since 1976
since 1976
By Lee Pang Seng
IT’S most likely that not many would have heard of Zontes unless the person is a motorcycle enthusiast. Besides, the name only came into its own in recent years when the Chinese motorcycle brand introduced a scooter model to rival that of Japanese makes.
Yes, Zontes is from China and like its counterparts in the automotive and commercial vehicle worlds, this motorcycle brand is most definitely one to watch. The Zontes scooter range has already been in the Malaysian market since 2019 and the distributor, Eurotech Wheel Distribution Sdn Bhd, says the current demand for the ZT350 Scooter is strong with its high-tech features, performance and attractive price.
Having lost our interest in motorcycles more than 30 years ago, we admit that we haven’t been keeping touch with what’s introduced by the respective motorcycle brands over the years. Our only interest in this field is only on watching the exciting races in all three categories of the World MotoGP Championship.
As such, our recent visit to the Zontes factory in Jiangmen and taking a brief ride on the 368G Scooter were mostly a refresher course on the world of motorcycling. We remain fascinated at what a motorcycle could do but we have lost all the bravado of our much younger days. While we enjoyed our brief ride, we wouldn’t risk being on a two-wheeler on Malaysian roads. It’s a hostile world out there.
Personal feelings aside, we could relate to the advancements that Zontes made in carving out a good niche of the motorcycle market in China and beyond. Having been to countless manufacturing facilities, the majority of which are for cars, the huge Zontes factory in Jiangmen is impressive. This facility is spread over about 400,000 square metres and is one of the five factories under Zontes’ wings.
Boasting a workforce of 4000, a quarter of whom are involved in research and development (R&D), you could hardly see a middle-aged face as they comprise mainly young college graduates. Despite that, the use of robotics is high and, in some sectors, the robot does multiple functions. The human involvement is mostly in final assembly, monitoring the automated work process, logistics and performing quality checks.
Zontes’ huge investments on R&D led to more than 250 design patents, 121 patents for utility models and 36 patents for invention (we figured it’s either for a manufacturing item or vehicle product). This effort is also duly recognised as Zontes won the annual Technology Innovation Award in Guangdong three times.
This factory in Jiangmen produces about 600,000 motorcycles a year, a good percentage of which is to meet demand in export markets. In the Asean region, Thailand is said to account for a big share of the Zontes scooter range. And it could clearly be seen during our visit that the pace of production was proceeding at supercharged speed without sacrificing quality.
Needless to say, the bulk of the motorcycle production at this Jiangmen facility appeared to be focused on the Zontes scooter range. We were told that production for the 703 Adventure tourer bike and the newly introduced sporty 703 RR is being stepped up as demand is increasingly strong for these models as well.
Other models that Zontes also manufactures are the Kiden 200 and Zontes 310 range. We deduced from the model names that Zontes prefer to name its respective motorcycle products loosely on the engine displacements.
The company that owns the Zontes brand is Guangdong Tayo Motorcycle Technology Co, Ltd. It was founded in 2003 as a Sino-foreign joint venture with an investment of RMB2.6 billion. Zontes’ expanding footprint in global markets contributes to the 40 per cent of motorcycles exported from China.
On a global perspective, China is acknowledged as the second largest motorcycle industry in the world after India. In 2019, the country produced 17 million motorcycles but the highest output was recorded in 2013 with almost 23 million. The country’s production numbers are said to be approaching that level again as demand grows.
We learnt that more than 70 per cent of the motorcycle parts are produced by Zontes in-house while external sourcing is made for the tyres, batteries, brake and suspension systems, among other items. Keeping in tandem with the manufacturing trends, the Zontes factory boasts its self-manufacture ability with a completely automatic robotic manufacturing department.
The factory tour revealed the high number of robots, including a few that could do many functions at its respective station. The sections that the robots were mostly seen in action included the aluminium alloy high pressure casting area, frame and silencer welding, traceless roll welding for the fuel tank, painting, aluminium alloy frame welding, among other areas.
Zontes is also expanding the age of computerisation in its human resources and takes pride in its management software working platform. This covers everything in the company from office automation, HR and performance appraisal, workshop, warehouse, purchasing to even the canteen!
And if you think Guangdong Tayo Motorcycle Technology is only making motorcycles, you couldn’t be more wrong. The company also plans to make electric cars as well, including flying vehicles. While this might be in the initial phase, efforts are already initiated and new products in this area are in the offing in the near foreseeable future.
Zontes 368G Scooter
Honestly, we didn’t even know such a motorcycle design exist. Our perception of a scooter goes back to the days of the Vespa scooter in the 1970s and 1980s. The Vespa had an engine located on one side at the rear that made it an interesting ride experience in adjusting to its unbalanced dynamics.
The scooter these days appears to be more practical in design and layout, with the engine located in front like most motorcycles we are familiar with. It adopts the underbone concept of the Honda Cub with a pretty voluminous compartment under the seat to store items, such as two full face helmets in the newly introduced Zontes 368G Scooter with its 52-litre space.
The 368G is the top model in the Zontes scooter range, which comprise mainly the 350 variants. It is promoted as the high-performance scooter with a single-cylinder water-cooled four-stroke engine that displaces 368cc. Its power rating is given as 28.5kW (38hp) and 40Nm torque, and the transmission is a CVT (continuously variable transmission) with three ‘gears’. The fuel tank has a capacity of 17.5 litres.
