The lightweight adventure class is the fastest-growing segment within luxury motorcycling. People who previously enjoyed large powerhouses are now finding that the lighter option better meets their somewhat more arthritic needs. Likewise, people only now discovering the joy of motorcycling might not yet have the resources to splash out on a large spaceship of a motorcycle.
For these tastes, and more, smaller adventure motorcycles are filling that gap. And now another hat has been thrown into the ring – QJMotor, South Africa’s newest brand, introduces the SRT450RX. Bikeshop Boksburg was good enough to entrust us with its demo.
Story: Donovan Fourie
While the other adventure machines in the QJMotor range place themselves firmly in the soft off-road class, the SRT450 takes on a somewhat more aggressive pose. That spoked front wheel boasts a full 21 inches, with a rear at 18, both fitted with tubeless tyres. It is both narrow and agile, with daytime running lights peering ahead with sheer malice. The TFT screen sits vertically beneath a narrow, tall screen styled to represent a rally exterior.
The motor is a 449 cc parallel twin with two liquid-cooled cylinders fed via electronic fuel injection. Their combined effort produces a decent 47 hp and 41 Nm of torque.
The whole package is wrapped in a steel frame with QJ’s traditional Marzocchi forks and shock, each offering 200 mm of travel. Ready to ride with a full 18-litre fuel tank, it weighs 185 kg.
So far so good – the QJ stars align for something ready to take on its peers. Then there’s the asking price of a smidge under R120,000. That’s a pretty good price as is; however, it isn’t exactly causing earthquakes. For example, this price is a mere R5,000 shy of CFMoto’s now-ubiquitous MT450. But the devil is in the detail, and in the case of the SRT450 you get a lot of detail for that price. The following is a straightforward list of every extra that price includes – get comfortable:
Crash bars, a bash plate, wrap-around hand guards, two spotlights, a centre stand, heated grips, a heated seat, cellphone connectivity with an app that supplies navigation, two rider modes plus an additional off-road ABS mode, an adjustable screen, USB and USB-C charging ports, adjustable adventure mirrors and – saving the best for last – a top box with panniers.
The prevalent estimation is that those extras, if fitted as optional accessories, would push the price north of R160,000.
Suddenly, R120,000 looks very good indeed.
If you hurry and purchase one of these models (or either of the other adventure models) during what’s left of October, QJMotor South Africa will fit you with an Arai helmet valued at R14,000.
That’s the theory out of the way; let’s move on to the practical…
It is somewhat tall and narrow, in a similar fashion to how you’d imagine a rally bike would feel. This feeling is compounded by the “tower” made up of a vertical TFT dash under an adjustable screen.
The dash features the usual QJMotor array of busy little numbers and figures, including tyre pressures and temperatures. Everything is controlled by thumbing a button on the left handlebar for the two rider modes, display options, connectivity, traction control and Off-Road ABS mode. Sadly, all this needs to be done while the bike is at a standstill.
The biggest highlight of this bike is that parallel-twin motor, which can best be described as “roaring” – both in terms of success and predatory character. The power comes on with a gentle nudge at the bottom end as it clears its throat, before crescendoing into an unfiltered soprano as the revs climb to the redline.
Riding at freeway speeds is a doddle, and the highest speed we saw was 170 km/h, although we suspect that 180 is very much on the cards.
The six-speed gearbox is one of the smoothest on any motorcycle ever.
The weather had provided a series of apocalyptic thunderstorms followed by days when the sun baked the earth to a solid crisp, so the gravel roads were heavily rutted and pitted, making the Marzocchi suspension work for its money.
The ride was a little harsh, although it wasn’t exactly a fair test because most suspension on most models would feel harsh on roads like these. What it didn’t do over the rutted inferno was feel unstable: the bars remained resolutely square and the bike stayed stalwartly upright throughout.
As the day pressed on and we got more comfortable with the bike, the grins broadened, especially at the giddy thought of giving the throttle a tug and letting that motor have a squirt. The angry countenance of those LED daytime headlights is not a façade, but a genuine glimpse into the mischief that lies beneath the surface.
This is a fun motorcycle, with a motor that will plaster a smile on your face and hold it there throughout the ride, plus a comfortable chassis that is competent enough to back it all up. This is good news for us biking fans because it means there is another contender in the game.
The smaller adventure class is growing and deservedly so. It features bikes that are fun for both the riders and their bank managers, and the QJMotor SRT450RX happily accomplishes both those goals.
Thanks again to Bikeshop Boksburg for the loan of your demo.
This bike is available for anyone with a licence to try out, so maybe go see for yourself.
