Attack of the Chinese clones (again): The Huaying R6

These pages have certainly been rife with (too) many examples of motorcycles emerging from China looking ever so familiar… well, maybe if you squint.

Of course, it is common knowledge now that intellectual property isn’t a legal term considered terribly important when it comes to a sizeable number of the otherwise vast choice of motorcycle manufacturers in China.

It has brought us various facsimile models borrowing looks as diverse as the Honda Grom, MV Agusta Superveloce 800, Ducati Panigale and even the Royal Enfield Himalayan. In short, no motorcycle manufacturer is safe from the sincerest form of flattery (so to speak).

Arguably the manufacturer that ‘inspires’ the most ‘fan art’ is Yamaha, in particular its ubiquitous R sportsbike range. We’ve seen plenty of R1s over time, but this time we have the R6-influenced, erm, R6!

Yes, not content with tracing over the design, this fluro-fantastic sportsbike by Huaying is also named the R6.

A quick glance and we have to say it’s a fairly faithful rendition of the original Yamaha donor - which has since been discontinued from Yamaha’s range - with the rakish lines, sharp features and svelte silhouette all in evidence if viewed from far enough away, complete with a snazzy new paintjob. 

More curiously though is the gratuitous use of #46 - in a nod to Valentino Rossi - and the, erm, HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) sticker. It is also available in KTM orange.

Under the skin the four-pot 600cc engine is replaced by a Chinese made 500cc twin-cylinder generating… 37bhp. Quite a bit down on the 118hp of its Yamaha clone.

So while it is not the ‘worst’ copy we have ever seen, we hope buyers won’t be getting delusions of grandeur either.