05/07/2026
QJ Motor Super9 (SU9) – The Chinese Café Racer That Borrowed an Italian Suit
Yup!! She doesn't speak Italian, she speaks Mandarin.
Every motorcycle has a personality.
Some reveal it after thousands of kilometres.
Others introduce themselves within the first five minutes.
The QJ Motor Super9 falls into the latter category.
After spending time with the Super9, it became clear that this isn't just a pretty face inspired by Italian design. It has genuine strengths that encourage spirited riding, along with a few quirks that deserve attention.
To understand the Super9, we need to go to Italy.
The MV Agusta Superveloce is widely considered one of the most beautiful motorcycles of modern times.
When it debuted, it was described by MV Agusta as a fusion of vintage racing aesthetics and contemporary engineering. The design paid homage to the glorious Grand Prix motorcycles ridden by legends like Giacomo Agostini and Phil Read during the 1960s and 1970s. The motorcycle quickly became an icon and won multiple design awards.
And then the Super9 appeared.
The resemblance was impossible to ignore.
When the Super9 was unveiled in late 2024, many media outlets believed it was another product of the previously announced cooperation between MV Agusta and Qianjiang.
That assumption seemed reasonable given the companies' earlier partnership and the motorcycle's obvious resemblance to the Superveloce. However, in August 2025, MV Agusta issued an official statement clarifying that there was no active collaboration with QJ Motor and that the Super9 had not been jointly developed. The company further stressed that all MV Agusta motorcycles are designed, engineered, developed and handcrafted in Varese, Italy.
The Super9 undeniably borrows heavily from the visual language established by the Superveloce. However, its engineering package is distinct and largely based around QJ Motor's own SRK921RR platform.
Think of it this way:
The MV Agusta Superveloce is an Italian tailor-made suit.
The QJ Motor Super9 is a beautifully cut suit inspired by Milan fashion but produced in a different workshop.
They may resemble one another from across the room, but they are not the same garment.
One of the motorcycle's biggest highlights is its braking performance.
The Brembo setup inspires confidence from the very first squeeze of the lever. Initial bite is progressive rather than abrupt, yet when you ask for serious stopping power, the Super9 responds with authority.
Whether slowing from highway speeds or trail-braking into a corner, the brakes never feel overwhelmed.
Good brakes don't simply stop a motorcycle.
They give you the confidence to ride faster, knowing that when it's time to scrub off speed, the motorcycle is more than capable of answering the call.
And the Super9 certainly does.
Cornering – It Feels Like It's Reading Your Mind
Some motorcycles negotiate corners.
The Super9 attacks them.
What impressed me most wasn't necessarily how quickly it could corner, but how planted it felt once committed to a line.
There was no unsettling wobble.
No vague front-end sensation.
No nervous chassis movements.
Instead, the motorcycle settled into bends with remarkable composure, almost as if it had already decided where it wanted to go before I had.
That inspires confidence.
And confidence is what allows riders to become smoother, faster and ultimately safer.
The motorcycle encourages you to trust it.
A Rare Motorcycle in a Sea of Familiar Faces
Let's be honest.
Motorcycles are emotional purchases.
If all we cared about was practicality, we'd all be riding scooters.
The Super9 has presence.
Every fuel stop becomes a conversation.
Every parking lot becomes an impromptu photo opportunity.
In a world filled with GSs, Ninjas, CBRs and RRs, the Super9 is refreshingly uncommon.
Its rarity is part of its appeal.
People stare.
They ask questions.
Many initially assume it's an MV Agusta before taking a second look.
Whether that's because of admiration, curiosity or sheer disbelief hardly matters.
The result is the same:
The Super9 steals attention from virtually every other motorcycle around it.
For riders who appreciate exclusivity, that's worth far more than another ten horsepower.
But!!! Yes, there is a BUT. No motorcycle is perfect, and the Super9 is no exception.
One issue that immediately stood out was the clearance between the handlebars and the fuel tank during full-lock turns.
As the bars approach the steering stops, they come remarkably close to the tank.
During slow-speed manoeuvres such as U-turns or parking, it's surprisingly easy for your fingers to become trapped or pinched between the handlebar and the tank if you're not paying attention.
It's not something you'll notice while riding quickly.
But in everyday use, it's a small ergonomic oversight that owners will quickly learn to work around.
The quickshifter deserves praise because, for the overwhelming majority of the ride, it performs beautifully.
Gear changes are smooth, crisp and require almost no interruption in acceleration.
It's exactly what you'd expect from a modern sport motorcycle.
However, during my time with the bike, second gear occasionally behaved differently.
There were moments where the shift didn't feel quite as clean or decisive as the rest of the gearbox.
Now, it's important to be fair here.
I cannot confidently say whether this was:
a once-off anomaly,
an issue specific to the particular press or demonstration motorcycle,
a factory adjustment that needed attention,
or something that developed after the motorcycle had accumulated a number of kilometres.
Without testing additional Super9s, it would be irresponsible to label this as a widespread issue.
But it is something I experienced, and therefore something worth mentioning.
Should it prove to be an isolated case, it certainly wouldn't detract from an otherwise impressive riding experience.
It would be easy to dismiss the QJ Motor Super9 as "the motorcycle that looks like an MV Agusta."
That would also be unfair.
Because once you're in the saddle, the styling fades into the background and the motorcycle's own character begins to emerge.
It's composed.
It's confidence-inspiring.
It brakes exceptionally well.
It corners with conviction.
And perhaps most importantly, it makes every ride feel like an occasion.
Yes, the Super9 wears its Italian inspiration proudly—perhaps a little too proudly for some tastes—but beneath the bodywork is a motorcycle that deserves to be judged on its own merits.
QJ Motor has built more than a conversation starter.
They've built a motorcycle that proves Chinese manufacturers are no longer content with merely following the industry.
They're beginning to shape it.
Price: R189 995 at your nearest Kawasaki SA dealership
