Chinese two-wheeler manufacturer Huaying has a 500cc sportsbike in its range, which goes way too far in taking inspiration from Yamaha R6
The Chinese automobile industry is infamous for ripping off the designs of plenty of vehicles sold in international markets. Some of these are quite brazen attempts, with almost nothing left to differentiate it from the original! We recently came across another example of such kind, which not only steals the styling, but also the name of its “inspiration”.
This is Huaying R6, and a single glance at the motorcycle reveals that it is a copy of the discontinued Yamaha YZF-R6. At the front, we can see that the design elements like the sharp headlamp setup, the sporty front fairing, the bubble visor, and fairing-mounted rear-view mirrors with integrated turn indicators are a direct lift from the Yamaha.
The muscular fuel tank, split seat setup, and sharp tail section are all identical as well. The riding position seems well-suited for the racetrack, with low-set clip-on handlebars and rear-set footpegs. The suspension system consists of USD forks at the front and a monoshock at the rear. Braking duties are handled by two discs on the front wheel and a single one on the rear wheel.
The rear swingarm and alloy wheels have different designs though, but that’s not this motorcycle’s saving grace. Upon closer inspection, it can be seen that the font for the stickering is also the same as used by Yamaha. What’s more, Huaying’s logo – a pinwheel with six spokes – has an uncanny resemblance to the Japanese manufacturer’s three-pronged logo!
The quality of the body panels and the switchgear feels much inferior compared to Yamaha R6, and the flashy paint scheme isn’t helping matters here. Huaying R6 gets a fully digital instrument console, which (surprisingly) isn’t lifted from the R6. Instead, it resembles the one Kawasaki previously used to offer on the ZX-10R!
As for the powertrain, it consists of a 500cc parallel-twin engine, which generates around 38 PS of peak power and 35 Nm of maximum torque. It is clear that Huaying R6 doesn’t have the bite to match its bark. However, for a price of just CNY 22,600 (around INR 2.57 lakh), one really can’t expect more.
