Chinese firm Zontes unveiled its new 312cc DOHC single-cylinder machines – in naked roadster and faired GT form – at the Canton fair earlier this year. Now it looks like they’ll be reaching Europe next year with a price of around £4k.
Although technical details of the bikes are few and far between, our Chinese colleagues tell us that the new single will make around 36bhp – although some claim it will be as high as 40bhp. Torque estimates vary from 18lbft to 24lbft.
Unsurprisingly, the figures are fairly close to the BMW G310R and GS – a bike with a near-identical capacity (313cc) and DOHC, single-cylinder design. The BMW engine makes a claimed 33.6bhp and 21lbft.
The two models appear to share the same engine, frame, brakes and suspension, as well as using identical – and very basic – LCD dashboards. Style-wise, inspiration comes from a range of other bikes. There’s a hint of KTM or BMW G310 in the externally-braced swingarm, a smattering of MV Agusta Brutale in the stacked, slash-cut tail pipes and a sprinkling of Suzuki GSX-S1000 in the front-end styling of the naked version. The more interesting faired model again has a Suzuki-like stance, with overtones of the GSX-S1000F in the front-heavy proportions when seen from the side.
Zontes’ French importer has put a price tag of €4590 (£4090) on the bike, not including on-the-road costs. That might be too close to comfort to its better-known rivals. In the UK a BMW G310R is £4450, while the more powerful, larger-engined KTM 390 Duke is £4599. Honda’s CBR300R is only £3999. The plethora of more established machines in the 300cc class might make selling the Zontes a tough job.
