Zontes was in the midst of developing three cylinder engine and motorcycle when we visited the factory in 2019. They have teased it since then and there had been several prototypes along the way. Now, after just three years (not counting the two years spent in lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic), they have launched the Zontes 703F three cylinder adventure bike.
The Zontes 703F has the distinction of the first Chinese produced three-cylinder motorcycle. The boss of the company had stated that he prefers the three-cylinder format as it provides strong torque in the low-end and mid-range RPMs and useable maximum horsepower in the upper RPM range.
And true enough, the bike was launched at EICMA this year when the bike has already been in production back at their factory, unlike other manufacturers who take another year to produce their final products.
But Zontes being Zontes, the bike is not just the engine and little else. As such, it is equipped with a whole litany of features.
Highlights:
- 699cc, three-cylinder, DOHC, fuel-injected engine which produces 97hp at 10,000 RPM and 76Nm at 7,500 RPM. That is a good spread of RPM between maximum torque and maximum power.
- Six-speed transmission with quickshifter.
- Cast aluminium frame (not welded anywhere).
- One-piece cast aluminium swingarm.
- One-piece cast aluminium subframe.
- Full coverage sump guard.
- Handguards.
- Marzocchi upside-down forks adjustable for compression and rebound damping.
- Marzocchi monoshock adjustable for compression and rebound damping..
- There are two variants. One is a road-biased version, fitted with a 19-inch front wheel. The other is an adventure variant, fitted with a 21-inch front wheel. The rear wheel is 18-inches for both. The wheels are fitted with Michelin Anakee tyres.
- Dual 310mm brake discs gripped by J.Juan 4-piston calipers up front. J.Juan is a subsidiary of Brembo.
- Seat height of only 825mm.
- Electrically adjustable windscreen.
- 8-inch colour TFT screen.
- Automatic headlights and cornering lights.
- Traction control and ABS are standard.
- Built-in front and rear dashcam.
- Keyless ignition and fuel filler cap.
First ride experience
To start off, the seat was low and allowed even the shortest of us tester to plant our feet securely on the ground. Although the specs say a seat height of 825mm, it felt much lower than that. That low seat height made lifting the bike off its stand rather easy despite it weighing 240kg, wet. Pushing it around was different, though.
The engine started with the characteristic three-cylinder roar, and the stock exhaust system was actually pretty loud and gave off a throaty rumble. Then that rumble is combined with a howl at higher RPMs just like what a triple is supposed to do. It surely surprised us because new Euro5+ compliant bikes are aurally emasculated these days.
Slip the clutch and the bike goes. The engine was super smooth for a triple, which the factory told us was due to the new frame. In fact, it was the smoothest triple we have ridden thus far, besides sounding smooth too. Be careful here, because we snapped the throttle open and the bike responded immediately and just took off. We rode on the same narrow road on top of the dam and it was shared with the villagers on their trikes around here, so we took it easier. However, the fastest rider in our group plus a racer from Zontes Malaysia managed to take it up to 200km/h from a rolling start in just 500 metres!
The suspension was also much improved compared to the internally built ones of old. The damping rates were much more supple regardless of what kind of surface we rode on.
Our concern was mainly for the 21-inch front end of the adventurer, or more specifically whether it wanted to tuck under when cornering. But that did not happen.
Conclusion
Zontes spent the last several years working non-stop on this bike and it showed. The body panels all fitted well. The same body panels were robot painted and had not one single blemish in them. There were no loose cables and wires anywhere, nuts and bolts were hidden way. Its quality rivals the best Japanese and European bikes that are double its price.
We did not get to ride the Zontes 703F as much as we wanted during that one day but all the indicators point towards a well-developed bike. It just goes to show how much the premium Chinese motorcycle makers can improved in just a short time.
We really hope Zontes Malaysia will extend us a test Zontes 703F when it gets here.
