New Chinese cruiser to challenge affordable Japanese models
Kove might be a young brand but it’s already making a mark on the international stage after two successive years competing in the Dakar rally and the introduction of dealer networks in Europe and the USA to sell bikes including its 800X adventure model and the four-cylinder 450RR sports bike. Now Kove is preparing to enter the cruiser realm with a new model badged as the Lancer.
Codenamed KY600 but wearing Lancer logos on its flanks, the new machine appears in the latest batch of Chinese type-approvals and is the debut platform for a new Kove-made V-twin engine. Measuring in at 578cc, the new twin has near-square internal dimensions – a bore of 72mm and stroke of 71mm – to give a peak power of 45kW. The is a liquid-cooled design, and appears to be carried in a tubular steel frame, although there’s a large amount of plastic cladding that gives the impression of a cast aluminium chassis.
With a ready-to-run weight of 200kg, it’s fairly light for a cruiser, and the 1490mm wheelbase is identical to that of Honda’s Rebel 500, giving a clear idea of the market that Kove is pitching for. Other details revealed on the approval document include a top speed of 170km/h and the bike’s tyre sizes – 120/70R18 at the front, 160/60R16 at the rear.
The brakes, with a single front disc grabbed by a large Taisco-branded four-pot radial caliper, have Chinese-made Ningbo ABS, and the suspension uses a combination of upside-down forks at the front and twin shocks at the back, acting on an extruded swingarm.
The bike appears to be ready to go, so an official unveiling can’t be far away.
