The Ducati Panigale has been copied again… but this time it’s a scooter!

No manufacturer has been immune from the shameless - occasionally hilarious - practice of indiscriminate cloning by one or some of China’s seemingly endless number of motorcycle firms but Ducati has probably suffered the most.

It’s perhaps not surprising given Ducati’s exotic reputation, high-end, high-power engineering and a signature colour of red that could covertly blend into a Chinese flag. So while we can’t be sure with most facsimiles, where Ducati is concerned, imitation is probably genuinely an attempt at flattery.

Which brings us to the latest rendition of the Panigale, a model that could fill a listicle by itself with the times it has been traced (see the Moxiao 500 RR), which has been inspired into something quite unique for this, the Tairong TR 400 Trailblazer.

First we should say it is Taiwanese copy, rather than Chinese, and it’s not a direct copy because a  Panigale-turned-scooter clone would be something more extraordinary but there is no denying that front headlamp arrangement is pretty faithful/blatant. And you may have spotted that Italian flag on the brow.

Ironically given the unlikely crossover material potential, it’s perhaps one of the more attractive and tasteful copies out there, though Yamaha might have something to say about its TMAX copyrights.

959 ‘Ducati face’ gains a stunt double

In fact it is the latest new model to come with ‘Ducati face’, a term coined after a flurry of copied designs, such as the brilliantly titled Wonjan WJ300 Space Ranger and Dermon 150GR. 

The latest to get the wonky fan art treatment is the 959 Panigale, which has been reimagined as the Moxaio 500 RR boasting a noble effort at trying to imitate one of the world’s most evocative model lines within a budget more akin to Blue Peter.

With most Chinese copies require a level of squinting before you can imagine it ‘might’ just be the real thing, the Moxiao comes in a solid middle of the scale, but this gets pretty bad the closer you get. 

We do admire the faithfulness of the details to the typeface of the logo and the badging, but we’re cynical that the image is more render blended out of a Ducati base.

This doesn’t extend to the mechanicals with a 500cc unit knocking out 47hp and reaching 100mph… not bad compared with some Chinese models, but a fairing doesn’t make it a sportsbike.

Still, at a time when there have been some increasingly impressive offerings emerging from China, it is almost reassuring to know the copycat trade is alive and well!