When it comes to touring bikes, traditional manufacturers might have their hands full in the not so distant future. Car manufacturing giant Great Wall Motors or more commonly known GWM is throwing their hat into the ring of motorcycle manufacturers.
It will not be carrying the GWM badge, it will be going under a different name SOUO and their first model is the S2000 GL. It was unveiled at the Motor China Beijing Motorcycle Exhibition, with not much info about technical details.
The company promises the reveal of full details when production is underway in a couple of months time.
Here’s what we do know about the bike:
The Souo will come out with a 2000cc motor and an eight-speed DCT gearbox. The new bike will use a DOHC layout on an eight cylinder platform.
It has a cast aluminium frame design and the front of the Souo will use a Hossack-style girder fork that is suspended on double wishbones and a single shock absorber.
This system is being used on the Honda Goldwing and the BMW K1600.
Big, heavy bikes use the Hossack-style front end because it generates soft springing for comfort without too much brake dive. It is still unclear if the suspension is semi-active but that’s more than likely.
Brembo radial-mount four piston brakes are clearly visible. Controls reveal a stereo with optional Bluetooth or speaker output. The bike will have heated grips and seats, automatic headlights and an electronic parking brake. A huge TFT screen is mounted with a huge TFT screen on the left handle bar to control the menus. This will also be used to control the stereo volume, the adjustment of the electric screen height, a switch for the electric reverse gear and a voice-control button.
On the right handlebar you will find the button that gives you the option to switch between semi-auto or full-auto modes. On the left handlebar it has a forefinger trigger and thumb button to control the up and down shifting for the semi-auto gearbox.
The 6000rpm redline suggests that the engine is built for bottom end torque and not for big power. The speedo reads up to 240 kph. It has a 4G logo on the dash that will have the ability to connect to a cellular network without having to link your phone. No sign of adaptive cruise control that we can see. Warning light in the mirrors suggest it will have a blind spot monitoring system.
The new bike takes on a more retro-inspired shape that the company says “Comes from traditional Chineses lion art.”
Take for example the headlights, to represent a lion’s eyes. It will also have a reverse-raked nose giving the bike a prominent bow above the lights.
The flat eight is Souo’s first model, but the company plans to extend with more models in the future.
Souo says it will probably dabble in more conventional motorcycles as the company looks to compete with more brands and have a broader range in the future.
Interesting stuff.
