chinese-origin motorcycles? Poor build quality, clones of famous European bikes, questionable durability, and, of course, being dirt cheap. While affordability has always been a selling point, the rest of those assumptions are rapidly becoming outdated.
Thanks to significant improvements in engineering, reliability, and global presence, brands like CFMoto, Benelli, Kove, and QJMotor are reshaping the conversation. And this new superbike from QJMotor arrives with a distinctly Italian twist.
That’s because the QJ Motor SRK 1051 RR – poor naming aside – has been designed by C-Creative, an Italian design studio led by Giovanni Castiglioni, with Adrian Morton heading the design work. If those names ring a bell, it’s because they were behind some of the most iconic MV Agusta motorcycles ever made.
And once you see the SRK 1051 RR, the influences are unmistakable. There are shades of the BMW S1000RR, hints of the Lightning LS-218, and plenty of classic Italian superbike flair. Do I care? Absolutely not.
The bike features a single-sided aluminum swingarm – a hallmark of Italian superbike design – paired with a sculpted front fairing and sharp, sweeping body lines. It might just be my favorite-looking QJ Motor model to date.
But is it all bark and no bite? Quite the opposite.
As the name suggests, the SRK 1051 RR is powered by a 1,051cc inline-four engine. It isn’t an all-new unit; instead, it’s a reworked version of the old MV Agusta 921 motor with double overhead cams. QJMotor kept the 55-mm stroke but increased the bore to 78 mm, bumping displacement.
The result: 144 horsepower at 10,600 rpm and 77.4 lb-ft (105 Nm) of torque at 8,000 rpm, all while complying with Euro 5 regulations.
No, those numbers won’t scare a Ducati Panigale V4 or BMW S 1000 RR, which push toward the 200-hp mark. But that misses the point entirely.
For real-world road riding– and even occasional track days – 144 horsepower is more than enough. Most riders I know who own 200-hp superbikes never come close to tapping into their machines’ full potential.
Beyond the engine, the underpinnings are equally impressive. The frame is a steel trellis with aluminum elements, while suspension duties are handled by Marzocchi. You get fully adjustable upside-down forks up front and a central monoshock at the rear. Credit to QJMotor for not cutting corners here.
Braking is provided by Brembo radial calipers, supported by lean-sensitive ABS that adjusts intervention based on lean angle. Add adjustable traction control, multiple riding modes, cruise control, and a tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS), and you’re looking at a genuinely modern electronics package.
All functions run through a full-color TFT display with smartphone connectivity and navigation features. The dimensions look well-judged too: 474 lb (215 kg) wet weight, 32.8-inch (835 mm) seat height, a 4-gallon (15-L) tank, and 120/70 ZR17 front and 190/50 ZR17 rear tires.
It’s almost as if China set out to build its own Italian superbike. And honestly? If this thing wore a European badge on the tank, you’d never guess it came from QJMotor.
The bike will likely debut in Europe in 2026 through KSR. Considering the SRK 921 RR launched at €12,999 (around US$15,000), expect the SRK 1051 RR to follow at a similarly aggressive price point.
The real question is whether European and Japanese manufacturers will have an answer for it.
Source: QJ Motor
