Story: Donovan Fourie
Modern superbikes are mind-bogglingly good. Around 20 years ago, we stared in awe at the latest drop of Fireblades, ZX-10s, R1s, GSXR1000s and thought – how can it get any better?
Then we got monsters dishing out more than 200 hp, electronics that will mimic MotoGP rider tactics during your ride to work, aerodynamic mastery that baffles aero engineers and tech that makes the race bikes that our yesteryear heroes beguiled us on look like shaggy village donkeys. It’s glorious to witness, but it also comes at a steep cost – quite literally. The most reasonable offers start at around R300,000, and extend to R600,000 and beyond. To put it bluntly – they cost a lot! Truly, a new superbike that will impress is only for high rollers.
Until now.
Damn, it looks good! That was the overwhelming reaction from the crew as we stood outside Bikeshop Boksburg gazing upon QJMotor’s latest in sports bike wares. Generally, the newest Chinese brand to break cover in South Africa puts forward some good-looking models, but this one might be their crowning achievement.
The SRK921RR has sharp lines accentuating an aggressive countenance underlined by a functioning yet classy front wing. Step back and things get better – the side fairing has the standard array of ducts and breathing vents curving towards the steel frame while the rear tailpiece has similar vibes to a Ducati Panigale or a Yamaha R1.
Then there’s the single-sided swing-arm allowing a simply gorgeous six-spoke rear wheel to flaunt its good looks unimpeded.
Yup, it’s a damn good-looking motorcycle. Well, it should be. While the other models in QJ’s line-up come from its own design sources, the 921 comes directly from the design masters at MV Agusta.
In 2020, the two companies brokered a deal in which they’d work together – MV would share tech while QJ would handle more affordable MVs aimed at the Asian market.
When KTM bought a big stake in MV in 2022, the QJ partnership came to an end. We don’t know the exact details of the split, but it was rumoured that, to compensate for the early departure, MV gave QJ the plans to its Superveloce chassis and the 921 Brutale motor. QJ, understandably, built a Superveloce with a 921 cc Brutale motor and called it the SU9, which currently sits in the QJ line-up for R189,000.
I like the look of the Superveloce, or in this instance, the SU9, but this opinion isn’t universal – there is some Marmite in there with some fancying it, while others do not so much.
So QJ created another SU9 with the same motor and chassis but a more traditional, aggressive styling, the sort of thing everyone can give a nod to. And so, the SRK921RR came into being.
We were standing outside Bikeshop Boksburg because the demo was theirs – Jannie and his crew have the largest holding of QJ stock of any dealer in the country. And, predictably, the most demos.
We also wanted to do a little recce for the Barkfest Run happening on 30 August where everyone meets at Bikeshop Boksburg and does a run to Red Star, so we would ride the 921 from the dealership to the circuit, and do a few laps.
Off the bat, here’s the really good news – you get a modern superbike with all the bells and whistles. It might not be exactly on par with the Japanese and the Europeans, but the wizardry of QJMotor means that instead of paying north of R300,000 for something like this, you will part ways with R179,000. That’s a ridiculously good price, if the 921 impresses. Let’s find out how impressive it is.
Firstly, the motor comes from the previous generation Brutale. It’s a 921 cc in-line four-cylinder, but designed for a naked motorcycle that favours grunt over pure horsepower, and thus the power output is 128 hp with 93 Nm of torque. So, it will not out-drag any of its litre contemporaries, but what it does do instead is provide an easier rider with more midrange and less need for the quick-shifter. Some would consider this a good trade-off. And while it isn’t a chart-topping 200 hp monolith, 128 hp with good grunt is hardly a slouch. Plus that four-cylinder growls and gargles with inspired rage and charisma.
It has a TFT screen with such things as connectivity to your phone, dials for the extensive array of electronics and an attachment to a built-in camera to show your mates how meneer your ride was.
After a short duck through Boksburg, we were motoring up the N12 and life was good. It feels like a superbike, with bars forward, foot-pegs somewhat swept back and a screen juggling aerodynamic efficiency with not letting the wind slice your head off. It was a decent place to be, if you’re used to travelling by superbike.
The motor snarled ferociously and, if pushed to do so, screams past the 200 km/h point and will find itself somewhere around the 250 mark.
Within the half hour, we took the turn-off marked Red Star where the real fun began. The track hosts open track days most Wednesdays, Fridays and on weekends that aren’t booked out. Its website does a good job indicating when it is good to visit. For a reasonable fee, you can spend the day playing on a world-class circuit. Which is what we did.
This is a big deal – while the public road might surreptitiously veil a motorcycle’s faults, the race track will hold up a big neon sign pointing them out for all to see. If the 921 is flawed, we will find out here.
On paper, the 921 ticks most of the right boxes. Suspension is dealt with by Marzocchi, a company steeped with history in building the damping stuff, while the brakes come from the Brembo catalogue, specifically the Stylema range of callipers.
Immediately, the motor jumps into life as the throttle hits the stops coming out of pitlane, with Brutale power chucking a truck-load of grunt at the ground and we are into turn one.
Brembo makes good on its promise to slow the bike down, even offering terrific feel as we trail the bike into the turn, while Marzocchi fulfils its oath to keep everything under control as we do so. At the same time, the two-way quick-shifter knocks down a few gears while the motor protests angrily.
All is truly glorious, although there is one hiccup – this is not the lightest motorcycle on earth, tipping the scale at 225 kg, and this becomes evident as you wrench the handlebars to begin the turning process.
It doesn’t exactly dance on tippy toes.
The downside of this is that manoeuvring through Red Star’s unrelenting twists requires a bit of cardio work. The upside is that as the lean angle increases and the knee slider finds a home on the ground, the bike remains utterly stable and unwavering.
Your muscles might protest but your confidence will sing songs of victory.
We spent a good part of an afternoon turning laps, and to be fair, it’s unlikely that we will see lap records shatter on the 921, but we were grinning.
Riders who want to stand on the top of the podium will have to sell some vital organs to fork out for the R600k models. Riders wanting to have fun while keeping the body’s ability to process urine will have a good time on the SRK921RR.
This one came from Bikeshop Boksburg.
