[cycleworld.com] - Benda Heading to the US

[Ninjette Newsbot]

Another Chinese motorcycle company appears to be headed to the US, with a couple of interesting models that span different displacements and styles.

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Among models potentially coming to the US is the LFR700, a sportbike powered by a 680cc inline-four. (Benda/)China is packed with little-known motorcycle brands and the harsh truth is that most of them are unlikely to raise even the slightest interest from buyers in the West. But some of them are genuinely intriguing, and near the top of that list comes Hangzhou Saturn Power Technology, which sells bikes under the Benda name.

Recent documentation indicates that Benda is bringing its range to the US market, having filed documents with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), as required by law to explain how to decode the brand’s VIN information. The document appears to be erroneously dated “December 9, 2022? (having actually been published on December 9, 2023) but it clearly lists Hangzhou Saturn Power Technology as the owner and Benda as the brand to be used on the bikes.


Benda’s LFC700 power cruiser. (Benda/)Benda’s Chinese offerings are interesting enough to have been featured on these pages a few times in the past. It first piqued our interest with the four-cylinder LFC700 and LFS700 models launched in 2021, both of which used 93 hp, 680cc inline-four developed by Benda, albeit by reverse-engineering Honda’s CB650R engine and increasing its stroke.

The LFC is a crazy-looking muscle cruiser with a vast, 67.7-inch wheelbase, a 310-section rear tire, and an engine air intake that’s designed around its small, LED headlight to look like a jet inlet, while the LFS uses the same motor in a more conventional roadster-style package. But that was just the start, as the company has recently unveiled the LFR700 sportbike using the same engine.


Benda’s supercharged 300cc engine. (Benda/)Elsewhere, Benda’s plans include the “VTR300 Turbo,” a sportbike with a turbo or supercharged 300cc V-twin engine, which has been seen in design illustrations but not officially launched yet. There is also a range of V-4-powered cruisers from 500cc to 1,200cc. In its existing lineup, Benda’s range is largely focused on cruisers, with a modern range of small to midsize models including the recently launched Napoleon 450 bobber, the similarly powered Chinchilla 450, and the Dark Flag 500, which is the first of the company’s homegrown V-4-engined model.


The Benda Napoleon. (Benda/)The VIN decoding document filed with the NHTSA doesn’t specify which bikes Benda plans to sell in the US, and the codes listed include two-strokes and four-strokes, liquid- and air-cooled, and a vast array of styles of bikes, and engines from sub-50cc to more than 1,200cc. However, the Napoleon, Chinchilla, and Dark Flag are the company’s main focus at the moment.


Benda’s V-4-powered Dark Flag. (Benda/)The Dark Flag 500 is particularly intriguing, including a surprising level of technology. Not only does it use China’s first homegrown V-4 motorcycle engine (producing 54 hp at 9,000 rpm and 31 lb.-ft. at 6,500 rpm), but it also features a cylinder-deactivation system that cuts out the two rear cylinders at idle, just like some of Ducati’s latest V-4s, to reduce heat and fuel consumption. The Dark Flag Ultra version also has electronically controlled air suspension at the back.

The Chinchilla 450, meanwhile, is a rival to the likes of Kawasaki’s Eliminator and Honda’s SCL500, with 50 hp from a liquid-cooled eight-valve 448cc V-twin, also developed in-house by Benda. The newest addition, the Napoleon 450, uses the same engine but in a different chassis with a hidden monoshock at the rear, a single seat, and unusual cowls over the fork that give the look of an old-fashioned girder front end without any of the drawbacks.