It has inverted shock absorbers front and rear that are adjustable for damping rate. Alloy wheels are standard and the front wheel is a 17-inch unit while the rear is a 14-inch item. The tyres fitted are China-made CST multifunctional tyres. The ground clearance is 180mm and this gives it a higher ride height compared to the 350 models. ABS (anti-lock brake system) is standard, so is the TCS (traction control system).
An eight-inch TFT independent chip unit serves as the instrument panel that relates speed and other functions that the 368G comes with. For its operating function, it comes with a third-generation intelligent control system. There is also Zontes intelligent app that you could use to start the scooter with. However, should you use the key to activate the 368G, you would have to use the key to turn it off. To start or kill the engine, there is a red rocker switch on the handlebar. It is all very electrical in operation.
Among its features are the auto high brightness LED (light emitting diode) headlamps, electric heating handlebar, electric fuel tank cap, electric cushion lock, three Type-C charging ports, front and rear dual HD (high density) riding recorder and adjustable windscreen.
While we didn’t take part in the ride impression on remote farm land roads, we gave it a go at a designated circuit in front of the Zontes factory ground in Jiangmen. We felt it was safer gaining an experience under controlled conditions although the electric controls in modern motorcycles added to the slight trepidation because of the unfamiliarity.
The reason that persuaded us to take the 368G Scooter for a spin was its ease of ride function; no handlebar levers to engage the gears as it’s a CVT motorcycle and it was just a matter of turning the handlebar grip on the right to accelerate. Took us a while to get used to using the handlebar levers to slow down the scooter; right lever for the rear brake and left lever for the front.
The 368G offered a good turn of pace although we weren’t accelerating hard; it has been more than 30 years since we last rode a motorcycle and we weren’t going to blast off like we used to in much younger days. Its good vehicle balance allowed us to lean the 368G easily into corners but the fear of falling had us doing so at moderate speeds. Yes, we now realised how vulnerable and exposed we were riding a motorcycle!
Nevertheless, the three-lap ride on the Zontes 368G Scooter gave us a fair idea why it would appeal to bike enthusiasts; its nippy pace and compact dimensions made it ideal for making one’s way through traffic easily. And its touring like seating posture makes it just as ideal for that countryside cruise.
We learnt from Eurotech Wheel Distribution that the Zontes 368G would be introduced here in the first quarter of this year and would be priced about RM30,000. A good percentage of the prospective buyers are from the Klang Valley.
Zontes 703 Adventure & 703 RR
Going bigger engine displacement is a natural progression and Zontes is definitely heading in that direction with the 703 Adventure tourer. And from there, its newly launched 703 RR sports bike adds the exciting alternative that might appeal to those wanting a more aggressive machine.
It chose a three-cylinder water-cooled four-stroke fuel-injection aluminium engine with double overhead camshafts to power the 703 models. The engine comes with a balancer shaft to counter the vibrations inherent in three-cylinder engines. It is oversquare in configuration with a 70mm bore and 60.6mm stroke to displace 699cc.
Its power output is given as 71kw (97hp) at 10,000rpm and 76Nm at 7600rpm. The transmission is a six-speed gearbox and there is a choice of Eco or Sports mode. It is the performance that takes your breath away. Zontes says the 703 Adventure tourer accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in 3.28 seconds. Its top speed is 218km/h but if side boxes are added, then the top speed is lower at 201km/h.
The 703 RR has a different fairing with an air inlet where the auto LED headlamps would be. This is to give it a more efficient airflow and less drag on high-speed runs. The engine is sports tuned and delivers a higher output of 81kW (110hp) while maximum torque is marginally lower at 75Nm.
This model boasts of an aluminium frame that weighs 14.5kg, which is much lighter than the steel frame chassis commonly used in other motorcycles, and aluminium swing arms. The suspension system sees Marzocchi shock absorbers in front and a Marzocchi monotube absorber at the rear.
Like the 368G, the front alloy wheel on the 703 Adventure tourer is bigger at 21-inch with the rear being an 18-inch unit; however, Michelin tyres are fitted as standard on the tourer and sportster. The brake system comes with dual-channel ABS in front and the TCS (traction control system) is a standard feature.
While we were tempted to take a ride on the 703 RR at the Zontes facility, especially after seeing another media member leaning the sports bike into corners and scraping the foot pedals. We decided otherwise trying to relive our past especially when we had to deal with manual gear changes using the handlebar lever and foot shifter. We have not been manually changing gears for a long time, having owned automatic transmission cars since the mid-1990s.
We owned a Yamaha 650 that was powered by a two-cylinder four-stroke engine in the early 1970s and it would have been nice to relive a bit of the tourer experience. But good sense prevailed to save us the embarrassment of fumbling the ride with so many unfamiliar operational functions.
The general consensus among the media members after riding the 703 was its solid dynamics in taking to corners and strong turn of pace. Eurotech Wheel Distribution says the 703 Adventure would be launched shortly after the 368G Scooter is introduced here. It is expected to fetch about RM40,000 and the demand is anticipated to be strong.
