Never heard of Motrac? It’s not really surprising given the vast number of Chinese bike firms out there. But this one looks a little more serious than most.
Our attention was grabbed by the company’s recently-revealed MG500, a 500cc machine using a Loncin-made parallel twin that shares a distinct resemblance to Honda’s CB500 engine.
400cc parallel twin MT400
Shoehorned into a part-alloy, part-steel trellis frame and wrapped in bodywork that’s clearly taken some inspiration from the Ducati Multistrada, the finished bike looks surprisingly tempting. And it’s not the only thing in the company’s plan.
Motrac has also recently launched a smaller 400cc twin-cylinder naked bike, the MT400, that’s again better-styled than most Chinese offerings. Its next step is to create a naked model based on the MG500.
Motrac’s MT-X500 concept roadster
A concept version, called the MT-X500, was revealed at this year’s CIMA show. Using the same engine and chassis as the MG500, but with wire wheels and naked roadster styling, it’s another good looking creation. The engine makes 35kW and 43Nm, so should the MG500 and the forthcoming production MT-X500 reach Europe they’ll be in the A2 licence category.
Another forthcoming model from Motrac is an 800cc V-twin cruiser. Again, the bike has been shown in concept form and is due to begin testing next year with a view to production.
This concept previews Motrac’s 800cc cruiser
It’s powered by a V-twin that appears to be newly designed. Although water-cooled, the firm has put effort into making sure it’s visually interesting. Steering clear of the usual fake cooling fins associated with cruisers, it’s instead added wide ribs running the lengths of the cylinders and onto what appear to be single-cam cylinder heads. The result is distinctive at least, even if not traditionally attractive. Engine specifications are still a secret, other than the 800cc capacity, so performance is unknown.
At the moment, Motrac’s scooters and 125cc models are sold in some European markets, so there is scope for distributors to import the larger-engined models when they become available. Whether they prove to have the reliability and built quality to back up their convincing appearance remains to be seen, but Chinese bikes are clearly getting ever better.
