QJMotor is not the sort of company to rest on its laurels. The Chinese bikemaker has an arsenal of motorcycles in its ranks … singles, parallel twins, V-twins, V-4s, inline fours … you name it.
All that was missing was – you guessed it right – a triple. If the company’s new patent filing makes it to production, that situation may soon change. This could mean trouble for the likes of Triumph and Yamaha, who produce some of the best three-cylinder motorcycles in the market.
The main focus of this patent application is an all-new, water-cooled, in-line, three-cylinder engine. As our friends from Motorrad point out, none of the corresponding images illustrate the triple with its cylinder head and three exhaust manifolds. But sure enough, there are three cylinders in line, as one can plainly see.
QJMotor
There’s a good reason some engine components are absent from the patent drawings. That’s because the patent itself has nothing to do with the engine layout.
Instead, the patent is about QJMotor’s automated manual transmission. Believe that? The semi-auto, similar to the Yamaha Y-AMT configuration, relies on two external actuators (one for the clutch and one for the gear shifter) to do tasks typically performed by your left hand and left foot.
The illustrations specifically show the clutch actuator, which is positioned just behind the clutch cover. This electromechanical actuator is similar to a device spotted in another QJMotor 2023 patent, and has already been introduced by the bikemaker on a production model for 2025, the SRV 300A V-twin cruiser.
Important information is still missing, including bore, stroke, displacement, and peak power. You can expect between 700cc to 900cc with about 100 horsepower and 56 lb-ft (76 Nm) of torque, as CycleWorld suggests. The engine is apparently meant to hang in a tubular steel bridge frame.
Zontes
Guess who’s the most likely to benefit from QJMotor’s possible triple … Benelli. The manufacturer is already known for its three-cylinder engines, which are used in its Tornado, TnT, and TreK models.
As a partner of Qianjiang, the parent firm of QJMotor, Benelli could further look to improve its position in the high displacement motorcycle market by incorporating this technology into its models. Even though there are currently no official announcements regarding a new Benelli model with this engine, it appears very likely to happen.
The likes of Triumph and Yamaha are widely regarded as the torch-bearers of three-cylinder engines in the motorcycle industry. Of late, Chinese manufacturers CFMoto and Zontes have also joined the list.
QJMotor
Now, with QJMotor looking to produce its own three-cylinder mill, it could further stiffen up competition in an already cutthroat market. The latest tariff hikes in the USA on Chinese products show no mercy, but on a global scale, it’s sure to make a few companies sweat.
Via: CycleWorld