The QJ SRV 600 V

Four Pistons…

Bikes that surprise us seem to be coming in thick and fast at the moment – and this bike is absolutely one of them. We first saw it lurking in the basement of the KMSA offices a month or two ago – and back then we put in a request to ride it.

First it had to go on a little road trip to QJ dealers all around SA but eventually… we got to swing a leg over.

It was worth the wait.

We are not going to bore you with all the hype and info around the QJ brand, you can read about it in our launch feature. The brand is present in SA with a vengeance with the first shipment of bikes has already sold out. We rode their SRT900SX earlier this year – a bike that represents amazing value for money… and now it was a couple of days in this feisty little beastys saddle.

You’d be forgiven for mistaking the SRV600V with another brand. You need to look a little closer… this is only a 600 – and it’s powered by a V4 engine. That in itself is a seriously cool feature.

Our route took us from the bustling metropolis of Sandton, out to Pretoria for a day of fun – and then the longest possible way back again. We used the bike on the weekend for a breakfast run and asked anyone who showed even the slightest interest to take a spin and share their thoughts before reluctantly handing the keys back almost 500KM’s later. So we kinda know everything that there is to know about this one.

Todays traditional cruisers are all about big torque V2 engines right?

Well this one is a little screamer and it flippen works.

With 68bhp and belt drive it is surprisingly well-suited to this bikes role. Just firing it into life makes you smile.

It really is a beaut!. Down low, the torque isn’t especially strong, but once you hit the midrange, the fun really starts.

Keep it above 4,000rpm, and it pulls hard right up to 11,000rpm.

Acceleration is pure and we saw a top speed close to the 190KPH mark, but again – this bike is not about top speed.

It’s about how lekker it feels getting you there that counts.

Taking in some of the twisties we were impressed at the handling as the long grass tickled our helmets through the turns… It shouldn’t really be able to do that!

Everything about this bike is cool, from the paint job, to the cast wheels and beefy radial brakes. The cut seat and the Marzocchi suspension. The 4” TFT dash is smart and has Bluetooth and TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring).The levers and switchgear have a quality feel.

How’s that little digital display? Classic meets modern and they nailed it.

You even get a USB and a C Type port to keep your electronics charged.

Comfortable too – we had riders of all shapes and sizes in the saddle. The seat is low with a stubby, bobber tail, the pegs are quite far forward but in easy reach, the bars are well-placed, and the overall style is pretty flippen cool.

Honestly. Everyone who rode this bike came away grinning.

It’s a lot of bike at a very welcome price. If you like bikes like this, may we suggest that you head to your QJ dealer and ask for a quick spin.

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