Not that long ago, in the grand scheme of things, Chinese motorcycles were new to Canada. The first Chinese bikes here were mostly small single-cylinders. Back in 2010, CMG had a Konker KSM200 as a long-term tester (a copy of the Suzuki DR200). But things have changed a lot since then. For evidence, check out the new eight-cylinder touring bike from Great Wall Motors.
Great Wall Motors is selling this new tourer under the name Suou 2000GL. The bike has been teased for months, but officially broke cover at the big international moto show in Beijing over the past weekend. Obviously, even if the flat engine design, not to mention the bodywork, didn’t tip you off already—this bike appears to have been inspired greatly by the Honda Gold Wing. Just how closely-inspired the machine is, it’s hard to say, as we haven’t seen a full spec sheet or any mechanical tear-downs of the 2000cc engine.
Here’s what we do know: The bike is supposed to have a twist-and-go DCT-style gearbox, and we expect a full electronics package that includes leaning-sensitive ABS, traction control and multiple riding modes. The company’s PR does tell us the Suou comes with a rear crash warning system and a blind spot sensor. It also says the bike has semi-active suspension, including a Hossack fork. The seats are heated, the windscreen is electronically-adjustable, and the bike has an eight-speaker sound system (although that may be optional, along with some of these other features).
The fully-equipped version supposedly has 118 liters of luggage space. As well as the full-lux flagship model, Suou will also build a version with less bodywork and bags… just like Honda’s Gold Wing series.
Will the bike ever come to Canada? We doubt it. Not soon, anyway. But as Great Wall Motors expands its car business around the world, expect these and other bikes to follow with it in the years to come.
I wonder if they can copy Honda’s reliability and dealer network?