Remember Zongshen? The Chinese manufacturer was in the news just a few weeks ago, after it revealed the radical-looking Zongshen Cyclone RA9 concept. For the uninitiated, Zongshen is the Piaggio Group’s partner in China and is responsible for producing their small-capacity motorcycles, like the Aprilia GPR 250. Now, another one of its concepts is doing the rounds of the interwebs, and it’s called the Cyclone RE5.

Chinese manufacturers have the unfortunate distinction of being synonymous with ripping off designs. And from the looks of it, the Cyclone RE5 draws a lot of inspiration from the popular Triumph Trident 660, with a dash of BMW R nineT Scrambler thrown in there as well. In fact, the tank grips sport a Union Jack design that looks just like the one on the Triumphs — talk about being subtle!

Despite its attempts to exemplify the Trident, the Cycle RE5 just does not have the firepower to match. RideApart reports that the bike is powered by a 550cc, parallel-twin engine that produces a claimed 57hp at 8,500rpm and 50Nm of torque at 7,000rpm. The top speed is claimed to be 108mph, which is actually decent considering the bike weighs 203kg (447lbs). 

In reality, we expect the Cyclone RE5 to deliver performance that’s on par with some of the more performance-oriented 300cc motorcycles out there, like the Kawasaki Ninja 300. Like most Chinese offerings, we expect the Cyclone RE5 to be aggressively priced in its home market. It’s unlikely that it will make its way to markets outside China. Still, if it did, it would act as an affordable entry into the middle-weight segment that currently houses the likes of the Yamaha XSR700, Royal Enfield 650 Twins, and the Kawasaki 650s. 

Sources: RideApart, Motorrad

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com