QJMotor’s New Three-Cylinder Engine Could be Benelli’s Gain

QJMotor has a large selection of naked, sportbike and adventure motorcycles in its range, all of which either include two or four-cylinder engines. A three-cylinder power unit, though, is still missing from its repertoire.

That could be about to change, as patents released earlier this month suggest we could see one from the Chinese brand sooner rather than later.

As a result, Benelli, which does feature three-cylinder engines in several of its models including the Tornado, TnT and TreK, could benefit from the new engine thanks to its partnership with QJ.

As well as the new three-cylinder model based on the patents shown, the triple from QJ will get an automated manual transmission (AMT) option, similar to the system found on the Yamaha Y-AMT.

Beyond the expected three-cylinder engine, key specs such as bore, stroke and displacement, along with peak power and torque figures are not yet known. But Motorradonline claims the new triple from QJMotor will be between 700cc-900cc, and produce around 100bhp.

Fellow Chinese rivals CFMoto and Zontes have already plunged into the three-cylinder engine segment, so QJMotor won’t want to miss out. It’s believed that QJMotor’s first triple-cylinder motorcycle could be arriving sometime in 2026.

Benelli adds another layer to this angle as it's been a partner of Qiangjang since 2005 and currently sells its TnT 899 in China. It is unconfirmed whether a new triple from QJMotor means Benelli will follow suit in producing a new three-cylinder motorcycle of its own, but we can only hope.

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