The custom motorcycles of the past had a somewhat heavy and overly sober image. QJ Motor, which recently entered the market with a very youthful image, wanted to convey all that dynamism and innovation to its smallest custom motorcycle, the SRV 125. A beautiful and well-equipped motorcycle, but will it pass our test?
With a relatively recent presence in the Portuguese market, QJ Motor is a brand of Qianjiang Motorcycle – a company specialized in the production of automobiles and motorcycles – which in turn belongs to the Geely group, an automobile manufacturer that controls important brands in the market. QJ Motor, specifically, has a quite complete range with low and medium displacement models – which we have been showing here in the magazine – but it is important to say that this SRV 125 is already one of their best-selling motorcycles. We went to Tarragona to try to understand why.
POSITIONING AND HIGHLIGHTS
This small cruiser, we can also call it that, is the most affordable of the brand. And being a 125, it can be driven by drivers with a car driver’s license, who find here a very easy motorcycle to ride on a daily basis, without giving up a very distinctive style that they are looking for. And while the custom segment no longer carries the weight it once did, lately this category of motorcycles has experienced a revival, as evidenced by the fact that 11.2% of motorcycles sold in our country belong to this segment. As for 125 cc custom motorcycles, they represent 6.1% of the total motorcycles sold in our country.
As for the main highlights of this SRV 125, we have to immediately mention its single-cylinder engine, as it has liquid cooling and is at the top of what the law allows in terms of maximum power, with its 14.9 hp. A motorcycle that also has ABS braking on both wheels – which is also not always possible to find in 125 cc motorcycles, and besides having a very attractive price, it comes with a 6-year warranty, which is an important argument.
We also find a full LED front headlight and the rear shock absorbers have spring preload adjustment. The wheels are 17 inches in the front and 15 inches in the rear, and the instrumentation is LCD, providing simple information. In terms of equipment, this QJ has two charging sockets, one USB and one type C. The seat is placed only 720 mm from the ground and the whole assembly weighs 150 kg, with the SRV being available in three decorations: a sober black and two very attractive and dynamic colors, yellow and orange.
DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR
In terms of dynamics, we immediately liked the riding position, which is very natural and with the feet not too far forward, nor the legs too bent. The suspensions work well, being softer in the front, and the engine offers good mid-range power, for a always ready and pleasant response, even in the city. On open road, we have to push through each gear if we want to go fast, so we easily reach 120 km/h.
There are few vibrations and the braking is quite acceptable on both axles, although the lever does not have adjustment in distance to the right handlebar, so the feel is not the best and may not help the less experienced or those with smaller hands.
This is a small downside, as well as the injection system being a bit abrupt in response to the throttle, which also has a quite high travel. The gearbox works well and overall the dynamic behavior is positive, with a good ground clearance in curves, where we only do not feel well the “tread” of the Cordial tires, which give little feeling, even without having any scares. It remains uncertain how they will perform on wet surfaces.
With a good seat for the passenger and an acceptable build quality, this SRV 125 offers a good price-equipment ratio, has a pleasant ride and is quite attractive, so it is another interesting proposal for lovers of this type of motorcycles. In other words, answering the initial question, even without achieving a maximum score, this SRV 125 clearly passes our test.
QJ MOTOR SRV 125
SINGLE-CYLINDER engine, liquid-cooled, 4 valves
DISPLACEMENT 125 cc
POWER 11.0 kW (14.9 hp) @ 9,500 rpm
TORQUE 12.1 Nm @7,000 rpm
GEARBOX 6 speeds
FRAME steel tubular
FUEL TANK 14.5 liters
FRONT SUSPENSION conventional telescopic fork, 118 mm travel
REAR SUSPENSION 2 shock absorbers, 60 mm travel
FRONT BRAKE 280 mm disc, ABS
REAR BRAKE 240 mm disc, ABS
FRONT TIRE 90/90-17
REAR TIRE 140/90-15
WHEELBASE 1,440 mm
SEAT HEIGHT 720 mm
WEIGHT 150 kg
MSRP (from) €3,390
