Benda LFS-700 Tang Knife cuts a dash in mid-range roadster class

Few Chinese motorcycle manufacturers have made such a wave as Benda has in the last 12 months… and not just because of a name that still has us immaturely giggling a little bit every time we see it. 

But we are professionals and while ‘Benda’ attracts attention before you clasp eyes on its wares, we have to admit we have been rather taken by the model it has earmarked to herald plans for world domination, the LFC-700 cruiser.

We’ve seen the LFC-700 doing the rounds as a concept for some time and having rolled our eyes at the rather Ducati Diavel-inspired looks initially, find ourselves more impressed by the production version which has actually moved away from the Chinese-trope of blatant facsimile design and developed its own identity.

While there is certainly some inspiration in its swoops, slashes and traits, the Benda LFC-700 - revealed in production form at the China International Motorcycle Trade Expo - stands up as a handsome model in its own right. Good job everyone.

It transpires though that this isn’t the only model in Benda’s armoury with two other models being revealed on the firm’s showstand.

First up is the LFS-700 Tang Knife which, as the moniker suggests, is based on the same architecture of the LFC and essentially squeezes that striking look into a more compact roadster form.

While admittedly, it would take a lot to distract from the slightly ‘lost in translation’ company name, the LFS-700’s ‘Tang Knife’ suffix does a pretty good job. A quick Google search reveals ‘Tang’ is a notorious Chinese dynasty, whose famed knife is regarded as the ‘Strongest Sword’... so now you know.

If we ‘had’ to compare it to another model then the LFS-700 is perhaps the more futuristic cousin of the Honda CB650R, dropping the ‘retro’ tag and focusing more on the ‘neo’ side.

It’s another handsome beast that jumps out from the crowd without looking entirely out of place in the sector,. The porthole nose remains intact but is distilled into a bluff front-end, while the exposed metal work, 17-inch wheels and low-down exhaust looks striking alongside the fluro-painted signature colourway.

Under the skin is a 680cc inline four motor kicking out a solid 93.8PS at 11,000rpm, boasting a top speed of around 210km/h (130mph), which makes it quicker than the LFC700.

Despite this, it is being quoted with a cheaper price of around 38,800CNY (£4,300) which would make it very competitive if we were to measure it against the aforementioned CB650R (which starts at £7,299).

Benda Greystone BD300 eyeing Honda CMX 300 Rebel

In fact, Benda seems to have used Honda as the target piece for its model range with a Greystone BD300 also making its bow in China. This model isn’t new per se and has even been available in Europe as one of the many more ‘kit’ cruisers available in a similar manner to the popular Keeway Superlight.

The Greystone brings things up to date though and clearly has the likes of the Honda CMX 300 Rebel (available in the US) in its sights, as well as any more low slung version that is likely to come from the Royal Enfield Meteor 350.

Alas, there is one model from Benda that hasn’t yet surfaced - the very intriguing VTS-300 and VTC-300.

Little is known about the model beyond a silhouette of it being shown as part of a Chinese New Year communication that also included a preview of the LFS-700 you see here.

In a similar vein to the LFC-LFS combination, the VTC-300 and VTS-300 are likely to - as the ‘T’ suggests - come with a turbocharger, with the latter most likely pitched as a revvy little roadster with some poke, which would pitch it directly as the Kawasaki ZX-25R.

Unfortunately, there was no sign of this on the stand so we may just have to wait a little longer. Based on the LFC-700 and LFS-700 though, colour us very intrigued.