QJ Motor entered the Indian two-wheeler territory with several motorcycles, including the SRC 500. It’s a retro offering from the Chinese brand and looks very familiar to the Benelli Imperiale 400.
The SRC 500’s old-school design is quite charming and would appeal to buyers looking for a bike in this category. Moreover, its red and white paint scheme further enhances its appearance, and the paint finish also meets expectations. Then, the chrome elements like the mirror, headlight bezel, handlebar, and turn indicator covers also contribute to the SRC’s aesthetics.
However, there are certain areas where we think the SRC 500 needs more polishing. For instance, a large gap between the headlight and the instrument console leaves the wiring beneath wide open.
The QJ Motor SRC 500 is powered by a 480cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that makes 25bhp at 5,750rpm and 36Nm at 4,250rpm. It’s mated to a five-speed gearbox. This setup is quite responsive and tractable as well.
During our test, we found the engine’s sweet spot to be between 2,500rpm and 6,000rpm. It builds the revs gradually and in a comfortable manner. We even saw a speedometer-indicated 120kmph with some more juice left for an even higher speed.
The SRC 500’s clutch is quite light, and the turning radius is fairly low. It makes manoeuvring the bike very easy and inspires confidence. But the aspects of braking and overall stability are where this bike needs improvement.
In its current setup – 300mm front and 240mm rear discs along with a dual-channel ABS – the SRC 500’s braking needs a sharper bite and slightly more feedback from the lever. As for its stability, we found the bike to be uncomfortable when pushed around the corners with slight aggression.
QJ has equipped the SRC with a halogen headlight, bulb indicators, and a fully digital twin-pod instrument console. The latter displays speed, fuel level, tachometer, trip meter, time, odometer, and tell-tale indicators. The data here is quite limited and the right-side pod even froze and continued to stay on even after switching off the bike, probably because of the moisture accumulated after a wash.
There are quite a few other aspects like fuel efficiency, suspension setup, and the overall ride quality that you should consider before spending Rs. 2.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) on the bike. So if you want to know more about that, read our road test review of the QJ Motor SRC 500.
