New: Motrac 500 sports bike

THESE new designs from China appear to show a new sports bike from Motrac, which already makes the convincing-looking MG500 adventure-style bike.

Revealed in new design patents, the sports version seems to share a similar engine and frame with the MG500. That means it’s got a Loncin-made 500cc twin that’s very close in design to Honda’s CB500 motor, mounted in a chassis that combines an aluminium rear section with a steel trellis front.

In fact, the bike is a faired version of the company’s naked MT-X500, which was shown as a concept in 2016 and has since emerged in near-production form.

Presuming the engine is unchanged from its Loncin form, it makes an A2-licence-legal 47hp at 8,500rpmm and 32lbft of torque - identical figures to those churned out by the Honda CB500F.

But what sets the new design apart is its aggressive, fully-faired styling. Combined with a spec that includes twin radial front brakes, upside-down forks and a full LCD dash, it promises to carry off the classic Chinese move of offering all the bells and whistles for a stripped-to-the-bone price.

The naked MT-X500’s styling is on the garish side, particularly around the fuel tank where that weird-looking ribcage of red strakes is distinctive but not particularly attractive. However, at least it’s not a barefaced copy of an existing design. The newly-patented fully-faired design is more mature; still with perhaps a few too many facets to its shape, but no more so than many modern Japanese bikes. If it was to be sold in Europe – as is eventually likely – and priced far enough below the mainstream, default-choice machines in the A2 licence class, it’s easy to imagine it being at least moderately successful.