Zontes Motorcycles Announces India Lineup: The lineup includes three ADV tourers, a sportbike, a cafe racer, and a naked bike all powered by the same 348cc engine.
Five bikes from Chinese company Zontes motorcycles will be available in India: 350R Naked, 350X Sportbike, GK350 Cafe Racer, and 350T and 350T ADV Tourer. A significant portion of the foundation of each bike will be the same. The bikes feature dual-channel ABS as standard, tyre pressure monitor, and keyless ignition.
Zontes established a collaboration with AARI (Adishwar Auto Ride India) Pvt. Ltd. for its activities in India at the end of June.
Zontes India Line-up: Common Base, Features
All the Zontes motorcycles that will be launched in India will share the same base with the engine and 6-speed gearbox, braking system, suspension components, and even the tyre size. The single-cylinder, 348cc liquid-cooled engine produces 32Nm of torque at 7,500rpm and 38bhp at 9,500rpm. For braking duties, a dual-channel ABS unit has been mated to a 320mm disc up front and a 265mm disc at the rear.
There are nuances to the suspension, however, where things start to get a bit hazy. According to the company’s news release, all the models will come with telescopic front forks, yet the publicly shared images show that all the motorcycles are equipped with USD front forks. The fork with which the production-spec bike is offered is as yet unknown.
Zontes Motorcycles: 350R, 350X, GK350, 350T, and 350T ADV
Chinese motorcycle company Zontes will enter the Indian two-wheeler market with five motorcycles. Along with the 350R naked, 350X sportbike, GK350 cafe racer, and 350R, 350T and 350T ADV tourers are also on the list.
Four Zontes vehicles—the 350R naked bike, 350X sportbike, GK350 cafe racer, and 350T tourer—have aluminum cast-alloy wheels with front- and rear-rear tire sizes of 120/70-17 and 160/60-17, respectively. , The 350T ADV is the only motorcycle in this group to get spoke wheels with 110/80-19 and 160/60-17 front and rear tyres, respectively.
Both the 350R and 350X have a ground clearance rating of around 152mm, while the GK350 figures a little less than 151mm. While not quite category-leading stats, the 350T and 350T ADV’s ground clearance of 173 mm is not at all low. The seat heights of the 350R, 350X, and GK 350 are all 795mm, while the touring-oriented 350T and 350T ADV have a seat height of 830mm.
The 19-litre fuel tank shared by the 350T, 350T ADV, and 350X should provide a range of close to 300 kilometers before the vehicle can be refilled. A 17-liter tank, which is huge for a cafe racer of this capacity, is a feature of the GK350. The 15-liter fuel tank of the 350R is the smallest among all the Zontes vehicles offered in India.
These large tanks partly help explain why these bikes have such a heavy weight; The 350R is the lightest bike with a curb weight of 180kg. The 350X weighs in at 185kg, despite the cafe racer styling, while the GK350 is the heaviest of the three at 188kg. The curb weights of the 350T and 350T ADV have not been disclosed yet.
The full line comes with a host of features including a full-color TFT screen with a smartphone connection, full LED illumination, and two USB charging points. Keyless ignition and tyre pressure monitoring system are additional features offered by the Zontes which were not earlier available on motorcycles in this price range.
Zontes Motorcycles: Pricing And Rivals
Looking at the number of features available, we expect the Zontes motorcycle to be at the higher end of the market and priced between Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 4 lakh. Although, the exact prices have not been disclosed yet.
Considering the competition from various companies in this segment of less than Rs 4 lakh, Zontes has cut its jobs for this. Zontes bikes will face competition from other best 350cc bikes in India like TVS apace RR310, Honda Hness CB350, BMW G 310 R, and Royal Enfield 350 series like Classic, Bullet, Meteor, and Himalayan.
