QJmotor’s SRT800 Hints at Future Benellis

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New documents show QJmotor developing the SRT800, an adventure bike based around a new 799cc parallel-twin engine. (QJmotor/)

Earlier this year we revealed patents from Benelli’s parent Qianjiang for a new parallel-twin engine that was all but identical to KTM’s 799cc LC8c design. Now there’s more evidence of a new QJmotor SRT800 model, in the form of a type-approval application that uses exactly that engine. QJmotor and Benelli are sister brands, with model ranges using the same building blocks but having their own distinct styling. The QJmotor SRT models are effectively restyled versions of Benelli’s TRK adventure bikes; the SRT500 is basically a Benelli TRK 502, while the SRT750 is much the same as the TRK 800 (which uses a 754cc twin).

The SRT800 seen in the latest Chinese type-approval paperwork doesn’t have a Benelli equivalent yet, but patents for its 799cc twin-cylinder engine—the QJ288MW—clearly carried the Benelli TNT logo when they were published back in January, indicating the same engine will also appear in Benelli models in the future.

Related: Benelli’s Tornado 650, 550, and TNT 550 Models Teased

Type-approval documents show output claims of 95 hp from the engine, which may also appear in future Benelli models. (QJmotor/)

The new type-approval paperwork is slightly confusing. The two bikes photographed to illustrate the QJmotor SRT800 look very similar to the existing SRT750, which is built around the Benelli 754cc twin that’s effectively two cylinders from the old Tornado 1130 triple. They feature mildly updated styling, with a new tank and side panels, but the engine—despite being blacked out—looks like the Benelli-derived design. However, the text accompanying the application indicates the finished versions of the SRT800 will have the new engine that was seen in January’s patent.

The document confirms the “QJ288MW” name that appeared on that patent, as well as the engine’s 799cc capacity. The QJ288MW title shows that the engine is manufactured by Qianjiang (hence “QJ”), while the “288″ part indicates 2 cylinders with an 88mm bore. The 88mm bore and 799cc total capacity perfectly match that of the original “790″ LC8c engine that first appeared in KTM’s 790 Duke. KTM has since licensed that engine design to its  Asian production partner in China, CFMoto, which uses it in the new 800MT adventure bike. In both the 800MT and the current 790 Duke, built in China by CFMoto, the engine is also designated “288MW.” While January’s Qianjiang patent showed some differences in the castings, the overall design was clearly the same as the KTM LC8c.

Related: Benelli at EICMA 2021

To add more confusion, the old 754cc Benelli engine also uses an 88mm bore, going under the name “QJ288MV,” but perhaps the biggest clue that the new, 799cc QJmotor SRT800 uses the KTM-like design is its power. The type-approval documents show that the SRT800′s engine makes 95 hp, or nearly 20 hp more than the 754cc Benelli twin in the TRK 800 (76 hp), and it’s hard to see how a 45cc capacity hike (via a lengthened stroke) could be responsible for such a huge increase.

Indications that the same engine will also appear in Benelli models can also be found in earlier type approvals. Last year, a 799cc version of the Benelli Leoncino 800 (currently 754cc, like the SRT750 and TRK 800) was also type-approved in China, with a quoted 87 hp thanks to a “QJ288MW” engine, suggesting that all Benelli and QJmotor models that currently use the 754cc “QJ288MV” engine will be upgraded to the new design going into the future.

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