Gilera-Zonsen – more signs for a hypothetical return of the Arcore brand.

For over a year, there has been persistent talk of the return of the Gilera brand to the market. The Arcore brand is part of the same Piaggio family that includes Moto Guzzi and Aprilia, not to mention Laverda, another name that is not actively present in the market yet.

Rumors of a Gilera comeback have also been fueled by some test photos showing a familiar motorcycle parked near the Zongshen headquarters in China. For those who don’t know, Zongshen Piaggio Foshan Motorcycle is the joint venture of the Piaggio Group and Zongshen Industry that produces some Piaggio and Aprilia vehicles, as well as its own specific range. Some of their vehicles are not seen or will not be seen in our market, although at EICMA 2023 the presence of Zonsen (the new brand name) drew attention to its Cyclone brand with the Adventure RX650 and the roadster RE5.

These test photos were now followed – more than a year later – by some representations published by colleagues from Cycleworld (which reached us thanks to Chinese homologation documents) showing two different versions of this motorcycle, which is definitely derived from the Aprilia Shiver 900 (or, in any case, from the platform that the naked bike shared with the Dorsoduro 900) in terms of frame and 900 cc twin-cylinder engine, not to mention the fairings. A motorcycle that was never updated to Euro 5 standards and therefore was withdrawn from the market, but with the Gilera brand (which we see in patent drawings of a Zonsen engine apparently very similar to the one that equipped the Shiver, an engine then exhibited with the same marks at the Chongqing Chinese Motor Show) could have a second generation, especially in Eastern markets.

Why two different versions? It is highly unlikely that the Gilera-Zonsen will be presented in two different versions on the market – if and when it reaches production – but it seems possible that the second version, with a more modern headlight set and different radiators (in almost all other aspects, the two versions seem identical), will refresh a design conceived at least a decade ago and in which the under-seat exhausts (now rare in current production) were the main feature.

It is known that Zonsen, through the Cyclone brand, is about to put into production the RA9, a “power cruiser” presented a few years ago as a concept and based on the same platform as the Shiver 900, but the – alleged – Gilera would be a very different bike and the use of the Arcore brand could open the door to international markets more easily. For now, there are no official statements or confirmations from Zonsen, so it is very difficult to imagine if and when we will see the hypothetical Gilera 900 in its final form.