Chinese motorcycles could, finally, be about to hit the big time. You can’t say we should have seen it coming, and it might be good news – for some.

After first appearing mostly as budget, basic 50s and 125s in the early Noughties under brands such as AJS and Lexmoto, Chinese bikes have evolved stratospherically to finally now ‘come of age’.

While many of those early machines were often disparaged for being crude, poor quality and sometimes downright copies of obsolete Japanese bikes - they were also undeniably cheap, so much so that many became very popular leading to the growth and evolution of their respective brands.

Benda LFC 700

Lexmoto, for example, was set up in 2003 by Exeter-based British company Llexeter to import, brand and distribute its own Chinese built bikes. One of them, the £1449 Echo, has, since the mid-2010s, regularly been one of Britain’s best-selling 50cc scooters; today Lexmoto’s range of 50s, 125s and 250s is 27 models strong and its LXR125 is one of the UK’s most popular learner machines.

In short, the size, sophistication and quality of Chinese machines is growing more rapidly than ever before...

Lexmoto Echo

2024 saw, for the first time, some of China’s best bikes being genuinely on par – yet still cheaper – with the best from long-established European manufacturers such as BMW and KTM; their producers have grown to be among the world’s biggest motorcycle manufacturers and their best brands have begun to grace the grand prix grid.

All of which raises the inevitable question: are the Chinese on the verge of hitting the big time?

Well, on the most recent evidence the answer is probably ‘yes’ – and that might be a very good thing indeed.

Two of China’s most significant recent new motorcycles have been the CFMoto 800MT and the Voge DSX900, both bang ‘on trend’ middleweight adventure bikes and both with twin cylinder engines with an impeccable heritage.

CF Moto 800MT

CFMoto is probably currently China’s most successful and sophisticated motorcycle brand. Founded in 1989, it began a commercial partnership with Austria’s KTM in 2011 which resulted in the Chinese marque benefitting from some of KTM’s design expertise and was reciprocated by CFMoto supplying some more affordable parts.

2022 saw the launch of the 800MT, using a version of KTM’s 790cc parallel twin engine, while 2023 saw the relaunch of KTM’s more basic 790 Adventure, this time built by CFMoto in China with the cut price to match.

CFMoto has also featured on the Moto3 grid for the past few years using KTM’s single cylinder racer while the Chinese company is soon set to trump its 800 with an all-new, 750cc, four-cylinder superbike.

It can also not be ignored that CFMoto has been mentioned as one of the potential saviours of KTM in light of the Austrian manufacturer (currently Europe’s largest) present financial crisis…

Voge DSX900

Voge is possibly an even more significant story.

The premium brand, launched 2018, of vast Chinese concern Loncin, (which also makes Lexmoto and has partnered BMW since 2007 in building the German giant’s F-series engines), the DSX is its new flagship and its boldest, most ambitious bike yet.

This time it uses its own version of the BMW F900 engine, has quality cycle parts such as KYB suspension and Brembo brakes and comes with full luggage, heated seat, modes, quickshifter and more for just over £9000 when a similarly equipped equivalent BMW would cost nearer £15K.

It's not perfect, admittedly, lacks refinement and can’t match either the BMW’s pedigree, proven reliability and residuals nor its kudos and dealer experience, but at that price it’s already proved a huge hit Europe-wide and it will surely only get better.

And that’s just the start...

Morbidelli T1002VX

The recent Motorcycle Live at Birmingham’s NEC also gave further glimpses of Chinese bikes to come, which look set to be bigger and better than ever and aren’t always with names so easily discernible.

Take Morbidelli. Like Benelli (since 2005) and Moto Morini (in 2018), this once great Italian brand was bought, in April 2024, by a Chinese concern, in this case MBP, a subsidiary of the Keeway Qianjiang group. The first new motorcycles bearing the Morbidelli name, were unveiled at the NEC and include the T1002VX, an all-new, 1000cc, V-twin adventure bike, and the similarly powered C1002V, a Diavel-style cruiser.

The former is priced just £8699, the latter £8499. There was also the less convincingly named Benda Chinchilla, a credible 500cc V-twin cruiser that looks like a junior Harley Sportster but, at £5299 costs half as much and the even more stylish Benda Napoleon Bob, for just £5699. There was even the radical-looking Benda LFC, a futuristic, four-cylinder hot rod 700 priced at just £9499. All are being distributed by MotoGB (which also distributes Benelli, FB Mondial, Keeway and Voge).

And even then, that’s not the end of it. Also at the NEC, upcoming Chinese brand Zontes displayed its new ZT703, another impressive middleweight adventure twin starting at just £6999.

Zontes ZT703

Will they be any good? On the strength of the Voge and CFMoto, yes, and even if not, they’ll get there in the end.

On the strength of changing bike buyer habits, which has seen a decline in big bikes in favour of cheaper smaller ones, they’re likely to be increasingly popular and the upshot of all that, surely, will be even more competitive bike pricing and better machinery across the board.

And that can only be a good thing… unless you’re BMW or KTM.