Great Wall Motor is the eighth largest car company in China, selling more than a million vehicles a year and owning several sub-brands. This month, it is also becoming a motorcycle manufacturer, with the launch of its new company, Great Wall Souo, and its eight-cylinder touring bike, which is even superior to Honda’s Gold Wing.
It’s a bold initiative, but it’s in keeping with Great Wall’s character. Run by charismatic billionaire Wei Jianjun, the company started out making trucks in the 1980s, but has grown rapidly in recent years, branching out into several brands. Its current lineup includes the Haval brand, which makes SUVs for the road, the aptly named Tank brand, which makes more robust off-road vehicles, and two all-electric ranges (Ora and Wey), as well as GWM-branded trucks.
Souo is Great Wall’s first motorcycle venture, but it reflects Wei’s long-term interest in two wheels and, unlike most Chinese motorcycle companies, is aiming straight for the top end of the market, rather than starting with cheap single-cylinder machines. Not a two-cylinder bike, not a four-cylinder bike, not even a six-cylinder bike, Souo’s first ever motorcycle is also the world’s only production eight-cylinder bike. And it’s not a car engine fitted into a motorcycle frame, but an eight-cylinder engine inspired by the Honda Gold Wing’s six-cylinder engine.
Last month, we revealed patents showing the engine and now the actual power unit has been shown in Beijing, and Souo has revealed the contours of the bike itself, as well as a glimpse of its front end. The final machine is due to be unveiled on May 17, but images of the finished bike are already circulating on Chinese social media, having been observed, without any disguise, during what appears to be a promotional video shoot, with Wei Jianjun himself riding it.
Source:https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-news/great-wall-souo-flat-eight-revealed/